Who will tell the story if no one is left in the newsrooms?

Global official development assistance (ODA) reached a record $223.7 billion in 2023. The U.S., as the world’s largest single aid donor, allocated $71.9 billion to development assistance in 2023 — at around 1.2% of total federal expenditures. For comparison, the American military budget is nearly $900 billion.

Within this, U.S.-funded journalism support and media development remains a small component, averaging at just $130 million per year – making it 0.002% of its $6.1 trillion federal budget. However, recent funding freezes threaten to further weaken already damaged information environments and independent journalism in fragile states, leaving citizens without access to reliable information that is essential for crisis response, governance, and public accountability. The suspension of U.S. media assistance risks more than just the survival of independent outlets—it endangers lives, weakens global security, and erodes the foundations of international development.

OECD DAC data for a five-year period from 2020 to 2024 shows that total global Official Development Assistance (ODA) for media and free flow of information support, under three codes relevant to journalism and media support, reached $3.10 billion over the five-year period—an annual average of $620 million or 0.3% of the overall development aid. These figures are reported as part of the international open aid reporting process.

U.S. foreign aid has long played a strategic role in promoting global development and stability and has invested in programmes of organisations that are partners of all major development donors and multilateral institutions. But as funding for freedom of expression, and media support dwindles, and commercial sources of revenue continue to be scarce, disinformation networks, authoritarian regimes and extremist groups are filling the void with propaganda and disinformation. Without urgent action to restore and expand funding, news deserts will widen, trust in institutions will erode, and the global information ecosystem will be increasingly shaped by actors with no commitment to truth or human rights.

To prevent this, the international community must act swiftly to reinforce support for human rights, freedom of expression and independent journalism, ensuring that the very foundation of peace, security, and cooperation—factual, credible information—remains available to communities in need.

GFMD has prepared a briefing and an accompanying presentation which provides an overview of data on the proportion of U.S. aid compared to overall aid amounts, as well as regionally relevant data and contextual information on the situation. If you would like to access them, please send a request via email to helpdesk-impact@gfmd.info.

Urgent call for governments, multilateral institutions, and philanthropies to support independent media and journalism

In line with the OECD Development Co-operation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment, we urge governments, donors, and stakeholders to take immediate action to address this crisis. Read the full text of the letter here. 

Organisations who wish to endorse the letter can do so using this short encrypted form.