USAID Paid and Trained BBC Reporters to "Serve Washington D C" and Censor Opposition

👉 Courtesy of: the Daily Mail, 4 February 2025
💭 Donald Trump and Elon Musk's USAID Closure Will Hit BBC Charity

The US humanitarian relief agency being shut down by Elon Musk and Donald Trump has been funding the BBC’s charity to the tune of $3million of American taxpayers' money each year, MailOnline can reveal today.

The complete closure of USAID, which President Trump has said is 'run by radical lunatics', would blow a giant hole in BBC Media Action's annual budget.

BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity and it trains journalists and produces programmes that are broadcast in some of the world's poorest regions.

It funds a range of projects in 30 countries and 50 languages across the world, from advising with the United Nations on media disinformation to mentoring journalists in Africa on climate change and 'changing perceptions' about the Covid-19 vaccination.

The charity, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, says its work is 'building stronger democracies', making a 'safer, more habitable planet' and creating 'more inclusive societies' - especially for the disabled and LGBTQI+ people.

Last year USAID gave BBC Media Action $3.23million (£2.58million) of US taxpayers' money, making it the second largest donor to the British-based charity. In the previous 12 months USAID donated $2.35million (£1.89million) to fund projects in Afghanistan, Kenya, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nigeria and other nations.

But some critics have questioned whether all its work qualifies for humanitarian aid funding from the US government, which ramped up financial support considerably while Joe Biden was in the White House.

America's billionaire ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk has led a civilian review of the federal government with Trump’s go-ahead and decided to shutter USAID and absorb it into the US State Department.

It came as MailOnline revealed how tens of millions of US taxpayer dollars are being spent by USAID on some shocking and woke projects, including a Peruvian trans comic book programme, $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam and $500,000 to expand atheism in Nepal.

There was even cash for the Chinese lab in Wuhan where COVID-19 is believed to have originated from.

Donations from the US agency to BBC Media Action increased markedly while the Biden administration was in power, totalling more than $6million of US taxpayer dollars in recent years.

USAID gave BBC Media Action around $445,000 (£358,000) after Joe Biden entered office in 2020. But this has exploded to over $3million in 2023/24.

In the last 12 months its key projects have included work in Nepal working with influencers and high-profile individuals on a series focused on gender-based violence and online harassment.

There was a Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition project, with radio, TV and social media content in Ethiopia and in Kenya the charity mentored more than 16 broadcast partners, 'supporting them to tackle issues including climate change and preparedness for extreme weather'.

There was work with the UN on disinformation and work to help young Nigerians 'make informed decisions about the COVID-19 vaccine and adopting measures to prevent HIV and HPV'.

USAID's closure will cause a major budgetary headache at a time when its income is dropping across the board.

MailOnline has asked BBC Media Action to comment.

Its total income in 2023–24 was £32million, down £3million and income from donors decreased to £25.2million from £27million a year earlier. Fundraising income decreased to £6.6million from £7.7million in 2022–23.
It is run separately from the BBC and is not funded by licence fee payers but is chaired by Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s director of news.

The charity linked to the BBC sparked controversy in 2018 when it revealed it had sacked six staff for sexual misconduct.

Mr Musk has led a civilian review of the federal government with President Trump's approval and decided this week to shut USAID down.

But the potential cutting of funding overseas in a move that will in turn give a bloody nose to the BBC, which he has been highly critical of calling it 'government funded media'.

In 2023 he also humiliated a BBC reporter and accused him of lying during an interview where the journalist James Clayton stumbled when asked to name incidents of hate speech on Twitter, now known as X.

Yesterday Elon Musk and President Donald Trump shut down the embattled government agency tasked with humanitarian relief overseas after they agreed the organisation was a 'ball of worms'.

If all its funding is cut it will hit many charities, including the one run by the BBC.

Elon Musk has been locking horns with the BBC recently.
In 2023 the BBC was labelled 'government funded' on Twitter but later changed it to 'publicly funded' after a complaint.

BBC statement on USAID funding
Published: 4 February 2025

A free press is essential to freedom and democracy – and 75% of countries around the world do not have a free press. BBC Media Action supports local media around the world to deliver trusted information to people most in need.