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By News Desk

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American media landscape is facing renewed scrutiny following revelations that photojournalist Philip “Flip” Holsinger received over $54,000 in undisclosed payments connected to the Nigerian government while publishing opinion pieces downplaying sectarian violence in Nigeria.

The disclosure conflict came to light after Nigerian human rights lawyer and Special Counsel for the Justice for Jos Project, Emmanuel Ogebe, uncovered public Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings submitted by DCI Group, a registered foreign agent acting on behalf of the Nigerian government.

FARA Financial Disclosures

Official Justice Department filings show payments made by DCI Group (FARA Registrant #6278) via Kaduna-based law firm Aster Legal to photojournalist Philip “Flip” Holsinger between January and March 2026:

• January 30, 2026: $20,000 (“Photography Services / 2/25 Retainer”) plus $10,060 in expenses.
• March 3, 2026: $20,000 (“Photography Services”) plus $4,500 in expenses.
• Total Disclosed Payments: $54,560.

Media Publications and Lack of Disclosure

Thirteen days following the March check, Holsinger published an article in The Daily Caller titled “I Went To Nigeria — Here’s What The Media Gets Wrong,” describing his travels in armored vehicles alongside Nigerian security forces without disclosing that his trip was compensated through government-linked retainer fees.

In May 2026, Holsinger authored a subsequent op-ed in the Washington Examiner titled “Don’t believe the activists: There is no ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria,” asserting that the vast majority of citizens live in harmony.

While WORLD Magazine—which had also featured Holsinger’s work—updated its records and disclosed the financial conflict to its readers after being notified by Ogebe, neither The Daily Caller nor the Washington Examiner has issued editor’s notes or updated author bios to reflect the payments.

Congressional Lobbying and Disputed Casualty Data

Human rights monitoring groups, including Intersociety, have sharply criticized the op-eds, pointing to data showing over 1,400 Christians killed and 1,800 abducted within the first three months of 2026 alone.

The controversy escalated after records revealed that on June 2, 2026—two days after submitting its FARA financial receipts—DCI Group cited Holsinger’s Washington Examiner op-ed in official correspondence sent directly to the U.S. Congress to defend the Nigerian government’s human rights record and counter pushback from international advocacy groups.