JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

By now it is clear that the shock of the 2025 US funding cuts has not faded. Its effects continue to shape independent and exiled media in 2026.

That leaves organizations like ours with an uncomfortable question: How do we distribute less funding without shrinking the field to a handful of surviving exiled media outlets and risking a quiet desertification of exiled media landscapes?

A botnet that spreads false claims across multiple languages, fake copy accounts mimicking top Western media, AI-trained on manipulated datasets to twist narratives – these are just a few of the extraordinary manipulation efforts uncovered by exiled media outlets.

The past year once again shook the Russian independent media sector in exile. Russian authorities tightened censorship, expanded surveillance, and criminalized the consumption of independent media content. Despite this hostile environment and a sector-wide financial crisis, independent media outlets in exile held their ground and even expanded their reach across multiple channels.

How does the Kremlin infiltrate Europe’s information sphere to sway elections and shape public opinion? Where did fugitive Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek vanish to? Why are many of China’s cities sinking? Without exiled media, you probably wouldn’t know.

The accelerating decline of democratic structures is triggering a global exodus of journalists from authoritarian countries. Exiled media are now, in many regions, the last institutions capable of documenting increasing autocratization and making democratic backsliding visible.

In times of shifting geopolitics and increasing challenges for independent journalism, supporting exiled media is more crucial than ever. Combining regional context, audience data, and nuanced insights, our country profiles on Afghanistan, Belarus, Nicaragua, Russia, and Syria highlight the critical role of exiled journalism in safeguarding truth under repressive regimes.