More than money: What USAID's collapse cost the free press
From Teka Teka by PumaPodcast
May 18, 2026 · 35 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of USAID's funding cuts on independent media and press freedom globally.
For decades, the United States was the world’s largest funder of independent media through USAID, supporting investigative journalism, information integrity initiatives, journalist safety programs, and efforts to strengthen the market viability of media operations. Daniel Sabet, a visiting fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, joins independent journalist Nica Hanopol to break down what was actually lost when that funding disappeared almost overnight. He paints a sobering picture of a global press freedom infrastructure that collapsed faster than anyone could respond to - and of what must happen next. Read the full research, “The Impact of Ending U.S. International Media Assistance,” published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/04/united-states-international-media-assistance-ending-usaid-independent-journalism This episode was produced by Tricia Aquino and engineered by Anthony Tobias. Listen to our episodes on Spotify or YouTube . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Nica Hanopol
Guest: Daniel Sabet
Topics covered
- press freedom
- USAID
- independent media
- journalism
- media funding
- investigative journalism
Keywords
- USAID
- press freedom
- independent media
- journalism funding
- Daniel Sabet
- Nica Hanopol
- investigative journalism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: USAID, SNF Agora Institute, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, PumaPodcast
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