"The Media's Fight for Survival: How Trump's Aid Freeze Threatens Global Journalism"

The abrupt and extreme cuts to US international development funding, ordered by President Donald Trump in January 2025, have sent shockwaves through the global media landscape. Independent media outlets and journalist unions, which have long relied on USAID funding, are now facing an existential crisis. The freeze has led to the suspension of critical media programs, staffing cuts, and the potential collapse of independent journalism in regions where it is already under threat.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has reported that 86% of its Asia-Pacific affiliate organizations have been directly or indirectly impacted by the funding cuts. Programs that were once vital for quality journalism in Afghanistan, responsible reporting on health rights in Bangladesh, and strengthening media ethics in Nepal are now at risk of being discontinued. The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) has estimated that at least $268 million in funding for independent media and access to information in over 30 countries has been frozen, with the indirect impacts reaching far wider.

The situation is particularly dire in countries with repressive regimes, where independent journalism is already under threat. The abrupt nature of the funding shutdown has put reporters' safety in jeopardy, with some governments proposing to investigate media outlets that were receiving money from USAID, accusing them of being "propagandists or spies or terrorists." The ransacking of USAID systems by unaccountable private sector agents has also posed severe security risks for journalists worldwide, with the vacuum potentially encouraging renewed attacks and threats towards independent media.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which has had bipartisan support over decades for its work promoting democracy abroad, has also been affected by the funding freeze. NED has launched legal action against the US government and cabinet officials for withholding $239 million in congressional appropriations. The organization has put about 75% of its staff on unpaid leave, and about 1,800 grant projects have received no money since late January, including the IFJ’s Pakistan project which supports thousands of journalists across Pakistan each year.

The IFJ has called on the international community, including governments and other donor organizations, to step in and support vital media development initiatives globally. The organization has urged journalist unions and leaders to strengthen and explore diverse funding models and strengthen their membership bases to buttress against these types of huge and unpredictable geo-political shifts. Building membership and collecting revenue from the collective base must always be the fundamental when it comes to strengthening unions.

The IFJ has also commended organizations such as the Australian government, which is supporting Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA to provide much-needed funding support for trade union development in South East Asia and the Pacific. The IFJ strongly endorsed the “real-world impact” of funding programs like NED, which has sustained and supported freedom of expression and decent working conditions for media workers across the region.

The Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze and shuttering of USAID will have a profound and long-lasting effect on humanitarian programs globally – including on the fragile media landscape in the Global South. The IFJ calls on the international community to again acknowledge the vital role independent media plays in these uncertain times by swiftly stepping in to provide much-needed funds to continue important human rights initiatives in the media sector.

The situation is unprecedented and has forced many organizations to make painful decisions to suspend all partner support and furlough the majority of their staff. The international community must step in to support vital media development initiatives by providing immediate financial support, encouraging diversified funding models, forming strategic partnerships, advocating for the importance of independent media, challenging funding cuts in court, and providing capacity building support. By employing these strategies, the continuity of these programs can be ensured, and the fight for independent journalism can continue.