By: V4 Agency
The foundation run by US stock market speculator George Soros is not only invoved in the financing of human rights and pro-migration organisations, as it also supports a sizable array of media outlets all across the globe.
George Soros realised many years ago that he would need the press in order to spread his open society ideologies and, to this end, the Open Society Foundations (OSFs) has been making heavy investments in media outlets all across the world.
According to OSF’s website, the foundation spent 25.8 million dollars in 2020 to support journalism, amounting to 2.1 per cent of the foundation’s total annual budget. The sum was spent as follows:
- Africa: 2.1 million dollars
- Asia-Pacific: 2.1 million dollars
- Eurasia: 4.4 million dollars
- Europe: 0.9 million dollars
- Latin America and the Caribbean: 2.4 million dollars
- Middle East and North Africa: 2.2 million dollars
- Globally: 11.4 million dollars
As OSF has not updated its website, the latest data are from 2018. If one looks at the “journalism” heading, however, it becomes clear that Soros supported 118 organisations and editorial offices.
According to the website, 13 organisations received financial assistance in 2018 in Europe, most of them under the Independent Journalism Program.
The Romanian Atlatszo Transylvania Association (official name: Asociatia “Atlatszo Erdely Egyesulet”) received nearly 25 thousand dollars. Their website reveals that they were gtanted nearly 150 thousand lei (30.6 thousand euros) by OSF in 2019. They also pocketed additional funding from Atlatszo.hu Kozhasznu Nonprofit Kft, a Hungarian company.
Atlatszo is a Hungarian left-wing portal which was proud to announce that they received 46.7 million forints (nearly 140 thousand euros) from the Open Society Foundations in 2017. In 2016, they were also granted support by the Soros network to the tune of 33 million forints (98.8 thousand euros).
The Balkan Investigative Regional Network was granted 37.4 thousand dollars by Soros’s empire. Their website also reveals that their supporters include OSF branches in Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Their partners include the above-mentioned Atlatszo, along with Al Jazeera, Der Standard, Suddeutsche Zeitung, The Guardian and the BBC.
A Georgian organisation called Chai Khana pocketed 25 dollars from Soros’s foundation. Their website shows that their other sponsors inlcude the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the British government.
The Hungarian Direkt36, an investigative journalism centre, received 48.6 thousand dollars from George Soros’s foundation. OSF appears on their website as a partner, alongside the Global Investigative Journalism Network, also funded by OSF.
444.hu, one of Hungary’s far-left portals, is also under Soros’s influence, even though the media outlet is not listed on the website of Soros’s foundation as an organisation receiving funds.
Hungary’s official company database reveals that Marie Nemcova, Open Society Fund Prague’s former programme director, is on the board of directors of Magyar Jeti Zrt., the publisher of 444.hu. Ms Nemcova is now chief operating officer at Media Development and Investment Fund (MDIF), an organisation with links to George Soros.
MDIF paid more 100 million Hungarian forints (299.5 thousand euros) for ablock of sharesamounting to around 20 per cent in444.hu. MDIF is made up of several funders, and it received more than 15 million dollars in grants from Soros’s Open Society Institute between 2005 and 2009.
The Spanish Fundacion Porcausa De Investigacion Y Periodismo was awarded 80 thousand dollars in funding by OSF.
The Belgian Journalismfund.eu vzw was granted 500 thousand dollars.
Laisves TV in Lithuania received 124.8 thousand dollars.
NewsMaker in Moldova was granted 120 thousand dollars by OSF. Besides Soros’s foundation, their website also lists the US government as one of their sponsors.
Pontis Foundation in Slovakia received 116.9 thousand dollars from George Soros and his network.
The German Recherchen für die Gesellschaft gGmbH was granted 166.5 thousand dollars.
The Greek organisation Solomon Astiki Mi Kerdoskopiki Etaireia was paid 139.8 thousand dollars.
The Dutch Stichting European Journalism Centre received 24.9 thousand dollars.
The Portuguese Verdes Memorias Associacao applied twice for George Soros’s money, successfully, receiving 100 thousand dollars for the first time and 200 thousand dollars in the second round.
George Soros has also been trying to extend his influence over the Polish media. In 2018, the German Deutche Welle reported that Agora, which owns Poland’s largest circulation daily, Gazeta Wyborcza, paid 30 million euros to Prague-based Czech Media Invest to acquire 40 per cent in Eurozet. Eurozet also owned Radio Zet, Poland’s second-largest radio station. The remaining 60 per cent was bought by the Czech SFS Ventures backed by the above-mentioned Media Development Investment Fund.
In the next part of our series, we will expose journalists and media workers who play leading roles in organisations funded by George Soros.
