{"id":2236168,"date":"2024-05-03T04:41:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T08:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-helps-pro-ukraine-media-spread-propaganda-and-silence-american-critics\/"},"modified":"2024-05-03T04:54:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T08:54:18","slug":"u-s-government-helps-pro-ukraine-media-spread-propaganda-and-silence-american-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-government-helps-pro-ukraine-media-spread-propaganda-and-silence-american-critics\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Government Supports Pro-Ukraine Media to Spread Propaganda and Quiet American Critics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-government-helps-pro-ukraine-media-spread-propaganda-and-silence-american-critics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2236168&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. government \u200bsupports Ukrainian media with substantial funding. Efforts to combat disinformation and guide Ukraine&#8217;s approach involve setting up think\u200d tanks and media watchdogs. Disinformation definitions vary, but U.S. support shapes\u200b Ukrainian media agendas. USAID grants assist in countering Russian narratives. Criticism and censorship of American voices raise concerns about media freedom and journalistic integrity.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s American-backed fight against Russia is being waged not only in the blood-soaked trenches of the Donbas region but also on what military planners call the cognitive battlefield \u2014 to win hearts and minds.<\/p>\n<p>A sprawling constellation of media outlets organized with substantial funding and direction from the U.S. government has not just worked to counter Russian propaganda but has supported strong censorship laws and shutdowns of dissident outlets, disseminated disinformation of its own, and sought to silence critics of the war, including many American citizens.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-872677632\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-65bbd4556cfc30eb1cf63b62aefdfe55 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-65bbd4556cfc30eb1cf63b62aefdfe55\"><\/div>\n<p>Economist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UjdvfzBa-3M&#038;list=PLqcg1eoyzDiYZbGy-k4wbblHT1uEJUL6k&#038;index=17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jeffrey Sachs<\/a>, commentator Tucker Carlson, journalist Glenn Greenwald, and University of Chicago Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UjdvfzBa-3M&#038;list=PLqcg1eoyzDiYZbGy-k4wbblHT1uEJUL6k&#038;index=16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Mearsheimer<\/a> are among the critics on both the left and the right who have been cast as <a href=\"https:\/\/voxukraine.org\/en\/the-network-of-russian-propaganda-what-connects-western-experts-promoting-narratives-beneficial-to-russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">part<\/a> of a \u201cnetwork of Russian propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the figures targeted by the Ukrainian watchdog groups are hardly Kremlin agents. They simply have forcefully criticized dominant narratives about the war.<\/p>\n<p>Sachs is a highly respected international development expert who has angered Ukrainian officials over his repeated calls for a diplomatic solution to the current military conflict. Last November, he gave a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wm4qLWc_Co0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speech<\/a> at the United Nations calling for a negotiated peace.<\/p>\n<p>Mearsheimer has written extensively on international relations and is a skeptic of NATO expansion. He predicted that Western efforts to militarize Ukraine would lead to a Russian invasion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ee0d791364bbdaea7983e350764b577b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ee0d791364bbdaea7983e350764b577b\"><\/div>\n<p>Greenwald is a Pulitzer Prize-winning independent journalist who has criticized not just war coverage but media dynamics that suppress voices that run counter to U.S. narratives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they mean when they demand censorship of \u2018pro-Russia propaganda\u2019 is anything that questions the US\/EU role in the Ukraine war or who dissents from their narratives,\u201d Greenwald has <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ggreenwald\/status\/1700166771204866557\">observed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no evidence of Kremlin influence over their viewpoints, but their comments alone are enough for a network of U.S.-backed Ukrainian media groups to tarnish these experts as Russian propagandists.  <\/p>\n<p>As Congress debates major new funding to support the Ukrainian war effort, U.S. taxpayer dollars are already flowing to outlets such as the New Voice of Ukraine, VoxUkraine, Detector Media, the Institute of Mass Information, the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, and many others. Some of this money has come from the $44.1 billion in civilian-needs foreign aid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/d24106884.pdf\">committed<\/a> to Ukraine. While the funding is officially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaid.gov\/ukraine\/fact-sheets\/may-16-2022-civil-society-and-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">billed<\/a> as an ambitious program to develop high-quality independent news programs, counter malign Russian influence, and modernize Ukraine\u2019s archaic media laws, the new sites in many cases have promoted aggressive messages that stray from traditional journalistic practices to promote the Ukrainian government\u2019s official positions and delegitimize its critics.