NEW YORK — Federal authorities funds to information retailers like Politico, The New York Occasions and The Related Press for subscriptions or to license content material are within the crosshairs of Trump administration spending hawks, with the president on Thursday calling it doubtlessly “THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL.”
It’s the most recent in a collection of skirmishes with the media, lengthy a goal of Donald Trump and his supporters. The Protection Division final week evicted NPR, NBC, the Occasions and Politico from their Pentagon workspaces, and Trump has continued to criticize CBS’ “60 Minutes” for its dealing with of an interview with former opponent Kamala Harris final fall. Free press advocates are additionally involved about Trump’s plans for the media outlet Voice of America, whose constitution ensures its editorial freedom.
This time, although, is a bit totally different. By linking federal authorities spending to the media, Trump has bundled two of his long-favored political targets into one rhetorical package deal — denouncing a standard observe as untoward whereas providing no supporting proof for his assertions.
On Wednesday, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned the federal government had paid greater than $8 million for Politico subscriptions and that Elon Musk’s authorities effectivity group “is engaged on canceling these funds.” That shortly set off a social-media maelstrom and a hunt by on-line sleuths for different proof of taxpayer spending on the information.
“The U.S. authorities should cease paying for media subscriptions. Now,” Richard Grenell, Trump’s particular mission envoy, posted on X.
Trump, on his Reality Social platform, complained about funds to the “FAKE NEWS MEDIA” for creating good tales about Democrats. “Did the New York Occasions obtain cash??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL,” he wrote.
And at a nationwide prayer breakfast on the Capitol on Thursday morning, Trump touted the efforts to look into the media spending. “We’re catching them left and proper,” Trump mentioned. “We’re catching them. We’re catching them to some extent the place they don’t know what the heck is happening. They will’t imagine they’re getting caught.”
Politico, in a press release to readers from CEO Goli Sheikholeslami and Editor-in-Chief John Harris, mentioned Thursday that it’s not getting a authorities subsidy.
“It’s a transaction — simply as the federal government buys analysis, tools, software program and trade stories,” they mentioned. “Some on-line voices are intentionally spreading falsehoods. Let’s be clear: Politico has no monetary dependence on the federal government and no hidden agenda. We cowl politics and coverage — that is our job.”
It has not been uncommon for governments, federal and state, to subscribe to main media retailers to maintain up on vital or strategic points. The U.S. State Division, for instance, could depend upon worldwide information reporting for readability on incidents occurring in nations the place the US has pursuits. Specialists in an company just like the Division of Transportation observe commerce publications for trade developments.
The Politico Professional service helps authorities and personal sector prospects “observe coverage, laws and laws in actual time with information, intelligence and a collection of information merchandise,” the corporate mentioned. It might not talk about what number of subscriptions it has bought, or the costs.
The New York Occasions mentioned it earned lower than $2 million final 12 months via authorities subscriptions, that are provided at a reduced charge. Via one association, the Occasions provides entry to greater than 1 million lively and retired army members and their households.
“These officers and different public servants are merely looking for to raised perceive the world via our impartial journalism, like hundreds of thousands of different People,” spokesman Charlie Stadtlander mentioned.
Musk, additionally a frequent critic of the mainstream media and the proprietor of a platform that in some ways competes with it, retweeted one message on X that complained concerning the AP “raking in hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in authorities cash for years.”
“Not for lengthy,” Musk added. ”That is clearly an enormous waste of taxpayer cash.”
AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton mentioned that “the U.S. authorities has lengthy been an AP buyer — via each Democratic and Republican administrations. It licenses AP’s nonpartisan journalism, similar to 1000’s of reports retailers and prospects all over the world. It is fairly frequent for governments to have contracts with information organizations for his or her content material.”
The outlet wouldn’t reveal how a lot it’s incomes in federal authorities contracts.
Individually, Musk’s give attention to the USAID company has threatened some $268 million in congressionally-authorized funding geared toward providing coaching and help to some 6,200 impartial journalists working all over the world, together with in war-torn Ukraine, mentioned the group Reporters With out Borders.
Denying the cash “will create a vacuum that performs into the palms of propagandists and authoritarian states,” mentioned Clayton Weimers, government director of Reporters With out Borders’ USA department.
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David Bauder writes concerning the intersection of media and leisure for the AP. Observe him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social