On 8th February (local time), WikiLeaks uncovered a massive funding operation by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In connection with the exposé, another threat came to light, putting the spotlight on propagandist advocate Prashant Bhushan, whose involvement with Internews through his Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics has been highlighted. The exposé on Bhushan has been carried out by X user ‘The Story Teller’.
Notably, in August 2024, when the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, was removed from her post, the X user pointed out how global media propaganda was working with an anti-India cabal within India, aiming at a regime change. Revisiting information from the 2024 thread, The Story Teller explained how Bhushan fits perfectly into the anti-India propaganda running across media houses, with funds coming from USAID.
About Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics
Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics was established 20 years ago, in 2004, under the Kumud Bhushan Education Society by Prashant Bhushan. Kumud Bhushan was Prashant’s mother. According to the organisation’s website, since 2011, it has emerged as a platform for individuals and organisations to “reflect on and engage with the injustices that prevail in society today”. However, the true agenda is not as simple as it appears. A deeper dive into the organisational structure linked to people, and associated entities reveals a more sinister plan to create a heavily left-leaning ecosystem within the media landscape in the country.
1. The Birth
— The Story Teller (@IamTheStory__) February 9, 2025
"Sambhaavnaa Institute of Public Policy and Politics" was established under "Kumud Bhushan Education Society" by the Son of Late Advocate Shahsi Bhushan and Mrs Kumud Bhhushan, Supreme Court Advocate Prashant Bhushan in the year 2004. In the year 2010, Prashant… pic.twitter.com/m3iA7hFrci
Fast forward to 2010, Bhushan purchased a piece of land and a tea estate in Kandbari village near Palampur, in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, where he constructed a permanent base for the organisation and its sister initiative, named “Udaan Learning Centre”.
Since its inception, the centre has become a hub for workshops and discussions, often featuring prominent left-leaning figures, including Yogendra Yadav (former AAP leader and currently a self-proclaimed political activist), Harsh Mander (founder of Project Karwan-e-Mohabbat, known for his dubious history, including anti-CAA views and FCRA violations), Medha Patkar (known for her misplaced activism against the Narmada project in Gujarat), Pratik Sinha (co-founder of the propaganda website Alt News), Sori Sori (Naxalite activist), Nandini Rao (known for her anti-Hindu views), Ravish Kumar (propagandist YouTuber who often asks people about their caste [‘kaun jaat ho’ fame] and spreads anti-BJP propaganda), Kavita Krishnan, Vijayan MJ, Nityanand Jayaraman, Atreyee Mazumdar, and many others.
If we talk specifically about journalists associated with Bhushan’s organisation as ‘Resource People‘, the names include Paranjoy Guha Thakurta (independent), Ravleen Kaur (independent), Manu Moudgil (independent), Neetu Singh (independent), Bhasha Singh (independent), Swati Pathak (Bharat Samachar), Atul Chaurasia (Newslaundry), Sandeep Chaudhary (News 24), Poonam Kaushal (Dainik Bhaskar), Vishwa Deepak (National Herald), Navin Kumar (Article 19 India), Akash Banerjee (YouTuber/ex-Times Now), Apporvanand Jha (columnist, The Wire), Neel Madhav (independent), V Sridhar (The Hindu Group, commissioner at Peoples Commission on Public Sector and Public Services), Professor Karunashankar Kusuma (Mobile journalism expert), Harsh Mander (columnist), Professor Subhash Saini (Founder, Desh Haryana Magazine), Bhanwar Meghwanshi (former RSS member, journalist covering Dalit movement), and Aparna Dewal (fact-check and media literacy trainer).
Exploring interconnected organisations, funding sources, and who sets media narratives
A pivotal event mentioned in the thread was a workshop held in August 2024, supported by three key partners: Factshala, DataLEADS, and Internews. This workshop, aimed at media literacy and fact-checking, underscores the collaborative efforts to shape media narratives in India. Internews, founded by David Hoffman in 1982, is portrayed as a non-profit committed to independent media and access to information globally but is heavily funded by USAID, alongside giants like the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, and tech companies such as Google and Facebook.
