Almost 60% of Ukrainian media outlets face crisis due to suspension of US financial aid

Almost 60% of Ukrainian media outlets may stop operating due to the suspension of US funding, according to the Ukrainian research center Institute of Mass Information (IMI).

As many as 59.2% of media professionals believe that the suspension of US support programs for the media could have catastrophic impact and lead to the closure or significant downsizing of many independent media outlets, the IMI said in a survey published.

In a summary to the survey, the IMI highlights Ukraine's dependence on the US financial support, as well as the lack of effective alternative funding.

Another 30% may not be closed but will also experience difficulties, the IMI said. Only 5% of editorial offices said that the impact would be moderate and they would be able to survive thanks to other resources, while 4.2% of respondents said that the impact would be minimal and they would continue to work as they had been working, according to the survey.

"The IMI survey shows that the sudden cessation of financial support from the United States was a shock to the media market due to the war-induced lack of sustainable financial models for Ukrainian media. As a consequence, the stability of media organizations largely depends on international support and any delays or cuts in funding could have a long-term impact not only on the media, but on the country as a whole as well," it said.

More than a third of the IMI respondents, 35% of the media outlets questioned, admitted receiving funding from the US, accounting for 75% of their total financing, while another 28.3% said the US money made up almost half of their budgets.

Only 15.8% of respondents reported receiving no grants from American organizations, it said.

US President Donald Trump has decided to freeze billions in global aid thru USAID, including media funding.