---
title: "The struggle for truth – how IOL aims to capitalise on USAID funding cuts"
description: "As Donald Trump announces huge cuts to USAID funding of media, IOL has not missed a beat to use the opportunity to wrap their own agenda using the thin veil of journalistic legitimacy by sending questions that they will warp to push their master’s bidding. This time we are taking a different approach in response."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "HIS MASTER'S VOICE"
author: "Daily Maverick"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/dailymaverick/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-07-the-struggle-for-truth-how-iol-aims-to-capitalise-on-usaid-funding-cuts/"
published: "2025-02-07T18:18:39"
updated: "2025-02-07T18:18:46"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 673
---

# The struggle for truth – how IOL aims to capitalise on USAID funding cuts

> As Donald Trump announces huge cuts to USAID funding of media, IOL has not missed a beat to use the opportunity to wrap their own agenda using the thin veil of journalistic legitimacy by sending questions that they will warp to push their master’s bidding. This time we are taking a different approach in response.

By Daily Maverick · Published 7 February 2025, 20:18 SAST · Updated 7 February 2025, 20:18 SAST

## Key points
- In a stunning display of budgetary acrobatics, the new Trump administration is putting the entire USAID project—and its meager $280 million journalism fund—on the chopping block, leaving the free flow of information gasping for air while disinformation merchants like Elon Musk gleefully spin their webs of deceit.
- The new Trump administration's budget cuts threaten USAID, pausing crucial global aid programs, including support for journalism.
- With only $280m allocated to journalism from a $50bn budget, foreign aid for media remains alarmingly low at less than 1%.
- Compromised newsrooms, like IOL, exploit the situation to push their agenda, undermining the integrity of journalism and spreading disinformation.
- Daily Maverick calls for urgent policy interventions to support journalism, as the industry faces unprecedented financial pressures and credibility challenges.

## Content

The recent moves by the new Trump administration to cut huge parts of the federal government budget has meant the entire[USAID project is at risk](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y6701gl60o), with all programmes being paused. USAID is a global aid organisation that works on various programmes, and has a small portion of its budget allocated to supporting media.

Of the total $50bn budget, only [$280m was budgeted to fund journalism](https://rsf.org/en/usa-trump-s-foreign-aid-freeze-throws-journalism-around-world-chaos?mc_cid=4e8b353ce6&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) and the free flow of information. The majority of that to organisations in Ukraine and countries in dire situations. At less than 1% of budget, foreign aid support of journalism is tragically low, given its importance to society. However, disinformation peddlers, like Elon Musk, and others on a local level, have been quick to claim “mainstream media” have been the major benefactor of USAID funding.

This is yet another targeted attack on journalism, and compromised newsrooms, like that of IOL, don’t miss a beat to use the opportunity to wrap their own agenda using the thin veil of journalistic legitimacy by sending questions that they will warp to push their master’s bidding. We know this to be true because we have evidence and facts.

**Read more about IOL’s falsehoods:**

[IOL publicly apologises to Daily Maverick for false reporting](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-02-23-iol-publicly-apologises-to-daily-maverick-for-false-reporting/)

[Press Council expels Independent Media group for failing to obey rulings](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-23-press-council-expels-independent-media-group-for-failing-to-obey-rulings/)

[Press Council expulsion is another blow to the credibility of Iqbal Survé’s Independent Media](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-25-press-council-expulsion-is-another-blow-to-the-credibility-of-iqbal-surves-independent-media/)

[Iqbal Survé’s media must apologise to Karyn Maughan and delete Nazi slur column, Press Council finds](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-08-iqbal-surves-media-must-apologise-to-karyn-maughan-and-delete-nazi-slur-column-press-council-finds/)

[Revealed: Independent Media’s internal report on Piet Rampedi’s decuplets story found it was a hoax and demanded an apology](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-10-29-revealed-independent-medias-internal-report-on-piet-rampedis-decuplets-story-found-it-was-a-hoax-and-demanded-an-apology/)

[Fact-checking the Independent group’s reporting on the PIC report](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-03-12-fact-checking-the-independent-groups-reporting-on-the-pic-report/)

So we’re taking a different approach this time, to show you how their leading questions, based on propaganda peddlers, like Rob Hersov, who make baseless claims and unchecked comments leads to even greater pollution of the information space.

These are the list of questions sent to us (and most likely News24 as they addressed us as Mr Basson rather than anyone in our team).

![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot-2025-02-07-at-17.52.21.png)

**Our responses**

1. While Daily Maverick hasn’t received any direct USAID funding, we lament the low levels of aid support for journalism around the world. As journalism suffers the impact of digital disruption, and some of our colleagues operate in war-torn countries or oppressive regimes, often foreign aid is the only option for sustainability. 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.
2. Please [see notices](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-19-announcement-about-daily-mavericks-cost-reduction-and-reorganisation/) we published last year announcing cost-cutting and retrenchments.
3. Newsrooms around the world are under extreme financial pressure. Traditional business models are not working for enough publishers to serve national, regional and local audiences. The future looks bleak unless a policy intervention occurs that supports journalism, with incentives, rebates and other measures.
4. Strange and possibly leading question, news publishers have accepted advertising for centuries and support from readers through subscriptions, memberships and donations.
5. We’re seeing politically compromised (IOL) and economically compromised newsrooms being decimated, and the future looks bleak unless we see a policy intervention. The information system has little integrity left. It is very difficult to get those who push lies, and half-truths to be accountable for their actions and why legitimate newsrooms are being targeted.

**Why we are taking this approach**

IOL is a known disinformation operator, with a history of attacking legitimate news outlets like Daily Maverick. When others make baseless claims against professional media, IOL activates their stenographers to weaponise the reach they still enjoy to try to discredit targets. When convenient, they choose to twist our responses to suit their master’s bidding.

Too many people still think of them as the digital front for some of South Africa’s most storied newspapers, and have yet to comprehend how deep the rot has infiltrated their compromised “newsroom”.

We’re taking a different approach because the information system is broken, and we need a new way while we figure out how to deal with these various threats.**DM**