US President Donald Trump's decision to freeze over $268 million in aid allocated to support media freedom globally, particularly impacting South Africa, has sparked concerns about the future of independent journalism in the country.
US President Donald Trump 's $268 million aid freeze: A looming crisis for some South Africa n media houses.US President Donald Trump has ended over $268 million allocated by Congress to support some specific media houses tasked with ensuring the “free flow” of information. However, this move may plunge some NGOs and prominent media outlets.
Among some of the beneficiaries of the US-funded aid is the Daily Maverick, which on its website discloses that it receives philanthropic funding from organisations including Open Society Foundation, Donald Gordon Foundation, Elaine & David Potter Foundation, and one of South Africa’s leading banks, Absa.
"At 0.2% of all foreign aid, we believe this is a tragically low allocation and we can see the impact on not only our degraded information system but also democratic institutions." When asked about the future of media houses in South Africa, DM said 'politically compromised and economically compromised' newsrooms were being"Shedding light into the deep financial relationship
In an opinion piece published in the Sunday Independent last year, Solly Tshabalala, an independent writer and analyst, wrote that Greg Mills and Ray Hartley, both tied to the Brenthurst Foundation and regular contributors to the Daily Maverick, further underscore this connection.
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