All categories

News Suppression

Photo of a black woman speaking into a microphone and pointing her finger

US Agency for Global Media cancels contracts with news wire services

March 13, 2025
Source: U.S. Agency for Global Media senior adviser Kari Lake

U.S. Agency for Global Media senior adviser Kari Lake announced that she is canceling the agency contracts with news wire companies like The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. USAGM operates both Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, organizations that provide reliable news and information to people in countries that lack a free press. Part of that effort included the republication of content from wire services. 

Social Security Administration blocks news websites on work computers

March 6, 2025
Source: Wired

The Social Security Administration told employees that it would block “general news” websites on government-issued computers. Outlets blocked included Wired, The Washington Post, The New York Times, MSNBC, Fox News, Breitbart and local news websites. The email sent to employees announcing the change informed them that online shopping and sports websites were also blocked.

State Department cancels ‘non-mission critical’ news subscriptions

February 11, 2025
Source: The Washington Post

The State Department instructed its embassies and consulates to cancel “all non-mission critical contracts/purchase orders for media subscriptions (publications, periodicals, and newspaper subscriptions.” A subsequent memo singled out contracts with The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, The Economist, The New York Times, Politico and Reuters as being a priority for termination. The orders followed a wave of media subscription cancellations at other government agencies, which were spurred by right-wing conspiracy theories that mistook federal spending on news subscriptions for evidence of the government “funding” liberal media.

White House orders the General Services Administration to cancel media contracts

February 6, 2025
Source: Axios

Following social media posts highlighting government spending on news subscriptions, the White House ordered the General Services Administration to cancel its media contracts. The White House also specifically asked GSA to cancel contracts with Politico, Politico’s E&E News, the BBC and Bloomberg. The order came after social media users misinterpreted data about government spending on news subscriptions as evidence that the government was “funding” liberal media.

Treasury Department cancels New York Times contracts

February 5, 2025
Source: Department of Government Efficiency

Following social media posts highlighting government spending on news subscriptions, the Department of Governmental Efficiency announced on X that the Department of the Treasury had canceled its contracts with The New York Times.