<\/p>\n<p>VoxUkraine has released highly produced videos attacking the credibility of American opposition voices, including Sachs, Mearsheimer, and Greenwald. Detector Media, one of the most influential media watchdog groups, similarly produces a flow of social media and posts branding American critics of the war as part of a Russian disinformation operation. The outlets are also devoted to domestic disputes. Detector Media\u2019s broadcasts have lampooned critics of Ukrainian government moves to shut down opposition media outlets.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0a36c705df4e5104c46f99a19a4f103b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0a36c705df4e5104c46f99a19a4f103b\"><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s not only dissident voices targeted by the media groups, which are funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).<\/p>\n<p>Detector Media went after The New York Times in February over a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/20\/us\/politics\/ukraine-prisoners-avdiivka-russia.html\">news report<\/a> about hundreds of Ukrainians in the battle for Avdiivka who were captured or missing. The Ukrainian fact-check site offered little in terms of a rebuttal. Detector Media only cited a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Forces disputing the Times\u2019 story, which it labeled as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/detector.media\/infospace\/article\/223262\/2024-02-21-u-zsu-nazvaly-dezinformatsiieyu-povidomlennya-the-new-york-times-pro-1000-ukrainskykh-polonenykh-v-avdiivtsi\/\">disinformation<\/a>.\u201d The New Voice of Ukraine quoted a Ukrainian official <a href=\"https:\/\/english.nv.ua\/nation\/how-many-ukraine-soldiers-fell-into-enemy-hands-in-avdiivka-sources-in-the-hur-and-armed-forces-50396212.html\">describing<\/a> the Times story as a \u201cRussian Psyop,\u201d a term for psychological warfare.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike similar media development programs that USAID has led throughout the Middle East, Ukrainian outlets tend to produce a great deal of English content that trickles back into the domestic American audience and explicitly targets American foreign policy discourse.<\/p>\n<p>The New Voice of Ukraine syndicates with Yahoo News. VoxUkraine is a fact-checking partner with Meta, which assists in removing content deemed \u201cRussian disinformation\u201d from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Detector Media has similarly led a consortium of nonprofit groups pressuring social media to aggressively remove content critical of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt makes more sense to have it in English because one of the things that happens is that the narrative that one encounters in the mainstream media in the West is referenced as the official Ukrainian voices,\u201d said Nicolai N. Petro, a professor specializing in Russian and Ukrainian affairs at the University of Rhode Island.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese then become the known Ukrainian voices, although they\u2019re actually only an echo of the voice that we are projecting into Ukraine,\u201d Petro added.<\/p>\n<p>In the new aid earmarked for the war in Ukraine that Congress is now debating, a small portion of the $60 billion emergency spending package is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/815\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">devoted<\/a> to continued USAID programs in the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/04\/09\/zelenskyy-invites-trump-ukraine-russia-00151310?nname=playbook&#038;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&#038;nrid=0000015d-df62-d5b7-af5f-fff3c0e70000&#038;nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interview<\/a> this week with Politico and Bild, argued that legislators skeptical of the aid package were under the influence of Russian propaganda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have their lobbies everywhere: in the United States, in the EU countries, in Britain, in Latin America, in Africa,\u201d Zelensky said of Russian influence, without naming names. The pro-Russian pressure groups, the Ukrainian president added, relied on \u201ccertain media groups, citizens of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Information control is a central dynamic playing out in the Ukraine-Russia war. U.S. media have provided wide coverage of President Vladimir Putin\u2019s efforts to clamp down on critical news outlets, enacting new criminal penalties for those publishing \u201cfalse information\u201d about the conflict. Many independent outlets in Russia have been forced to close, including the left-leaning radio station Ekho Moskvy. The Russian government has also blocked Russian-language news sites based in the West and arrested at least 22 journalists, including The Wall Street Journal\u2019s Evan Gershkovich.<\/p>\n<p>But far less attention has been paid to the Ukraine government\u2019s crackdown on independent and opposition media, a push aided by the U.S.