BBC Media Action reaffirms independence following Elon Musk's ‘State-Funded Media’ claim

BBC Media Action has reiterated its independence from the BBC national broadcaster after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk claimed on social media that the organisation is “literally state-funded media.”

Musk’s remark followed his reposting of a claim suggesting that the United States government funds the BBC through its international development agency, USAID. The claim cited the sources of BBC Media Action’s £25.2 million annual fundraised income, highlighting that £2.61 million came from USAID in the year ending March 2024.

The charity responded with a firm statement clarifying its independence from BBC News and the UK government.

"BBC Media Action is completely separate from BBC News, and wholly reliant on our donors and supporters to carry out our work," the statement read.

BBC Media Action, which supports press freedom worldwide, recently received a $750,000 donation from Jack Dorsey, co-founder of the now Musk-owned social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The charity also confirmed that former US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to pause all USAID funding had affected its operations.

"Like many international development organisations, BBC Media Action has been affected by the temporary pause in US government funding, which amounts to about 8% of our income in 2023-24," the charity stated.

According to BBC Media Action’s accounts, USAID was its second-largest donor in 2023-24, providing £2.61 million, behind the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which contributed £3.02 million.

The charity assured stakeholders that efforts were underway to mitigate the effects of the funding suspension.

“We’re doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our partners and the people we serve,” the statement added.

Several other UK charities, including Stonewall, have also reported that the USAID funding pause would negatively affect their operations