In a previous report, OpIndia explored connections between USAID and Internews. USAID funnelled around $472.6 million into the Internews Network, an international media non-governmental organisation (NGO). The network operates under the guise of journalistic development. WikiLeaks revealed that Internews Network has provided financial support to over 4,291 media outlets worldwide, producing extensive media content while engaging in social media censorship and information control strategies in the name of “fact-checking”.
4. USAID – The Mother of all the deep state Babies – 1
— The Story Teller (@IamTheStory__) February 9, 2025
Internews Global Management:
Jeanne Bourgault
President and CEO Internews
worked for six years with the US Agency for International Development USAID
Meera Selva
CEO Europe Internews
member of the Center for Economic… pic.twitter.com/WtGbRXKjys
Internews Network has an India link, exposing a far-reaching attempt to influence narratives in prominent media houses operating in the country. The connection that has emerged is with a so-called media literacy programme called “Factshala”.
Factshala claims to be an educational platform for media personnel. It operates under DataLEADS and claims to have trained over 75,000 media professionals, reaching an audience of over 6.5 crore. Factshala is backed by the Google News Initiative against “misinformation”. However, its crucial link to Internews reveals the interference of USAID-backed funding. With this revelation, it becomes more evident that USAID was indirectly shaping Indian media education, much like its influence in other politically sensitive regions worldwide.
Factshala has an ambassador programme that includes controversial media personalities such as Shekhar Gupta of The Print, Ritu Kapur of The Quint, and Faye D’Souza of Beatroot News. According to its website:
“The FactShala Ambassador Programme is run by DataLEADS in collaboration with The Poynter Institute for Media Studies and its digital media literacy programme, MediaWise, with support from the Google News Initiative. It is an initiative to enhance the voice of media literacy in India by empowering people of all age groups to become more critical consumers of content online. In an era of abundant misinformation, the ambassadors will provide invaluable resources and offer knowledge and insights to sort fact from fiction online and slow the spread of misinformation – an opportunity to drive positive change within the community.”
Notably, the Poynter Institute has a long list of funding sources, including the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Public Radio (a US government-funded entity), The Washington Post, and others.
Internews and its leadership
Now comes a tricky part of the story. Internews has hidden sections that reveal information about the organisation’s top leadership. Although these pages are accessible via archive.org, it is concerning that an organisation heavily funded by a US government body is concealing details about who runs it.
The President and CEO of Internews is Jeanne Bourgault. She leads Internews while drawing a salary of $451,000. Notably, the sum she pays herself is far higher than the standard for an NGO executive.
The CEO of Internews Europe is Meera Selva. She is a member of the Centre for Economic Policy Research, which is funded by the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, and the Omidyar Network.
The CFO of Internews is Robyn Mordeno. She previously served as CFO for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR). IWPR is managed by the family of former US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, the famous “regime change queen” of the US government.
Brian D. Hanley is the Regional Director of Asia-Pacific Programmes at Internews. He has served as a Senior Democracy and Governance Field Advisor in USAID’s Centre of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG).
These names are just the tip of the iceberg, and it is evident that they are either directly linked to the US government or USAID.
As mentioned before, Internews was founded by David Hoffman. His profile on Internews is also hidden. Notably, he also founded Global Forum for Media Development. According to its website, “The Global Forum for Media Development is the largest global community for media development, media freedom, and journalism support. Through collaboration, coordination, and collective action our network of 203 member organisations — as well as our dozens of partners — creates, promotes, and delivers policies and programmes to sustain journalism as a public good.”
5. USAID – The Mother of all the deep state Babies – 2
— The Story Teller (@IamTheStory__) February 9, 2025
David Hoffman is also Founder of GLOBAL FORUM FOR MEDIA DEVELOPMENT.
As per its Website:
"The Global Forum for Media Development is the largest global community for media development,
media freedom, and journalism support.… pic.twitter.com/SUExzRFv60
GFMD’s funding comprises 15% of its membership fees. Apart from that, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Aisa Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, BBC Media Action, UNESCO’s International Programme on the Development of Communication, and DW Akademie are among its donors.
