Biden plans to fund international 'independent media' using tax dollars
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the U.S. would provide funding for media outlets around the world in an effort to globally support free speech. Biden announced his plan to fund journalism as part of the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal while addressing world leaders at the International Summit for Democracy. "A free and independent media — it’s the bedrock of democracy. It’s how publics stay informed and how governments are held accountable," Biden told world leaders in his opening remarks. The White House released a fact sheet with an overview of Biden's initiative. The administration's goals include supporting free and independent media, fighting corruption, bolstering democratic reformers, advancing technology for democracy, and defending free and fair elections and political processes. Biden's initiative would direct USAID to give up to $30 million to the International Fund for Public Interest Media, a new multi-donor fund that seeks to "enhance the independence, development, and sustainability of independent media, especially in resource-poor and fragile settings." USAID will also provide an additional $9 million to support a global defamation defense fund that will provide liability coverage to journalists and the companies that employ them. The defamation defense fund would "guard the essential work of journalism from spurious legal claims aiming to silence legitimate work," according to the White House. https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-plans-to-fund-international-independent-media-using-tax-dollars
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