OUR WORK

HELPING EXILED JOURNALISTS TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK

The JX Fund supports media and journalists who have fled war and crisis regions, providing them opportunities to quickly and with flexibility continue their work in exile. It acts as an international clearing house, identifying which resources are required at any given moment, collating offers of assistance, and distributing them to where they are needed most.

The JX Fund is supported by a broad alliance of media, civil society organizations, and an extensive donor pool.

79

Media Outlets

Since April 2022, the JX Fund has supported 79 exiled media outlets from Afghanistan, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine with financial or structural aid.

129

Grants

In total, 129 grants have been awarded to exiled media outlets with journalists working from 25 different countries.

28

Projects

The JX Fund has implemented 28 projects targeting different needs of both exiled media outlets and freelance journalists.

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Support has been provided to well-known independent media with a wide reach, as well as to smaller media with a regional focus and start-ups whose focus is on reporting on civic and cultural issues. It is of great concern to the JX Fund to preserve a diversity of journalistic voices even in exile.

Already in the first months after their reconstruction in exile, the supported media can reach large readerships: More than 6 million subscribers on their YouTube channels, around 2.2 million on their Telegram channels, and more than 50 million visitors to their websites per month.

OUR MISSION

FOR PRESS FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

We strongly believe that the reporting of independent media is vital to preserving democracy, as well as a free and open society. A free press helps to hold public institutions accountable, to expose corruption and abuse of power, and to provide invaluable critical commentary on social, cultural, political, and economic processes. A free press is the bedrock of democratic discourse.

In an increasing number of countries, however, the media are restricted by state control, censorship, and repression. In many cases, journalists are no longer able to report freely and critically; they can face persecution and the threat of lengthy jail terms.

It is precisely in the places where independent media are repressed that they are needed the most. By supporting media in exile, we ensure that independent information continues to reach people in these countries. We believe that when exiled journalists are able to join forces and work together in editorial teams, not only can they present more nuanced views, these views also carry more weight. It remains vitally important in exile to preserve a multitude of voices in order to maintain a diverse civil society.

OUR VISION

TARGETED TEAMWORK

The JX Fund acts as an international clearing house for journalism in exile. We collate the various offers of help from private and institutional supporters, companies, publishers, and civil society initiatives and connect them to the respective needs of exiled media outlets. We pool the available resources and funds in order to distribute them efficiently and sustainably, targeting them towards the areas most in need. Together with partner organizations and expert advisors, we develop projects with the goal of filling gaps in the existing funding structure.

WE BUILD BRIDGES
We help outlets to establish themselves in their country of exile, and to continue pursuing their vital journalistic work.

WE IMPART KNOWLEDGE
We bring together diverse areas of experience and allow for the insight gained to flow into public discourse, as well as aiding in the development of concrete solutions.

WE DRIVE DEVELOPMENT
We promote the dynamic development of flexible solutions that are tailored to the needs of media outlets in exile and can be adapted to shifting demands in the field.

WE CONNECT STAKEHOLDERS
We act as a hub, bringing together all stakeholders to find the most effective solutions.

OUR TOOLS

THE FOUR PILLARS OF OUR WORK

To sustainably and efficiently develop an independent exile media landscape, the JX Fund employs various tools which are seamlessly integrated within the individual projects.

Expertise

The JX Fund monitors and analyzes global developments connected to journalism in exile. It collects expertise from international stakeholders – expertise that is regional, entrepreneurial, or related to media development – as well as initiating studies with the goal of finding relevant data, attaining insights, and making this knowledge accessible to the wider public.

Funding

The JX Fund pools financial resources and – through its various projects and partnerships – distributes these resources according to current need. In doing this, it utilizes public grants, institutional funding, and private donations. Because of its diverse sources of funding, the JX Fund is able to design flexible and unbureaucratic procedures that efficiently support media in exile.

Implementation

The JX Fund cooperates closely with media in exile and develops projects in collaboration with experienced partner organizations in order to close gaps in the funding structure and to come up with dynamic responses to needs which arise. These partner organizations contribute their expertise to the overall program, with many also contributing their years of relevant experience. The JX Fund ensures the seamless integration and interrelation of projects within a given program.

Communication

The JX Fund is continuously building an international skills platform for journalism in exile, for the promotion of expert analysis and the discussion of current research and perspectives. It also acts as an information point for the international public, providing insight into the relevance and impact of journalism in exile, as well as its significance for democratic developments worldwide.

SUPPORT US

PROMOTING JOURNALISM IN EXILE

Exiled media outlets are confronted with numerous challenges. The JX Fund awards grants to exiled media outlets and finances various projects that support them in different stages of exile.

THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your donations support our work with media in exile. But you can also help in a more specific way: For example, by offering professional services and consulting, providing production structures, or offering advertising partnerships.

Would you like to donate, but still have some questions?
Are you interested in offering work equipment, space, or services?
Or would you like to become an advertiser for media in exile?

Contact us

PRIVATE DONATIONS

From cameras to the financing of entire editorial structures: every euro donated goes directly to supporting media in exile. Not only that, it goes where it is needed most: one of the core tasks of the JX Fund is to respond to the current needs of media in exile through projects and support programs – in close coordination with the media outlets themselves, with our partner organizations, and in cooperation with external experts.

As a non-profit organization, we are happy to issue a receipt for any donations of 300 euro or more.

INSTITUTIONAL DONATIONS

Defending freedom of the press and information is an issue of the utmost urgency for many international institutions and foundations because it is the independent media which forms the basis for open debate within democratic societies. Supporting and promoting media organizations whose work in their home countries has been curtailed through repression therefore directly contributes to building and maintaining democracy.

DONATIONS

JX Fund gGmbH
IBAN: DE16 1009 0000 2907 3920 00
BIC: BEVODEBB
Berliner Volksbank

Donate via PayPal

The founders

OUR STORY

A NEW APPROACH FOR COUNTERING THREATS TO PRESS FREEDOM 

The start of the Russian war of aggression in 2022 and the accompanying tightening of Russian media laws have resulted in what is likely an unprecedented exodus of Russian media. But it is not just within Russia that journalists have faced difficulties to continue their work, there are also numerous Belarusian media organizations, some of whom had initially found refuge in Ukraine, who have once again been forced to flee – not to mention the devastating effects of the war for Ukrainian media organizations.

The JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile was established in April 2022 as an efficient means of countering this and similar crises worldwide, both now and in the future. It fills a gap in the available support for journalists and media in exile – a gap which has all too often occurred in the period between a sudden refugee crisis and media structures being rebuilt.

The JX Fund was jointly initiated by Reporters Without Borders, the Schöpflin Foundation, and the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, who all remain associated as shareholders. The JX Fund is a non-profit limited liability company, with an advisory board of up to 9 members. Its operations are financed through both public and private funds.

The JX Fund exists to support the sustainable development of an independent exile media landscape during periods of war and crisis, fostering a diversity of independent voices in their countries of origin.