In a December 9 announcement, Joe Biden said he will be using taxpayer money to fund media outlets throughout the world as part of his declared aim to support freedom of the press globally.
The funding would fall within the activities of Biden’s Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, which he discussed during an international democracy summit.
“A free and independent media — it’s the bedrock of democracy. It’s how the public stays informed and how governments are held accountable,” said Biden during his initial remarks at the summit.
He went on to explain that, under his orders, the federal government is “committing critical seed money to launch a new multilateral effort, our International Fund for Public Interest Media, to sustain independent media around the world.”
The International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is a new initiative from Luminate Group, which itself is part of the Omidyar Group, a philanthropic firm founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam Omidyar. Luminate is currently backing Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.
Per a fact sheet put out by the White House, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would give up to $30 million to the fund, which is describes as “designed to enhance the independence, development, and sustainability of independent media, especially in resource-poor and fragile settings.”
“It will operate by supporting independent media–including those led by and giving voice to women and other marginalized groups–that exist to inform people on the issues that shape their lives, to enable debate and dialogue across society, and to hold those in power to account on behalf of the public interest,” a senior official in the administration told Fox News.
According to the official, IFPIM is not only receiving initial funding from Luminate, but also from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the National Endowment for Democracy.
IFPIM Director of Programmes Khadija Patel told Fox News that the fund is “independent of all its donors” and will be run by “an independent board” that is set to be co-chaired by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa, along with former New York Times CEO and BBC Director General Mark Thompson.
Patel added that IFPIM will focus on “low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean,” and that New Zealand and Taiwan have both pledged their financial support.
The White House announcement also revealed that, under the plan, USAID would give $5 million to start a new Media Viability Accelerator, to “improve the financial viability of independent media outlets in both under-developed and more-developed media markets.”
In addition, USAID would contribute $9 million to a Defamation Defense Fund for Journalists, a fund Biden asserted would “help protect investigative journalists against nuisance lawsuits designed to prevent them from doing their work.” The White House called this a global initiative to provide coverage to journalists and their outlets.
Fox News reported:
Fox News asked USAID how these programs would work, specifically what role USAID or the administration would play in the International Fund for Public Interest Media, how a journalist would apply for defamation liability coverage, and what standards journalists would have to uphold to qualify for funding from the Media Viability Accelerator. A representative from USAID referred Fox News to a press release on the various initiatives that did not address these issues.
What the release did say was that the Media Viability Accelerator “will deploy market-based solutions to media vulnerabilities, connect stakeholders interested in the future of public interest media, and facilitate relationships among local media outlets.”
The White House said that the State Department is also planning to give up to $3.5 million for a Journalism Protection Platform to equip “at-risk journalists” with security training, legal assistance, and other help.
The question is, what type of outlets and journalism would Biden support with Americans’ tax dollars? It’s unlikely that money will go to journalists who cover the effects of mass migration, who raise questions about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, who challenge the climate change narrative or who look into the relationship between the intelligence community and child sex trafficking rings.
The mainstream media famously destroyed the character of Nicholas Sandman and the Covington Catholic High School boys. Sandman sued outlets such as CNN and the Washington Post for millions, winning settlements from them. Mainstream outlets have similarly attacked the character of Kyle Rittenhouse.
Would Biden’s “defamation liability coverage” bail out these outlets with taxpayer dollars?
