MRC Free Speech America update summary: On March 14, 2025, Trump signed an executive order taking an ax to the United States Agency for Global Media, eliminating it "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law" and reducing "the performance of [its] statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law."
The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Initiative #13
The USAGM – Poynter Partnership
Type of Censorship: Partnership
Agencies Involved:
- United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)
Summary:
Throughout the Biden administration, the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) had an ongoing partnership with the leftist censorship outfit The Poynter Institute. The Poynter Institute runs the International Fact-Checking Network, which includes Politifact, one of the key entities that directed censorship across Meta platforms.
In the partnership, The Poynter Institute — which is backed by billionaire leftist donors Bill Gates, Craig Newmark and George Soros — trained USAGM on how to identify so-called “misinformation,” while USAGM periodically funneled The Poynter Institute money to support its censorship efforts.
Key Individuals:
- Amanda Bennett, CEO of USAGM
- Kelu Chao, Acting CEO of USAGM
