{"id":8216,"date":"2025-02-11T08:54:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T08:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/humanityandearth.com\/wp\/?p=8216"},"modified":"2025-02-11T08:58:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T08:58:05","slug":"in-has-also-supported-social-media-censorship-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/humanityandearth.com\/wp\/?p=8216","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIN has also supported social media censorship initiatives.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) gave roughly $473 million<\/a> to a \u201csecretive\u201d nonprofit organization that supported efforts to censor social media users, according to documents released by WikiLeaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This news comes less than a week after President Donald Trump cut major funding to USAID<\/a> amid revelations the organization financed groups, including some media outlets, that engaged in smear campaigns<\/a> and censorship against dissident voices<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WikiLeaks<\/a> is a multinational organization founded by Julian Assange that specializes \u201cin the analysis and publication of large datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials involving war, spying and corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Feb. 7 X post, WikiLeaks revealed<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUSAID has pushed nearly half a billion dollars ($472.6m) through a secretive US government financed NGO, \u2018Internews Network\u2019 (IN), which has \u2018worked with\u2019 4,291 media outlets, producing in one year 4,799 hours of broadcasts reaching up to 778 million people and \u2018training\u2019 over 9000 journalists (2023 figures).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIN has also supported social media censorship<\/a> initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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USAID has pushed nearly half a billion dollars ($472.6m) through a secretive US government financed NGO, \u201cInternews Network\u201d (IN), which has \u201cworked with\u201d 4,291 media outlets, producing in one year 4,799 hours of broadcasts reaching up to 778 million people and \u201ctraining\u201d over\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Internews Network<\/a> has 30 international offices, including headquarters in Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Kyiv, Bangkok and Nairobi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to its website, the organization is a nonprofit that supports \u201cindependent media\u201d in over 100 countries. \u201cWe train journalists and digital rights activists, advance internet freedom, and offer business expertise to help media outlets become financially sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, WikiLeaks suggested that some Internews Network activities may be linked to efforts to influence media narratives and regulate information flow on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the World Economic Forum<\/a>\u2019s 2024 Annual Meeting, Internews President Jeanne Bourgault<\/a> called on the global advertising industry to back what she called the \u201cgood news and information\u201d to deal with \u201cdisinformation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDisinformation makes money,\u201d she said, \u201cWe need to follow that money. \u2026 You can work really hard on inclusion lists or exclusion lists to sort of really try to focus ad dollars and challenge the global<\/a> advertising industry all around the world to focus our ad dollars towards the good news and information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to documents released by WikiLeaks, Bourgault receives roughly $451,000 annually. She formerly worked for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and directed USAID\u2019s Office of Democratic Initiatives, according to her LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WikiLeaks also cited documents showing that since 2008, when electronic records began, the U.S. government supplied more than 95% of Internews\u2019 budget. Documents also showed that the network\u2019s budget has doubled over the past decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2005, Internews also received $985,126<\/a> from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Feb. 8 as a follow-up to its disclosure, WikiLeaks highlighted a post by X user KanekoaTheGreat<\/a> of Internews Network\u2019s annual reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post said, \u201cHere\u2019s how this nonprofit played a crucial role in regime change across Eastern Europe in service of NATO expansion \u2014 then turned its tactics inward, calling for censorship in the West.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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🧵THREAD: I dug up archived USAID-funded Internews Annual Reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s how this nonprofit played a crucial role in regime change across Eastern Europe in service of NATO expansion\u2014then turned its tactics inward, calling for censorship in the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A deep dive👇 pic.twitter.com\/kyATSAFabg<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) February 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Internews Network \u2018lost its way\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internews Network was founded in 1982<\/a> in San Franciso to support independent media, but the organization \u201clost its way,\u201d WikiLeaks said, citing a 2005 John Hopkins Magazine article<\/a> that detailed the experiences of the network\u2019s founder David Hoffman and the network\u2019s evolution since its start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked to comment on WikiLeaks\u2019 disclosure, journalist Paul D. Thacker<\/a> told The Defender he wanted to wait until he\u2019s been able to \u201clook more deeply at the details, but it fits with a disturbing narrative we are seeing in the media.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. government shouldn\u2019t be training and funding journalists who then shape news narratives according to the government\u2019s political interests, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs evidence comes to light that the U.S. government is funding \u2018independent\u2019 media, we see journalists screaming when this funding is yanked, instead of being appalled that the funding exists,\u201d Thacker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the Global Investigative Journalism Network<\/a> on Feb. 7 called upon U.S. elected officials to reverse Trump\u2019s withholding of USAID funds for independent news organizations, Thacker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it\u2019s clear that Internews Network was used to shape news narratives, the scope of its direct censorship activities is unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WikiLeaks did not respond by the deadline when asked to provide detailed documents supporting its allegation that the network has \u201csupported social media censorship initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalist Matt Taibbi<\/a> commented on WikiLeaks\u2019 disclosure by writing on Substack that he intends to delve into the network\u2019s activities, but the analysis will take some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taibbi explained to his readers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you ever come across a big piece of plywood lying flat in a field, or a junkyard? Sometimes you pick it up and it\u2019s just dirt, and sometimes it\u2019s a mass of snakes and maggots and wriggling things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease bear with me on Internews. This one\u2019s going to take a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles in The Defender<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n