-backed network of anti-disinformation groups. Even as Washington\u2019s efforts to censor information at home are drawing greater scrutiny, its support of Ukraine\u2019s efforts reflects the increasingly global reach of the American government\u2019s propaganda arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an information war going on between Russia and Ukraine, and the United States is not a disinterested party \u2014 we\u2019re an active participant,\u201d said George Beebe, a director with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. \u201cThe U.S. government has been trying to shape perceptions, and it\u2019s very difficult to separate what\u2019s intended for foreign audiences from what seeps into the Anglosphere media, if you want to call it that, including here in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>American influence in Ukraine\u2019s media environment stretches back to the end of the Cold War, though it has intensified in recent years. Since the outbreak of the war, USAID <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaid.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-02\/Feb242023_OneYearLater_0.pdf\">support<\/a> has extended to 175 national Ukrainian media entities.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last decade, efforts to crack down on speech have been increasingly justified as an effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-four-states-are-combating-big-tech-censorship\/\" title=\"These Four States Are Combating Big Tech Censorship\">protect social media<\/a> from disinformation. The U.S. helped set up new think tanks and media watchdogs and brought over communications specialists to guide Ukraine\u2019s approach. Nina Jankowicz, the polarizing official whom President Biden appointed to lead the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Disinformation Governance Board to police social media content, previously advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on its anti-disinformation work.<\/p>\n<p>In response to questions about the U.S.-backed anti-disinformation groups in Ukraine targeting Americans, the U.S. State Department provided a statement saying it defines disinformation \u201cas false or misleading information that is deliberately created or spread with the intent to deceive or mislead.\u201d It added, \u201cWe accept there may be other interpretations or definitions and do not censor or coerce independent organizations into adopting our definition.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>While noting that the U.S. \u201cprovides funding to credible independent media organizations to strengthen democracies in the countries we work in around the world,\u201d the statement declared, \u201cWe do not control the editorial content of these organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, disclosures indicate that the U.S. government and its contractors tasked with reforming Ukraine\u2019s institutions have directly set the agenda for Ukrainian outlets. Immediately after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, the USAID dispensed emergency grants to its media partners, partly through the Zinc Network, a contractor based in London that has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/uk-foreign-office-gives-millions-to-counter-disinformation-groups\/\">accused<\/a> of setting up covert public relations campaigns on behalf of the British government.<\/p>\n<p>The grant description notes that the money went to the Zinc Network and Detector Media to assist the Ukrainian government with strategic communications and to \u201cundermine Kremlin information operations.\u201d Far from independent reporting, the grant instructions asked the recipients to provide \u201cquick, effective PR and media engagement.\u201d In addition to countering Russian disinformation, the money was intended to \u201cmaintain public morale\u201d and \u201cbolster international support for solidarity with Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last September, journalist Jack Poulson <a href=\"https:\/\/jackpoulson.substack.com\/p\/exclusive-british-government-funded\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> on a leaked report from the Zinc Network\u2019s Open Information Partnership, which helps coordinate the activities of several anti-Russian disinformation nonprofits around Europe backed by NATO members, including Detector Media.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/techinquiry.org\/docs\/OIP-DisinfoUkraine.pdf\">lengthy report<\/a> defines disinformation as not only false or misleading content but also \u201cverifiable information which is unbalanced or skewed, amplifies, or exaggerates certain elements for effect, or uses emotive or inflammatory language to achieve effects which fit within existing Kremlin narratives, aims, or activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, factual information with emotional language that simply overlaps with anything remotely connected to Russian viewpoints is considered disinformation, according to this U.S.-backed consulting firm helping to guide the efforts of Ukrainian think tanks and media.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the broad narratives the report identified as Russian disinformation follow this vague rubric. These included allegations that NATO is using Ukraine as a pawn in a proxy war against Russia and concerns that Ukrainian politicians are corrupt.