This has been an incredibly bad week for the world鈥檚 poorest with the suspension of almost all USAID funding, the world鈥檚 biggest aid donor. Like so many organisations, we are grappling with the immediate implications on our own life-saving work as well as on those of others.
One thing is very clear to us: our work has never been more needed. We work in some of the world鈥檚 toughest contexts, supporting local media to develop stronger journalism skills so they can deliver the often life-saving information their audiences need.
reports that according to a USAID Factsheet (now removed from the USAID website), in 2023 USAID supported more than 6,200 journalists, assisted 707 non-state news outlets, and supported 279 media-sector civil society organisations dedicated to strengthening independent media.
These journalists and news organisations hold the powerful to account, are a corner stone of (often fledging) democracies, and provide their citizens with the trustworthy, accurate information they need to improve their lives 鈥� and counter growing disinformation. Many of these media, many already under unprecedented pressure from authorities or struggling to survive because they鈥檝e lost their main source of income, ad revenues, to major social media platforms, now face closure 鈥� and the entire world will be worse for it.
In Musk's sights
I didn鈥檛 expect this week would include 91热爆 Media Action being on Elon Musk鈥檚 radar - or in most of the UK national press and several international titles, too.
It has driven support for our work, but also led to widespread misinformation online 鈥� including from Elon Musk - about our work and our relationship to 91热爆 News, much of it linked to polarising debates around the role of overseas aid and the role of public service media.
I want to share a few facts to help counter the misinformation:
- 91热爆 Media Action is the 91热爆鈥檚 international charity. Although we are part of the 91热爆 family, we are editorially completely separate from 91热爆 News. We are an independently funded charity, registered in England and Wales as a charity with the UK Charity Commission regulator.
- We support local media, and ensure people on the frontlines of conflict and crisis have access to trustworthy information. A free and trustworthy press is essential to freedom and democracy 鈥� and 75% of people around the world live in countries without a free press.
- We work in nearly 30 countries and in around 50 languages and we follow the editorial values and standards of the 91热爆.
- We rely solely on generous donors and supporters for funding to carry out our work. USAID has been one of these donors.
- All of our funding goes to our own projects. It is completely separate from the journalism of 91热爆 News. We have no influence over the editorial decision-making of 91热爆 News.
- We are fortunate to have a wide mix of donors. In 2023-24, we received 拢2.6 million from USAID, which was about 8% of our total income.
We are very proud of the work we have done through USAID funding and its loss will be devastating for the people and communities we serve.
Devastating loss for communities
With support from USAID we have been working with some of Afghanistan鈥檚 last remaining women in journalism, at 10 radio stations scattered around the country. So many women鈥檚 voices have been silenced 鈥� these brave women are still working to bring critical information to their communities, focused primarily on health and their legal rights.
We鈥檝e also been working with Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, focusing on giving young people hope for the future while working to defuse conflict and prevent gender-based violence. There are few people in the world more marginalised than these young Rohingya 鈥� they have spent much of their lives in refugee camps, unable to access formal education or work 鈥� and we have worked with our local partners to amplify their voices and their stories.
In Libya, our current affairs and cultural platform, El Kul, means 鈥楩or Everyone鈥� and it has been sharing trustworthy information and inspiring stories from a network of Libyan journalists. In a deeply polarised environment, El Kul has been one of the few sources of trustworthy information and played an important role during the devastating flooding of September 2023 and its aftermath. That work, and our inspiring young team, are now all at risk.
What's next
We are now working flat out to minimise the impact on our partners and the communities we serve, as well as on our dedicated people, whom I am incredibly proud to lead.
This includes trying to find funders to backfill lost USAID funding. Please consider donating to us.
We have been encouraged by those who have spoken out in support of us and our work around the world, reaching 100 million people each year in more than 30 countries and 50 languages. And as we mark 25 years this year, we鈥檙e determined to be around to deliver a better world for the next 25 鈥� and beyond.
Facts still matter.
