JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

The autocratic playbook of abusing or introducing economic laws to curtail journalists and newsrooms by attacking their credibility and financial viability is sharply outlined in a new report by WAN-IFRA and the IAPA.

As global crises, authoritarianism, and threats to press freedom escalate, more journalists are forced to flee their home countries, making independent journalism one of the most dangerous professions today. The recently published study by Körber Stiftung sheds light on the growing scale and challenges of exiled journalism in Germany.

This report covers the period from 2021 to 2023, during which almost 70% of all attacks on media workers in Russia have been recorded since monitoring began in 2017. The attacks of the Russian authorities on journalists and bloggers over the past three years have taken on an unprecedented scale.

Threats, repression, conflict, and unrest: across the world, these and other factors are pushing journalists into exile in record numbers. In a striking development, exiled or soon-to-be exiled journalists now make up more than half of the people CPJ assists. While exile is a global issue, three countries — Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan — stand out as places from which journalists flee only to face further insecurity. Below, find case studies on each country.

A new report just published from the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) shows that most “OECD DAC members are aware of the importance of the integrity of information environments to achieve their development and foreign policy objectives, and of the central role played by public interest media”. But even as autocratisation has risen, disinformation has surged and the financial threats confronting independent media have become existential, they have with just a few exceptions proved unable to increase their support for the sector.

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur (Irene Khan) on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression focuses on journalists in exile who face a variety of physical, digital and legal threats. She analyses the responses of States and companies to these threats and challenges.

More than 20 percent of the world’s national governments have reached beyond their borders since 2014 to forcibly silence exiled political activists, journalists, former regime insiders, and members of ethnic or religious minorities.

The CPJ’s 2023 prison census highlights China, Myanmar, Belarus, Russia, Vietnam, Iran and Israel as leading jailers, with 320 journalists globally. This report exposes harsh realities, emphasizing the urgent need for global attention to protect press freedom.

The Foundation for Freedom of Expression and Democracy (FLED) reports an alarming climate for press freedom in Nicaragua. The report reveals an increase in persecution, exile, and banishment.

Emergency visa mechanisms in six countries: Restrictive policies hinder international protection, leaving endangered journalists often trapped in the very countries where they face persecution.

Exploring the media industry’s response to the cost-of-living crisis, the war in Europe, and climate instability, the report emphasizes the vital role of accurate journalism in overcoming challenges.

Conducting an annual assessment of global freedom of information, GxR exposes a worldwide threat to freedom of expression, spotlighting the challenges encountered in safeguarding this right.

The text underscores difficulties for exiled journalists accessing essential tools like language and networks, emphasizing the complexity of living and working between two countries and cultures.

Exploring current challenges amid the Russian war on Ukraine, the report highlights the flight of Ukrainian media professionals and reveals the deteriorating situation for independent reporting.

The report explores challenges and emphasizes the need for external support, networking opportunities among journalists, and underscores the dedication of exiled journalists despite uncertainties.

This paper focuses on Enab Baladi’s newsroom in Istanbul. Using a relational concept, it uncovers the aspects of the ‚precarious newsroom‘, considering people, organization, and place.