<\/p>\n<p>The report goes on to blame many British and American experts who \u201cportray the West as being divided, corrupt, or nefarious\u201d as part of the Russian disinformation system. The document names liberal journalists Max Blumenthal and Newsweek\u2019s Ellie Cook, as well as Republican figures such as former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs, as voices that end up featured in Russian propaganda and disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>The Open Information Partnership report suggests new legislation to counter \u201cmalign foreign actors\u201d and for European intelligence agencies to \u201cdo more\u201d and provide a \u201cunified approach\u201d against the dangers of disinformation. Zinc Network did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine\u2019s government has also worked with U.S. government officials and others to censor its American critics. One prominent example is Aaron Mat\u00e9, a RealClearInvestigations contributor who has criticized U.S. policy regarding Ukraine in other outlets. Following the Russian invasion, Twitter, under its old ownership, flagged Mat\u00e9 to be censored after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Ukrainian intelligence agency, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aaronmate.net\/p\/fbi-helps-ukraine-censor-twitter\">included him on a list of accounts<\/a> sent to the FBI that were \u201csuspected by the SBU in spreading fear and disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just months after the social media request, Ross Burley, a former Zinc Network and Open Information Partnership official now with the Centre for Information Resilience, spoke openly about his desire to censor critics of the war, including Mat\u00e9. Burley, who \u201cdesigned, implemented, and led several of the UK Government\u2019s counter disinformation programmes,\u201d according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220831110351\/https:\/rigastratcomdialogue.org\/speakers\/view\/ross-burley\">now-deleted<\/a> profile, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.err.ee\/1608684394\/english-language-opinion-festival-panel-on-how-to-deal-with-misinformation\">discussed<\/a> the rise of independent media critical of the Ukrainian government and Western support for a war that has devastated that country. He discussed the conflict at the Opinion Festival in Tallinn, Estonia, in August 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Burley argued that social media needed more \u201cresponsibility\u201d regarding what types of content to allow. \u201cEven I saw Russell Brand, who has a huge following on YouTube, was interviewing a journalist called Aaron Mat\u00e9 on his channel,\u201d said Burley, who added that it is \u201cincredibly irresponsible for YouTube and other social media companies to continue to host these people.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Silencing Zelensky\u2019s Enemies Within<\/h2>\n<p>The organizations supported by the U.S. government have also sought to silence critics inside Ukraine.\u00a0Before the war, in one of President Volodymyr Zelensky\u2019s first controversial acts to stifle political opposition, he moved in February 2021 to close television channels 112, NewsOne, and ZIK \u2014 stations owned by Viktor Medvedchuk and his associate Taras Kozak, former lawmakers with the Opposition Party of Life, a bloc opposed to Zelensky \u2014 over allegations of Kremlin ties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sanctions against TV channels of Mr. Medvedchuk are not about media and freedom of speech at all,\u201d\u00a0said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky\u2019s chief of staff. \u201cThis is only about effective countermeasures against fakes and foreign propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later that year, in December 2021, the United Nations deputy high commissioner for human rights released a statement that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/statements\/2022\/01\/interactive-dialogue-oral-update-ukraine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criticized<\/a> the Ukrainian crackdown on journalists and peaceful expression. The report cited the closure of opposition television channels and other media.<\/p>\n<p>The USAID-funded Ukrainian media network, however, was quick to defend the Zelensky government. The decision to close the outlets, wrote Detector Media, was \u201cnot an attack on freedom of speech\u201d because the channels, the group <a href=\"https:\/\/detector.media\/infospace\/article\/184529\/2021-02-03-chomu-zakryttya-kanaliv-medvedchuka-tse-ne-nastup-na-svobodu-slova\/\">argued<\/a>, provided \u201cinformational support of Russian aggression against Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In May 2022, the Zelensky government widely expanded its efforts to outlaw the political opposition. Zelensky moved to ban 11 political parties over alleged ties to Russia, the largest of which was Medvedchuk\u2019s Opposition Party of Life, which previously held 44 seats in the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament.<\/p>\n<p>Later that summer, other bills to crack down on media rights that had failed to pass in the past over civil liberty concerns were brought back into consideration. Mykyta Poturayev, a Ukrainian legislator and close ally of Zelensky, reintroduced the On Media Law.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation features provisions to penalize hate speech and disinformation, as well as broad powers to limit certain forms of foreign influence. Among its most contentious provisions is the power granting a council controlled by Zelensky and his allies to ban media outlets without a court order. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/12\/30\/world\/europe\/zelensky-journalism-law-free-speech.