The end of the US Agency for International Development would indeed be good news for autocrats and those who seek to sow distrust, division and conflict (“Strongmen celebrate as Trump aid freeze threatens to silence free media”, Report, February 8).
The thousands of journalists and independent media outlets affected around the world hold the powerful to account, are a cornerstone of (often fledgling) democracies, provide their citizens with trustworthy, accurate — even life-saving — information through crisis and conflict, and counter ever-growing disinformation. Many of these outlets, already under unprecedented pressure from both the authorities and their own fragile finances, now face closure. Facts still matter — and they are under threat.
Simon Bishop
Chief Executive, BBC Media Action
(The BBC’s international charity) London, UK
