“USAID allocated funds to leading Western media, including Associated Press and The New York Times”, – journalist

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been paying money to leading and well-known Western media outlets.

This was reported on X by Malaysian journalist Ian Miles Cheong, who writes for American conservative media.

According to his findings, the U.S. government has provided The New York Times with tens of millions of dollars over the past five years. The newspaper’s largest sponsor was the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which allocated $26.9 million. The National Science Foundation contributed $19.15 million. In August 2024 alone, the government provided NYT with $4.1 million.

Cheong expressed concern over these payments, suggesting that the funds were used to promote content in the interests of certain political forces—particularly pro-Ukraine narratives, anti-Trump messaging, and attacks on Elon Musk. He also noted that the most generous funding coincided with key political events, including the start of the war in Ukraine and the 2024 U.S. presidential election cycle.

To support his claims, Cheong published screenshots of financial receipts from USASpending.gov, a government platform that tracks U.S. federal expenditures.

Following Cheong’s post, a debate over media funding erupted on X. As part of the discussion, Elon Musk stated that USAID had also provided funds to the Associated Press, which received $620,000 from the State Department.

It is worth noting that yesterday, the U.S. Ministry of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, halted funding for Politicoand other American outlets financed by USAID. Politico has already responded, stating that its parent company “has never been a beneficiary of government programs or subsidies.”

Additionally, reports indicate that USAID has funded 90% of Ukrainian media outlets.

Earlier, it was also revealed that USAID had financed trips of Hollywood celebrities to Ukraine and paid them to publicly condemn Russia’s special military operation.