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Before Zelensky signed the bill in December 2022<\/a>, many journalists spoke out against the legislation. The <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanjournalists.org\/blog\/2022\/07\/08\/ukraine-authorities-should-withdraw-the-draft-media-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">European Federation of Journalists<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/cpj.org\/2022\/07\/cpj-calls-for-ukraine-to-revise-draft-media-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Committee to Protect Journalists<\/a> denounced it as an extreme violation of journalistic freedom. Ukraine\u2019s National Union of Journalists described the bill as the \u201cbiggest threat to free speech in independent [Ukraine\u2019s] history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, the USAID-funded media groups provided pivotal support amid a tightening on journalistic freedom. The push to support the bill was largely led by U.S. government-backed think tanks and media outlets. As the Ukrainian legislature moved forward, Detector Media reported a new statement from select journalists and nonprofits who supported the controversial legislation. The <a href=\"https:\/\/cedem.org.ua\/news\/zayava-zakon-pro-media\/?fbclid=IwAR04Lz7HMsHucq2WXTG5AyW-tqiVODmU0Vr8EDmG2MSZXTZPSEtErBWbt1w\">statement<\/a> argued that the Zelensky-appointed council overseeing media was an \u201cindependent regulator\u201d and urged the adoption of the law as a tool to counteract foreign aggression.<\/p>\n<p>The statement was organized by Ukraine\u2019s Center for Democracy and Rule of Law. In 2022, the group received 76.67 percent of its budget from USAID, USAID\u2019s contractors, and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-finally-discovers-china-uses-u-s-media-to-attack-the-united-states\/\" title=\"CNN Finally Discovers China Uses U.S. Media To Attack The United States\">government-funded nonprofit<\/a> that was spun out of the Central Intelligence Agency in the 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>The other signatories of the statement included the Laboratory of Digital Security and Human Rights Platform \u2014 both <a href=\"https:\/\/ppl.org.ua\/pro-nas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funded<\/a> by USAID and Internews, a California-based USAID contractor that manages much of the agency\u2019s Ukraine media work. Internews Ukraine, the company\u2019s in-house Ukraine media outlet, also signed the statement supporting the On Media Law.<\/p>\n<p>Internews is a significant pillar of USAID\u2019s $35 million Ukraine media program. Other European governments and private sector donors, led by billionaires Pierre Omidyar via the Omidyar Network and George Soros via the International Renaissance Foundation, have financed the network of media and activists working with the USAID groups.<\/p>\n<p>Disclosures suggest other supplemental funding has been rushed to local Ukrainian media. In 2021, before Russia\u2019s invasion, Detector Media <a href=\"https:\/\/go.detector.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/DM_annual-report-2021_ENGL_WEB.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received<\/a> 35.1 percent of its nearly $1 million budget from Internews. New data released by the federal government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaspending.gov\/award\/ASST_NON_72012118CA00001_7200\">shows<\/a> that USAID provided a $2.5 million direct grant to Detector Media last year.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cima.ned.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/CIMA_Ukraine-Working-Paper_web-150ppi.pdf\">report<\/a> titled \u201cLong-Term Investments Pay Dividends in Ukraine,\u201d NED noted that U.S.-backed groups have been pivotal in reshaping the country\u2019s law. It pointed to a coalition of nonprofits led by the Coalition Reanimation Package of Reforms, a USAID-backed group that mobilized civil society to lobby for legal and legislative changes. The group was pivotal in the push for the On Media Law. The group <a href=\"https:\/\/rpr.org.ua\/news\/reformy-pid-chas-viyny-dosiahnennia-ukrainy-u-2022-rotsi-ta-plany-na-2023-iy\/\">hailed<\/a> the law\u2019s passage, calling it one of the major achievements of reforms passed during the war.<\/p>\n<p>After the legislation was passed, Detector Media attacked \u201cPro-Russian Telegram channels\u201d for spreading \u201cfakes and manipulations\u201d about the law. One fact-check <a href=\"https:\/\/disinfo.detector.media\/en\/post\/the-new-law-on-media-introduces-a-total-state-dictatorship-in-the-information-space\">published<\/a> by the group claimed that the law \u201chad to be adopted in the context of Ukraine\u2019s European integration.\u201d The post countered claims that the law introduces authoritarian forms of censorship by pointing to the fact that \u201cmedia professionals and members of the public were involved in its development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NED, the former CIA arm, has publicly touted the effort to pass the On Media Law for its work in reshaping Ukraine\u2019s media landscape. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ned.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/NED_FORUM-Shielding-Democracy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> written in collaboration with Detector Media, the group discusses the law with respect to bolstering efforts to \u201crid the Ukrainian information space of harmful Russian propaganda.\u201d The report noted some journalistic criticism of the proposal, concluded that it was \u201csupported by the majority of media related civil society organizations and international donors for its expansion of democratic accountability in the information space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unmentioned in NED and Detector Media\u2019s claims of widespread media support for the law is its own central role and that of other USAID-backed groups.