US government secretly funds major investigative journalism network
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The recent joint investigation by independent news outlets has revealed that the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a significant player in international investigative journalism, receives majority funding from the U.S. State Department.
This influential organization, which has partnered with major news outlets worldwide and contributed to groundbreaking stories like the Panama Papers, has received 52% of its funding from the U.S. government between 2014 and 2023.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) gets 60% of its funding from the US government, according to its last annual report. $5-million per year.
Shouldn't @Twitter flag that @OCCRP is US-state affiliated media? pic.twitter.com/uOKY3ejMds
— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) March 8, 2022
Drew Sullivan, the OCCRP’s co-founder and publisher, told the investigating consortium about the organization’s impact on governmental changes in several countries, including Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic.
“What is true is that OCCRP has accepted funding from USG. We understand that reasonable people may believe that’s a bad idea,” the OCCRP’s board of directors stated in response to the findings.
The investigation uncovered that despite claiming initial funding from the United Nations Democracy Fund, the OCCRP’s first million dollars actually came from the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in 2008.
Shannon Maguire, who manages the OCCRP file at USAID, expressed pride in the government’s support, stating, “We’re proud that we’re the first public donor, that USAID is the first public donor, and the U.S. government is the first public donor to assist OCCR.”
The funding arrangement reportedly includes provisions allowing U.S. officials to veto senior personnel and editorial staff appointments. The organization has received millions in targeted funding for specific initiatives, including $2.2 million for “Balancing the Russian Media Sphere” and $1.7 million for strengthening investigative journalism in Eurasia.
Spyware attacks. Intimidation. Forced exile.
Journalists in our network face daily threats from bad actors who will stop at nothing to keep the truth behind closed doors.
Don’t let them kill the story.
Support OCCRP's work to keep reporters safe: https://t.co/stg5DtSAe6 pic.twitter.com/wQnpunoh4z
— Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (@OCCRP) November 25, 2024
Yann Philippin, a board member of European Investigative Collaborations, noted on X: “US government weaponizes @OCCRP reporting by paying the journalistic organization to launch judicial investigations, sanctions and lobbying actions based on the articles published. This program has been overseen at @OCCRP by a former US State Department official.”
A Latin American editor familiar with OCCRP operations provided insight, stating, “The truth is we don’t know how deep the influence goes in some newsrooms.”
The organization notably played a role in Trump’s first impeachment, with its reports cited four times in the whistleblower complaint regarding his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
