Let's break it down. The rumour that USAid has been shelling out big bucks to Politico and other news outlets has been circulating. At first glance, it seems like a major scandal. “How could any media outlet accept more than 8 million dollars from a government agency? ” Trump and his team asked. However, the truth is less sensational. The payments were for subscriptions to news services, most specifically for a high-end service called Politico Pro.

  The misinformation started with a misleading post on Truth Social by Donald Trump. “USAid has been giving out millions to the media to keep the democrats in a good light, ” Trump claimed. To be clear, there have been payments, but they were not a secret giveaway. The rumours sparked outrage from people like Benny Johnson, a right-wing influencer, who slammed the media for this alleged corruption.

  Let’s point out that it was not just USAID. In fact, it was the federal government as a whole. Moreover, it wasn't some hidden "payoff". The payments were subscription costs that the government paid over many years to Politico for their news services. Musk and the Heritage Foundation picked up the claim, but they didn't slow down to verify the facts.

  The right-wing radio talk show host Dana Loesch called for protests. More than a scandal was at play. The truth of the matter is that the media outlets received subscriptions payments. More interestingly, the fact that they did so does not make it payoff.  If the whole system was in on the one of the biggest scams of all time, would it not be a bit suspicious that everyone seemed to be doing the same thing? Right-wing commentator Benny Johnson claimed it was the work of corrupt journalism at its finest.

  In an unusual move, the press secretary took a moment at the briefing to focus on the media outlets. Karoline Leavitt from the White House. “The more than 8 million dollars that have gone to essentially subsidizing subscriptions to Politico, ” are indeed a large sum. And that these monies going forward would be discontinued. USAID  did shell out about 44, 000 dollars to Politico for energy-focused news.

  Politico has never received a cent from the government. Unless a situation reveals itself as it relates to subscriptions for news services, it is not possible for any media outlet to operate on these funds. Even in a world where there is an absence of truth, “spirited discussions” do not solve the matter. They pay for the services of news agencies like Politico and others. Yes, it is a fact that the government, including USAid, pays a lot of money for these subscriptions.  The payments were not some sort of “payoff”.

  The government, including USAid pays for subscriptions to news outlets.  Trump and his team saw this and jumped to a conclusion. One that would not have been possible without the misinformation.  However, as it stands the payments were for subscriptions to news sources.

  The story has a lot of people talking about what media outlets should be getting paid for. But the bottom line is that getting paid doesn't mean that they are receiving some sort of payoff. They are being paid for the work they do. It is their job to deliver the news. If they don't, then they are being paid for nothing.

  Fact-checking can be difficult because there is always a lot of information out there. But when it comes to money, it is important to look at the facts.  At the end of the day, it is important to remember that these subscriptions are not just something that the outlets are granted. They are paid for by taxpayers. They aren't some sort of payoff or some deal that the government has made with the journalist.

  So, it is not as exciting as it seems. The payments were for news services and not some secret giveaway.

Misinformation Alert: Truth Behind USAid and News Subscriptions!

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