How USAID Became the Government’s Censorship Machine Against Independent Media

EDITOR'S NOTES

What if I told you that your tax dollars were funding a covert war against independent journalism? That the same government agency designed to “promote democracy” overseas was actually a propaganda arm blacklisting dissenting voices at home? Joe Rogan and former State Department insider Mike Benz just blew the lid off the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)—exposing how it operates a global disinformation network while silencing domestic media that dares to challenge the narrative.

The implications? Chilling. This is about more than censorship. It’s about state-run information control, economic blacklisting, and a slow march toward totalitarianism under the guise of “protecting democracy.”

Mr. Anderson Feb 14, 25

USAID: A Trojan Horse for Propaganda and Control

If you’ve been paying attention, you already know that the federal government is in bed with Big Tech and legacy media, working tirelessly to control public discourse. But what Rogan and Benz just exposed is even more insidious—because it shows that these tactics aren’t just corporate collusion; they’re official U.S. policy.

For years, USAID has been funneling billions of taxpayer dollars into NGOs, media organizations, and so-called “fact-checkers.” Their mission? To identify, discredit, and demonetize alternative media outlets.

ZeroHedge. The Federalist. The Daily Wire. Any publication that steps outside the Overton Window of acceptable discourse is quietly blacklisted from ad revenue, throttled in search algorithms, and flagged as ‘dangerous misinformation.’

And this isn’t some rogue operation. As Benz put it, this policy comes straight from the White House.

The mechanism? A shadowy network called Internews, which is heavily funded by USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)—a notorious regime-change front with deep ties to the intelligence community. Their job is simple: launder government censorship efforts through seemingly independent organizations to give the illusion of legitimacy.

Weaponizing "Disinformation" Against Americans

The Biden administration has aggressively pushed the idea that misinformation is a national security threat—a term broad enough to justify silencing anyone who questions official narratives.

Benz highlighted a particularly damning example: USAID, through its partners, actively pressures advertisers to avoid independent media. This tactic isn’t just censorship—it’s economic warfare.

Take a moment to let that sink in:

The U.S. government funds private NGOs.
Those NGOs create lists of “problematic” media outlets.
Advertisers are told to blacklist these sites.
Independent media loses revenue, while regime-approved outlets thrive.

That’s not democracy. That’s corporate-state fascism.

And if you think this is just about a few websites losing ad dollars, think again. This is the same playbook the intelligence community used against anti-Vietnam War activists in the 1960s and 70s—only now, the enemy isn’t radical leftists or Soviet sympathizers. It’s anyone who questions Washington’s power.

A Well-Oiled Machine of Political Manipulation

The USAID network doesn’t just attack independent journalism—it also interferes in foreign politics under the guise of promoting “democracy.”

Benz drew chilling comparisons between today’s media manipulation and past intelligence operations:

The CIA weaponized USAID to crush anti-war movements in the 60s.
The same tactics were used to support regime change operations in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Now, the model has been turned inward—targeting American citizens.

A perfect example? The OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project)—a group funded by USAID and the State Department. This is the same organization that broke the Panama Papers, which conveniently targeted anti-establishment political figures while leaving Western elites untouched.

As Benz pointed out, these government-funded outlets always seem to attack the enemies of the U.S. foreign policy machine—never its allies.

Coincidence? Not a chance.

Burisma, Biden, and the USAID Connection

Of course, no discussion of USAID corruption would be complete without Ukraine.

Rogan and Benz dissected the now-infamous moment when Joe Biden bragged about getting Ukraine’s prosecutor fired—the same prosecutor investigating Burisma, the energy company that just happened to have Hunter Biden on its board.

Benz revealed a trove of State Department emails that show just how deep the corruption runs:

USAID had direct financial cooperation with Burisma.
Internal discussions at State acknowledged the “problematic optics” of Hunter Biden’s involvement.
USAID money was funneled into Burisma-related projects while the administration worked behind the scenes to protect its interests.

Once again, the evidence is clear: USAID is not some benevolent aid organization. It is a tool of state control, weaponized for both foreign and domestic manipulation.

What Happens Next?

Now that this information is in the open, what’s the next move?

The playbook is predictable:

Deflection: The government will claim this is all a conspiracy theory.
Discrediting: Benz, Rogan, and anyone else exposing this will be smeared as “right-wing extremists” or “Russian propagandists.”
Doubling Down: USAID and its allies will push even harder to blacklist independent voices.

But here’s the good news: People are waking up. The more they tighten their grip, the more obvious their game becomes.

The solution? Decentralization.

Support independent media that refuses to toe the line.
Take control of your own financial sovereignty—because this kind of censorship always leads to economic control.
Spread awareness and push for legislative action to strip USAID of its funding and ban the federal government from interfering in online discourse.

The battle for free speech isn’t coming—it’s already here. And if we don’t fight back now, the next voice they silence might be yours.