The INFORM Act (Informing a Nation with Free, Open, and Reliable Media Act of 2025) seeks to expand United States government efforts to increase access to independent information for Chinese citizens. It does this by authorizing a formal strategy within one year, creating an interagency task force and a dedicated coordinator, and establishing a new Global News Service to curate and translate PRC-related content for distribution by U.S. global media entities. The bill emphasizes Mandarin-language content, targeted dissemination to PRC audiences and the Chinese diaspora, and the pairing of content with tools that help bypass the PRC’s censorship regime. It also provides funding for the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to support these activities, and it calls for greater reciprocity in the information space between the United States and the PRC through diplomacy and other tools. The overarching goal is to offer credible, uncensored information to PRC citizens and to support human rights and governance reforms by expanding exposure to independent sources of information. Key elements include: a formal strategy within a year, an interagency task force with a designated coordinator, an expanded focus on censorship circumvention tools and secure content sharing, creation and dissemination of Mandarin-language content, new funding authorizations, and the creation of the Global News Service as a grant-based, non-federal entity that curates and distributes content about China in multiple languages. The act also envisions closer cooperation among U.S. media and partners and directs attention to reciprocity challenges in the PRC information space.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of a formal interagency task force and a single Task Force Coordinator to develop and execute a strategy for increasing access to independent information for PRC citizens, including coordination of Mandarin-language content, circumvention tools, and secure content sharing.
- 2Creation of the Global News Service, a grant-funded entity (not a federal agency) that curates, translates, and distributesChina-related content in Mandarin and English, with a focus on reaching media outlets influenced by CCP state media and the Chinese diaspora abroad; oversight and governance align with USAGM standards.
- 3A mandatory strategy for the Department of State (and interagency partners) within one year, detailing how to increase access to independent information, improve coordination, develop circumention tools, assess content uptake, and engage with Mandarin-language content developers and researchers to tailor messaging for PRC citizens inside and outside the PRC.
- 4Expanded funding authorizations: roughly $25 million per year (2025-2029) for the Department of State to support strategy implementation and related research; about $50 million per year (2025-2029) for USAGM to run the Global News Service and continue related programs.
- 5Emphasis on Mandarin Chinese-language content development, dissemination, media freedom, investigative journalism, and open-source circumvention tools; supports partnerships with independent journalists, content creators, and private sector tech actors to improve access to uncensored information.
- 6Provisions to address reciprocity gaps in the PRC information space through diplomacy and use of available tools to improve access for U.S. government, private sector, journalists, and researchers operating in or with the PRC.
- 7Clarifications on governance: the Global News Service is not a federal agency and remains subject to GAO audits and inspector general authorities; the act includes conforming amendments to integrate the Global News Service into the existing US International Broadcasting Act framework.