The potential impact of the Trump administration's proposed dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on media entities that have been directly or indirectly funded by the agency has been a subject of recent discussion. Following the announcement, IOL reached out to media entities like the Daily Maverick to assess the potential consequences of losing international funding.
The Daily Maverick, in response, published an article that has been described as a "hit piece" by some, alleging that the article was riddled with lies and deliberate distortions. This article has been interpreted as a desperate attempt to deflect from the Daily Maverick's own foreign funding practices and perceived bias.