this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2025
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Award–winning former Declassified UK journalist Matt Kennard has called for a public inquiry into the US government’s funding of the ‘BBC Media Action’ charity. This comes as Donald Trump’s second administration has taken aim at the controversial USAID (which Kennard says is often just “a CIA front”). BBC Media Action says the cut to USAID has “affected” its operations, as the organisation’s support “amounts to about 8% of our income in 2023-24”.

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[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 weeks ago

They should drop the pretense and just announce CIAid

[–] coolusername@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago

cia controls all media

[–] protist@mander.xyz 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction

As an independent charity, we are not directly funded by the BBC License Fee. Our vital work relies on our donors - governments, foundations, corporations and individuals. Donate today to support our mission.

There doesn't seem to be anything secretive or untoward happening here. What is he even alleging?

[–] shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

It's not just USAID. The BBC is actually funded by two branches of the US government.

Last year, the US State Department gave BBC Media Action £280,000.

The group says it used the $$$ to reach 100 million people in 24 countries with its programmes.

After covering the BBC's public relations response, the article then goes on to say:

That sounds nice, of course. But when you’re aware of the role USAID has played as the ‘friendly face’ of US imperialism, more scrutiny of BBC Media Action is essential.

What I took away from it is that since the BBC is affiliated with this blatant US corruption, regardless of directly or indirectly, the specifics regarding the association needs to be known by the public.

[–] protist@mander.xyz -1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

The fact USAID is supposed to provide aid to people around world in need of help, yet this aid is just a smoke screen to cover for the funding of coup's on governments which oppose the US empire...

[–] protist@mander.xyz -1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This represents 0.0036% of the USAID budget...

[–] shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sure, maybe on paper...but check this out: https://scheerpost.com/2025/02/01/did-a-trump-executive-order-just-cripple-the-global-us-regime-change-network/

Regardless, why is the only aspect of USAID which was "forked" into a Trump approved department specific for coup's? Makes you think which, with nothing but love, is something it seems you should do more of when it comes to US policy.

[–] protist@mander.xyz -4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Given Ukraine’s near-total economic destruction since its proxy war against Russia erupted in February 2022...

The phrasing of this sentence is just one example of pro-Russia propaganda in an article filled with it. Of course the US spins messages and creates its own propaganda, every country does this. It's important to be able to see through spin to evaluate facts, but blindly eating up the propaganda of other nations just because you don't like the story the US is telling is not a great take.

[–] coolusername@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It is factually a proxy war dude. We couped Ukraine in 2014. USAID funds their anti-Russian media. Their version of the CIA (FSB) was started by our CIA and we get them to commit acts of terrorism on Russia approx every few weeks.