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Abstract

This paper will explore the consequences of declining US support for independent journalism, with a focus on Kazakhstan, where press freedom is increasingly under threat. With US funding for international projects in retreat and the media landscape shifting, a pressing question emerges: who will fill the void?

Will state-aligned outlets like Sputnik and other regional media powers expand their influence, or could this shift allow for the emergence of new local, objective, types of media – such as donation-based journalism?

As EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently noted, media outlets like RFE/RL often operate in countries "that are very much dependent on news coming from outside.” The Kazakh case, however, raises the question of whether such dependency is inevitable – or whether the recent cuts in funding could prompt the rise of local, independent ventures. It also invites broader reflection on newly emerging funding sources and the growing involvement of a diverse range of state and non-state actors in shaping the region’s media landscape.

To explore these questions further, I will travel to Almaty and work with the local think tank CAPS Unlocked to directly assess the evolving media landscape on the ground. My fieldwork will include semi-structured interviews with independent journalists, editors of small outlets, and scholars working on media freedom, to better understand how they perceive the withdrawal of Western support, what risks and opportunities it presents, and how they are adapting to these changes.