USAID Funded 6200 Journalists, 707 Media Outlets Worldwide - Including in Hungary

An astonishing number of 6,200 journalists and 707 media outlets were funded by USAID worldwide, including Hungary-based ones. A mounting number of details are emerging about the operations of the globalist-liberal network, which has been promoting migration, gender issues, and war support in Hungary as well. Back in 2023, the head of the organization held a surprising meeting with Hungarian beneficiaries.

With the sensationalist headline “Trump's Foreign Aid Freeze Throws Journalism into Chaos Around the World”, the Soros-linked organization Reporters Without Borders reported on the recent changes. Citing previous USAID information, the article revealed shocking data: the U.S. Democratic leadership had funded more than 6,000 journalists and over 700 media organizations. The article also went on to reveal that USAID financed 279 “media” NGOs, which act as umbrella organizations for lobbying efforts. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 Ukrainian media outlets were funded by the Biden administration, meaning that now, with funding cut off, several local newspapers have ceased operations.

USAID Director Samantha Power visited Hungary in February 2023. According to a report from the U.S. Embassy at the time, she met with Hungarian independent journalists and media-focused NGOs, discussing their commitment to reporting on critical issues and how they could respond to significant challenges affecting press freedom.

They also discussed ways to expand their audience and develop sustainable revenue channels. In other words, just two years ago, USAID’s leadership was in Hungary negotiating financial support for pro-opposition media outlets, at a meeting at the Szabo Ervin Metropolitan Library in Budapest.

 David Pressman, then US Ambassador to Budapest and Samantha Power, head of USAID, met with some members of the opposition media at the Szabo Ervin Metropolitan Library in Budapest on February 11, 2023 (Source: Twitter/Samantha Power)

At a press conference, Samantha Power responded to a question from Magyar Nemzet, stating:
“I did not meet with opposition politicians in Hungary. It is important to clarify that we do not support opposition parties nor opposition politicians anywhere in the world. USAID only supports independent organizations, which should not be confused with opposition parties. Democracy can only function properly when these independent organizations and media outlets serve as a system of checks and balances in a given country.”

However, another photo confirms that Gabor Polyak—who served as the head of media policy for the 2022 left-wing prime ministerial candidate and was an advisor to former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany—had a separate meeting with Samantha Power and David Pressman. This took place just one year after Polyak was involved in the failed, foreign-funded opposition coalition in the 2022 elections in Hungary.

Polyak leads the hardly independent Mertek Media Analysis Workshop, which—with the backing of Brussels-favored Okotars Foundation—was responsible for selecting which media outlets in Hungary would receive U.S. funds. Among the recipients were: Magyar Jeti Zrt., publisher of 444.hu, Van Masik Zrt., which operates Telex.hu, with also major funding going to Magyar Hang (which among other topics spread the false Syrian airplane story), Klubradio, and Atlatszo.

However, the latest round of funding distribution was blocked. As has been widely publicized, when Donald Trump took office, he suspended foreign financial aid for 90 days, impacting 173 million forints (about $500,000) in funding destined for beneficiaries in Hungary.

Media Outlets Losing USAID Funding in Hungary: 444.hu Lost over 8 million forints (about $22,000), G7 & Jelen lost 7 million forints each (about $19,000 each), Klubradio & Magyar Hang lost over 10 million forints each (about $27,000 each) and Tilos Radio lost 7 million forints (about $19,000)
It remains unclear whether these funds are permanently or only temporarily inaccessible to the beneficiaries.

Even within the United States, USAID is facing significant criticism. Elon Musk has argued that the agency paid media outlets to spread its propaganda.

In 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. health secretary, made a striking claim in an interview with The Epoch Times:

“The CIA has become one of the biggest funders of journalism worldwide. The largest financial support flows through USAID. The United States funds journalism in almost every country in the world. They own media outlets and pay the salaries of thousands of journalists. They cannot legally do this within the U.S., but in 2016, President Obama changed the law to make it legal now for the CIA to propagandize Americans.”