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Difficulties Reporting<\/h2>\n<p>In the midst of the first months of the Russian invasion, many in Ukraine readily accepted the need for emergency government influence. The Ukrainian government condensed the major television channels into a single \u201cUnited News\u201d national broadcast that continues today. Many journalists voluntarily paused critical reporting of the Ukrainian government to focus on coverage of the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n<p>Now, over two years into the conflict, reporters are facing new difficulties in reporting on routine issues. Journalists taking a critical look at the government are facing intimidation and threats.<\/p>\n<p>The Columbia Journalism Review has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjr.org\/the_media_today\/ukraine_reporters_threats_zelensky.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chronicled<\/a> the precarious situation independent journalists face in today\u2019s Ukraine. In January, a pair of thugs went to the home of Yuriy Nikolov, a prominent investigative journalist who has uncovered scandals involving military catering contracts. The men tried to break down Nikolov\u2019s door, and according to his mother, who was home, called him a \u201cprovocateur\u201d and a \u201ctraitor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That same month, an anonymous video was released from hidden cameras showing journalists with Bihus.Info \u2014 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/professor-reports-seeing-noose-behind-house-it-was-part-of-a-swing-set\/\" title=\"Professor Reports Seeing \u2018Noose\u2019 Behind House. It Was Part Of A Swing Set.\">local media outlet<\/a> that has extensively reported on Ukrainian government corruption \u2014 using illegal drugs in private. Denys Bihus, the head of the site, has reported on Ukraine\u2019s intelligence service\u2019s involvement in the surveillance and intimidation of his media outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Anatoly Shariy, a controversial Ukrainian blogger living in exile over repeated death threats, has clashed repeatedly with USAID\u2019s network of media outlets. Shariy is known for his blistering criticism of the 2014 Maidan Revolution that toppled pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and set Ukraine on a path to alignment with NATO. The SBU, the Ukrainian intelligence agency, has accused him of \u201chigh treason\u201d over alleged ethnic slurs targeted toward the people of the western region of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2023, the agency added new charges, claiming Shariy distributed staged videos of Ukrainian prisoners under detention by Russian forces. The SBU has attempted to extradite Shariy, who has moved from the Netherlands to Spain and reportedly to Italy for asylum.<\/p>\n<p>Online reporting in English, though, is dominated by USAID media outlets. A search for Shariy\u2019s name returns half a dozen articles by VoxUkraine, Detector Media, the Institute of Mass Information, and the New Voice of Ukraine. The articles trash Shariy as a pro-Russian propagandist and criminal, guilty of a variety of speech-related crimes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn his Telegram posts, Shariy tries to emphasize that Russia is more united and stronger than Ukraine,\u201d Detector Media claimed. \u201cHe rejects the severing of any ties between Ukraine and Russia. Even in the face of proven Russian lies and evidence of their crimes, Shariy continues to promote narratives favorable to Russia and disseminate disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Detector Media article provides little substance in terms of any illegal actions beyond Shariy\u2019s viewpoints. But expressing viewpoints that run counter to Ukraine and NATO policies with respect to the war is enough to make an individual an enemy of the state.<\/p>\n<p><em>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearinvestigations.com\/articles\/2024\/04\/11\/us_helps_pro-ukraine_media_run_a_fog_machine_of_war_1023961.html\">article<\/a> was originally published by RealClearInvestigations.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-981abe55efb796f231888506454126eb fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-981abe55efb796f231888506454126eb\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukraine, supported by the U.S., battles Russia in Donbas and the cognitive battlefield to secure public support. A network of well-funded media outlets, guided by U.S. resources, strives to sway opinions in favor of Ukraine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2561,"featured_media":2236169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Biden-and-Ukrainian-President.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2236168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Biden-and-Ukrainian-President.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2236168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2561"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2236168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2236168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2236169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2236168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2236168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2236168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}