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According to the latest V-Dem report, there are now more autocracies than democracies in the world (1). Democracy is under attack and so are the institutions that protect it. Among the most vital of these are journalists: the watchdogs of power, the frontline defenders of public dissemination of information. Yet, around the world, foreign aid cuts are threatening the survival of independent journalism (2). The very outlets meant to hold power to account are caught in a dangerous bind: they rely on foreign funding for their survival, while striving to maintain editorial independence.

This financial dependency poses a systemic risk. Even when donor governments uphold democratic values, their funding structures can be weaponized when those values begin to erode. As autocratic influence encroaches into public institutions, so too does the vulnerability of the global free press rises. The current crisis demands more than alarm, it demands a critical reevaluation of how we finance and protect independent journalism. If we are to safeguard democracy, we must first secure the future of its watchdogs.

A historic perspective of donor based independent journalism; from Cold War strategy to tools of development

The link between foreign aid budgets and global independent journalism can only be understood by analysing the origins of the current financial system around the free press. Governmental funding for foreign independent journalism originated in the Cold War geopolitical arena as a strategy of ideological warfare (3). In order to promote democratic principles and undermine communist regimes, the United States and its allies established a range of initiatives and institutions designed to disseminate information beyond the reach of authoritarian control. These organizations aimed to provide civilians under repressive regimes with media coverage independent of their governments, often in local languages.

Notable examples of this strategy include Radio Free Europe (RFE) and Radio Liberty (RL). These platforms were established to penetrate the Iron Curtain and provide uncensored news to people living in Eastern Bloc countries (4). When these radio stations were created in the 1950s, they were covertly financed by the CIA. By the 1980s, however, their funding had become public, with resources coming from the US Congress via the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) (5).

This strategy of ideological warfare was not reserved to fight communism in Europe. It was also applied to expand Western influence in other parts of the world, particularly in newly independent, former colonies, which were seen as ideological battlegrounds by both the US and the USSR (3). Examples of this include Radio Free Asia, launched in 1996 to counter authoritarian influence in Southeast Asia; and Voice of America broadcasts tailored to audiences across Africa. While Western powers claimed to support independent journalism as a way to promote democratic ideals, in practice, they often financed media outlets aligned with anti-socialist and pro-Western narratives (5, 6). Moreover, critics argue that these interventions often echoed colonial patterns, where outside powers shaped the flow of information and defined the terms of public discourse (6, 8).

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the West reframed Cold War-era media strategies into instruments of international development. The promotion and financial support of independent journalism became formally integrated into development policy and multilateral cooperation frameworks (7, 8). Media support became embedded into foreign aid budgets and handled by governmental and intergovernmental agencies such as USAID, the European Commission, and national development agencies like GIZ (Germany) or DFID (UK) (2, 8). In the current global framework, countries have materialized their commitment to a free press under Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (7).

Trump’s cuts and its effects on local media outlets

Back to modern day society, the financial structure in which local media platforms rely heavily on foreign aid has become the source of a growing threat to global independent journalism. The recent wave of foreign aid cuts, with most notably the ones by the Trump administration, exposes how deeply this system depends on continued donor-state support.

Prior to Trump’s second inauguration, the US supported independent journalism in over 30 countries through organisations like USAID. The agency funded the support and training of over 6 thousand journalists and sustained over 700 media outlets (2). . The cutting of these funds will have a devastating impact on global independent journalism.

A clear example is the impact on the earlier mentioned Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which has recently played a crucial role in broadcasting independent coverage of the Russian war in Ukraine, offering Russian-speaking audiences an alternative to Kremlin-controlled narratives. With the Trump administration ordering the abrupt reduction of its activities to a legal minimum, USAGM has been forced to terminate contracts with two satellite systems that carry Russian language content produced by RFE (10, 11). But not only programs, also thousands of journalists like those working for Voice of America were placed on administrative leave, facing an uncertain future (12).

Reacting to the US cuts, Steve Capus, president of RFE/RL, called the termination “a gift to America’s enemies.” Similarly, the Association for International Broadcasting warned that the cuts endangered media outlets that, for over eight decades, “have served as critical sources of independent news for audiences living under censorship, state-controlled media, and information blackouts.” (13, 14, 15)

A global pattern: cuts beyond the US & the attack on the accountability ecosystem

While the US cuts have drawn the most attention, similar trends are unfolding across other donor states. The United Kingdom has significantly reduced its international media aid, affecting key projects in Africa and South Asia (16). In the Netherlands, the government has proposed cuts to public funding mechanisms for global media, including those supporting media pluralism and press freedom initiatives (17).

These pressures are not limited to foreign aid. In Central and Eastern Europe, countries like Hungary have openly undermined domestic media independence through defunding, legal pressure, and media capture (18). Yet even in countries where press freedom is typically considered robust, like the Netherlands, the erosion is more subtle. Proposed budget cuts to public broadcasters such as NTR indicate that support for independent media is increasingly under threat even within liberal democracies (19).

The recent cuts to media funding are part of a wider trend: a growing global attack on the accountability ecosystem; the network of journalists, civil society actors, and human rights defenders who hold power to account. Repression is rising; journalists and activists face increasing threats, from legal harassment to targeted violence (20). A record number of media workers have been killed in conflict zones like Gaza, underscoring the dangerous environment for those reporting on abuses (21). At the same time, civic space for defending democratic values is shrinking. Governments are passing restrictive laws that limit press freedom, criminalize dissent, and suppress public protest all under the guise of national security or stability. (20) In this hostile environment, defunding independent journalism weakens one of the last lines of defense against authoritarianism, disinformation, and abuse.

Looking forward: a global recommitment to independent journalism

The crisis facing global independent journalism is more than a funding gap, it's a systemic failure that has left one of democracy’s core institutions dangerously exposed. The recent wave of foreign aid cuts has revealed just how fragile and centralized the financial ecosystem supporting free press has been.

These threats call for a reevaluation and reimagination of the financial systems around independent journalism. It is clear that a structural transformation is needed, yet it doesn’t start with distant policy reforms alone. Every organization, company, and individual that cares about the future of democracy has a role to play in shaping more sustainable, independent models of support. What new models can we create to protect global journalism? What partnerships, platforms, or innovations might fill the void left by retreating governments?

We have to look for ways to financially sustain journalism without compromising its editorial independence. This means investing in mechanisms that prioritize autonomy over influence, whether that’s multi-donor funds, community ownership models, or ethical advertising frameworks. The Rzeczpospolita case in Poland exemplifies a successful approach to safeguarding independent journalism from political interference through collective action (22). When the state-controlled oil company Orlen aimed to acquire Rzeczpospolita, concerns arose about potential threats to editorial independence. In response, a diverse coalition of the Media Development Investment Fund, philanthropic foundations, commercial investors, and banks formed a mission-driven entity that successfully acquired a majority stake in the publisher of Rzeczpospolita. This initiative preserved the newspaper's independence and established a model for protecting media freedom through collaborative, mission-aligned ownership structures.

Any effort to build a more sustainable financial system for independent journalism must begin by recognizing and respecting local contexts. Solutions should move away from imposing Western values or aligning with donor-state interests, and instead prioritize unconditional support that centers local voices and upholds true editorial independence. It is imperative to empower local journalistic voices to define their own agendas and hold power to account on their own terms. There is no single solution, but there is momentum. Let this be the moment where we stop waiting for top-down rescue and start building a shared foundation of support, rooted in solidarity, creativity, and collective responsibility. The future of democratic accountability depends on what we choose to do now, within our own spheres of influence. Shall we?

This article is part of The Outside World, ftrprf’s very own research center.

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