The article reports that, despite public attacks on “fake news” and a high-profile effort to cancel media contracts, Trump administration agencies have quietly continued to pay significant sums for subscriptions to paywalled outlets such as Politico, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal so officials can track policy, markets, and public debate. It also shows how internal pushback from diplomats and other staff, along with basic information needs, led many offices to retain or revive these subscriptions even as the White House touted cuts.
Key takeaways:
The administration initially framed media-subscription contracts as a major scandal and ordered mass cancellations, but federal procurement records show agencies still obligate hundreds of thousands of dollars for premium news services each year to support research, regulation, and diplomacy.
Politico and Bloomberg remain among the priciest tools because their products bundle news with legislative tracking and financial data, while agencies also pay for broad-access packages from The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal for staff use.
Experts note that these arrangements are standard service contracts, not giveaways, and internal emails reveal concern that cutting off reputable news sources would leave officials “flying blind” on developments they are supposed to monitor and regulate.
“But contracts, unlike grants, generally require the contractor to produce some specific work product or service,” says Darnall.
Read the article.