By Donald Trump’s executive order, the suspension of US foreign aid programs resulted in a complicated and uncertain situation both in the global and in Armenian media spheres.
By citing USAID’s 2023 report, “Reporters Without Borders” states that during 2023 alone, the agency financed training of 6,200 journalists, assisted 707 news outlets, and supported 279 media-sector civil society organizations’ efforts to strengthen independent media and to improve the sector. According to the same article, in 2025 the US Congress was to provide more than $268 million dollar assistance to independent media operating in various countries.
In Armenia, in addition to state institutions, civil society organizations, various social initiatives, and independent media outlets have been receiving USAID support to promote the establishment of democracy.
Almost two years ago, the USAID-funded “Media Program in Armenia” was launched to support independent media. This five-year program with a budget of $15 million was the largest investment ever provided by USAID for the Armenian media sector.
The Program supported innovative projects, technical development, and strategic development of independent media. Within the framework of the “Media Program in Armenia”, civil society organizations operating in the media sector continued working towards improving the media sector and establishing a quality information ecosystem in the country, as well as towards legislative reforms related to the media sector.
Through media components of USAID-funded programs in other sectors, independent media in Armenia also received support. For instance, the role of investigative journalists was significant in anti-corruption programs for exposing abuses in public procurement processes. Journalists were involved in programs supporting social or energy sector reforms, by producing content aimed at raising public awareness, etc.
Various US agencies are not the only donors of media outlets. Numerous European, state, and private foundations and organizations continue supporting media outlets, including those in Armenia. However, freezing of aid by the world’s largest support-providing country will have a serious impact.
Media experts and leaders of beneficiary media outlets think that our society may face serious information challenges. The volume of impartial and quality news will decrease, directly affecting the level of democracy. Problems will arise in the field of digital security.
Increase in Non-Transparent Funding Flows
This order will negatively impact both the media sector and the reform agenda in various sectors. It can negatively affect democratic institutions. Democracy is generally based on citizen involvement in the decision-making process, and this is impossible without an appropriate information environment, without investigative journalism, without the establishment of those genres of journalism that contribute to decision-making.
As a result of the freezing of the US financial support, our independent and relatively quality media outlets have become targets. Due to financial challenges, they will have to reduce their operations, which will directly affect the functioning of democratic institutions.
Roughly, there are three types of media outlets in Armenia. The first type includes politicized outlets that directly adhere to one or another political camp, receive funding from them, and use quite harsh, even severe methods of propaganda.
The second type of media outlets are guided by the principles of the yellow press. They don’t follow any professional or ethical rules, don’t bear public responsibility, and aren’t accountable to the society. Their only goal is to secure financial flows.
The third type includes independent media outlets which operate through grants being the main source of their income. If this third group becomes weak, the role of the other two types will increase. In the current situation, this scenario is greatly probable, and the mentioned two types of media outlets will shape the information environment. Consequently, there may be serious problems on the eve of the 2026 elections. Obviously, all this is not in the citizens’ interests.
The executive order may result in another problem. For maintaining their existence, media outlets may be tempted by not-so-transparent and not-so-fair financial sources. These can be not only internal non-transparent sources, but also external ones.
Boris Navasardyan, Honorary President of Yerevan Press Club
Vulnerable Digital Security
Almost 70% of the funding of the Media Diversity Institute is frozen. Many projects remained unfinished, we didn’t pay the salaries of many employees. We started reducing staff. This means that the volume of our support in the field of digital security will be reduced. Hence, the level of digital security in the media sector, in civil society organizations will decrease.
Now let’s see what will happen after this. Russian, Azerbaijani, Pakistani hackers, as well as ones representing other nationalities already know that US-funded organizations face financial challenges and don’t have sufficient resources to be secure.
This means that the attacks may become extensive, they will not be suspended but will reach their target, as the defenders’ capacity was significantly decreased. The entire society will be directly affected.
Even if these grant programs are restored, it would be very difficult to continue our organization’s work in the same way and at the same pace, since we already have staff reductions and losses. This is a serious problem.
Arthur Papyan, Executive Director of the Media Diversity Institute- Armenia
Reduction in the Volume of Investigative Journalism
Like all other independent media outlets, Hetq’s revenues are from grant funds, which are its main source. We definitely attempt to secure our own flows, but they make up a very small percentage. Over these years, we diversified our financial flows, but nevertheless, the US funding made up quite a large percent of our budget. We have projects that are currently suspended. One of them, for instance, was about our technical institutional development, another project supported fact-checking media outlets and journalists.
It’s clear that the development of fact-checking is important for our society and our state, and that the suspension of such projects may cause a serious damage to the entire public.
