American journalists are sounding the alarm, because it is precisely because of the blocking of the activities of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that independent Ukrainian media outlets have lost funding. In fact, this decision by Donald Trump is a painful blow to Ukrainian democracy.
Points of attention
- International support programs are a key source of income for many Ukrainian media outlets and ensure pluralism and democracy in the country.
- According to Detector Media, more than 50 percent of media organizations that receive foreign grants depend on American aid.
Ukraine's independent media found themselves in a difficult position
Although USAID was widely known for its humanitarian and medical work, funding was also used to support independent journalism in Ukraine.
Independent media in Ukraine and Russia criticized their governments and provided alternative information, but most relied on U.S. grants. After the USAID freeze, some organizations said they were just weeks away from downsizing or closing down altogether, the publication writes.
What is important to understand is that many Ukrainian media outlets were barely keeping afloat after the start of the full-scale war that Russia started three years ago.
Against this backdrop, independent media outlets lost their stable advertising revenues, so they were forced to turn to foreign aid programs to save their editorial offices.
According to the head of Detector Media, Natalya Ligachova, "more than 50 percent" of media organizations that receive foreign grants depend on American aid.
"I can say that this is really very important not only for Ukraine, but also for the United States. Because it is independent media that primarily ensure the existence of democracy and pluralism in Ukraine... We hope that Trump will restore international support programs.