6. USAID – The Mother of all the deep state Babies – 3
— The Story Teller (@IamTheStory__) February 9, 2025
If you look at the Asia foundation management in Indian Subcontinent
you can easily understand what they are here for!!
Asia foundation is funded by:
Henry Luce Foundation
Ford Foundation
Ebay Foundation
US Chamber… pic.twitter.com/UIUByIPjk0
The Anti-Corruption Conference
USAID also funded the annual International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC). Interestingly, in 2022, the IACC provided a platform to Disha Ravi. For those who may have forgotten, in February 2021, Disha Ravi was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police for her involvement in the anti-India toolkit that was inadvertently posted on Twitter by so-called environmental activist Greta Thunberg. The toolkit referred to a set of documents containing details of planned protests in support of the farmer protests.
9. The Anti Corruption Conference by the most corrupt entities in this World
— The Story Teller (@IamTheStory__) February 9, 2025
That is what US State department funded and USAID supported annual anti corruption conference of Transparency International is.
So Samantha Power, last USAID Head gives table to:
Disha Ravi – Anti India… pic.twitter.com/fSaYB4cZLO
Another name that appeared in the same year was Sanjay Pradhan who is an Ambassador of the Open Government Partnership. OGP is one of the funders of V-Dem Institute, the infamous organisation known for publishing dubious data-based anti-India propaganda in the name of the Global Democracy Index which has classified India as Semi semi-autocratic state for several years. According to OGP’s website, “OGP Ambassadors are senior figures charged with raising the partnership’s profile, protecting its credibility and promoting its sustainability. Their roles are designed to complement the work and existing responsibilities of the Steering Committee members and other OGP participating governments and civil society organisations.”
Internews and Equality Labs
Another X user, Tapesh Yadav, exposed a link between Internews and Equality Labs. Internews has a fund called the Platform Impacts Fund (PIF) which claims to support tech governance and accountability but seems to prioritise funding organisations with a clear ideological bias. One such recipient is Equality Labs. Though Internews identifies it as an India-based group, Equality Labs’s headquarters are located in the US. The organisation brands itself as a Dalit civil rights organisation. However, it has been widely criticised for promoting divisive narratives under the guise of activism. Equality Labs pushes an agenda centred on caste apartheid, Islamophobia, and religious intolerance, often painting an exaggerated and one-sided picture of social issues in India.
Equality Labs' money connection to Internews–USAID.
— Tapesh Yadav (@tapeshyadav_usa) February 10, 2025
Internews announced "core funding grants" to Equality Labs, highlighting its dedication to ending "caste apartheid, Islamophobia, White Supremacy, etc".
More on Internews below. https://t.co/OYO1Q0HkNh pic.twitter.com/pae5ttFUOP
It had collaborated with the Organisation for Minorities in India (OFMI), among other organisations, for a report titled ‘Caste in the United States: A Survey Of Caste Among South Asian Americans’. The OFMI was founded by Bhajan Singh Bhinder, a known ISI operative, and his puppet Pieter Friedrich was part of the organisation too. Equality Labs also campaigned hard against Amit Jani, who had worked in the Joe Biden campaign, accusing him of supporting ‘Hindu Fascism’. It had also inserted a ‘Dalit’ angle to the anti-farm law protests even though the demonstrations were clearly an attempt by the dominant caste groups in Punjab and Haryana to preserve their privilege. Moreover, Jack Dorsey, the former CEO of the erstwhile Twitter, had once stoked a massive controversy when he held an anti-Brahmin placard that said ‘Smash Brahminical Patriarchy’, a poster designed by Thenmozhi Soundararajan, the executive director of Equality Labs.
The USAID’s propaganda network is yet to be fully exposed. From funding media houses to set narratives, regime change, censorship, promoting religious conversions and other dubious activities, USAID has misused billions and billions of dollars over the decade.