The operation of Hetq Media Factory is our current biggest challenge, as it was entirely funded by the US State Department. The work of the Media Factory is really important in terms of preparing a pool of young people capacitated in the fields of investigative journalism, fact-checking, and data journalism. We cannot terminate the program in the middle of the academic year. It also creates problems in terms of public responsibility. Now we are in search of money for paying the rent and for ensuring the continuity of the educational process.
We are trying to secure various emergency funds. For generating our own financial resources, I think we’ll monetize our service providing capacity.
Christine Barseghyan, Director of Hetq
Independent Media is the Target
Those media outlets, which do not have owners of different types, colors, and qualities, are in the target. The organizations not depending on various economic and political players in the country face problems.
Boon TV is being broadcasted through the public multiplex, and we are to pay a monthly fee of 1.5 million drams to the Television and Radio Broadcasting Network of Armenia for broadcasting through the public multiplex. We have many other administrative expenses that are unavoidable. Now we’re trying to optimize our expenses. We were working with ten different organizations that were also cooperating with USAID in one way or another. Almost 45% of our budget was generated from US sources.
I think the state should support civil society and independent media in certain areas without expecting commitment to the current government. Of course, in countries like ours, it’s a bit difficult to envision this, but that may be a right path.
I think consolidation may be a solution. That is, several outlets sharing the same values may unite in order to be able to continue their work. We – the independent media outlets – can also create a sales house with independent media, thus becoming attractive to advertisers.
Gemafin Gasparyan, Executive Director of Boon TV
Decrease in Media’s Supervisory and Restraining Role
The USAID-funded “Media Program in Armenia” was instrumental for the strategic development of Armenian media. If it had been fully implemented, if there hadn’t been such a suspension, our independent editorial offices would have reached a new level of development and would have become more resilient in similar situations.
As a result of this change, resources of editorial offices will decrease, the media content aimed at making the work of state more transparent and accountable will also decrease. Media outlets are the primary players, which monitor the effectiveness of the governance of state institutions. They are important actors restraining the government. I think media will become weak in this case. Of course, civil society also has a significant role here, but I think the media’s role is primary.
The work of media contributes to opinion forming by the public and assessing the effectiveness of the governance, to forming a stance based on various investigations, various analytical articles and publications. In this case, the public also faces serious problems. Without independent media, citizens cannot always independently make informed decisions. And during the upcoming pre-election period, the problems of independent or investigative media will essentially become those of the public. During this period, the government will have more freedom to act, sometimes even without an oversight. I hope that at some point, our public will have an understanding of becoming the primary funder of the media, which performs an important function.
Sevak Mamyan, Editor of Infocom
Challenge for the Media Sphere
Freezing of the American support is a very serious problem for various sectors in many countries – from healthcare, food supply, post-war reconstruction, and refugees to road construction, energy, water resource management, and more.
Media outlets are not the last in this list, particularly in countries where the market does not ensure, and the state often hinders the operation of free media. In 2023, USAID alone provided support – financial, technical, consultancy, legal – to media in 30 countries. Armenia is among these countries, where within the framework of the “Media Program in Armenia”, during the past 1,5 year, 63 media outlets have benefited from training courses, from digital, legal, and psychological support, and from consultation. 16 editorial offices received grants.
The development of marketing techniques has always been part of this support for creating relevant tools, knowledge, and environment. Since 1995, this activity has been a significant component of grant programs. It’s noteworthy that the support programs have always been open and transparent, and have required serious work from media outlets, creative approaches and innovations, no less effort than fundraising from any other source.
However, media outlets cannot be self-sufficient and sustainable in a country that isn’t sustainable itself. Media is part of the country’s economy and goes through the same path that other sectors do. Further, the political shocks of the past 30 years, the global challenges facing media outlets, the complications of digitalization of broadcasting in Armenia, the wars make the situation harder. After all, media is a business, although a unique business, so-called “business+”, which is affected by all political changes. As a result, combining impartial, sharp, critical, investigative journalism (without sharpness, investigation and criticism, journalism and media make no sense, to put it mildly) with a commercial activity is extremely difficult. But this is not impossible.
Today’s situation is a serious challenge for the media sector of Armenia, but also is an opportunity that requires taking certain steps – consolidation, non-traditional solutions, diversification of monetization tools and forms, possibly also other, radical solutions. And most importantly, strategic thinking, discussions, and generation of development scenarios.
Nouneh Sarkissian, Managing Director of Media Initiatives Center
This situation also raises questions for the state, which can help media outlets to overcome the crises. Support can be in the form of grants, certain benefits, development of tax return mechanisms, redistribution of the public broadcaster’s revenue from advertising, or other forms. There are various mechanisms for supporting media in the world. These mechanisms can be applied in Armenia. There is a field for discussion, decision-making, and action. However, much caution is needed and conditions for the state to support based on a developed policy, and not manage and influence media outlets’ editorial freedom and content.
