Journalism in Exile

All knowledge on exiled journalism at one place.
Compilation of articles, reports, studies, academic research and toolkits on current global developments on media and journalism in exile.

Recommendations

Flight and Fight: Supporting Journalists in Exile

    Every year, more journalists are forced to flee their home countries, victims of increasingly authoritarian regimes that see independent reporting as a threat to their power. Entire media sectors now function from outside the borders of the nations they aim to serve, a sobering testament to the erosion of democratic norms and freedoms. But the issue of exiled journalists goes beyond individual stories of courage. It strikes at the heart of human rights. Journalists are in exile because their most basic human rights — particularly the right to freedom of expression — are being systematically denied. These are not isolated incidents; they are symptoms of broader failures to uphold international norms and hold oppressive regimes accountable.

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    Why Do Belarusian Journalists Risk Their Lives For The Truth?

    • The Journal
    • Sasha Romanova

    41 Belarusian journalists remain behind bars since 2020, punished for covering protests against presidential election fraud that gave Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in power. Their prison sentences range from 3 to 15 years, simply for doing their jobs — reporting the news. Hundreds more have fled the country. Yet they continue their work. Why?

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    Nicaragua’s Proposed Media Reform

    • Voice of America
    • Graham Keeley

    Nicaragua is expected to rubber stamp a change to its constitution in January that alters presidential power and increases state control over media. If ratified, the change would mandate that the state has power to ensure media outlets and platforms are not “subject to foreign interests and do not spread false news.”

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    Syrian Media After Assad

    • NiemanReports
    • Lina Chawaf

    Lina Chawaf, founder of Radio Rozana, reflects on Syria’s uncertain future after Assad’s fall. While celebrating his ousting, she voices concerns about the new Islamist regime’s media stance. Her team continues reporting despite risks, navigating a volatile landscape for independent journalism.

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    Exiled Journalism Worldwide

    Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Throws Global Journalism into Chaos

    • RSF

    President Donald Trump has frozen billions of dollars around the world in aid projects, including over $268 million allocated by Congress to support independent media and the free flow of information. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounces this decision, which has plunged NGOs, media outlets, and journalists doing vital work into chaotic uncertainty.

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    Haitian Journalists in Exile

    • LatAm Journalism Review (LJR)
    • César López Linares

    In Haiti, journalism is a high-risk profession. Many Haitian journalists have chosen exile in the face of the social, political, economic and security crisis that affects their country. Three journalists who left Haiti to save their lives  explained to LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) what it means to be a Haitian journalist in exile.

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    Policymakers Must Protect Journalists from Spyware

    • Tech Policy Press
    • Sheila B. Lalwani

    A new comprehensive article by researcher Sheila B. Lalwani exposes how spyware is increasingly being used to target journalists worldwide, including those in exile. This growing digital threat fuels concerns about surveillance, self-censorship, and the further erosion of press freedom.

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    “At its best, independent journalism seeks to hold power to account. When have people in positions of power last liked being held to account? Independent journalists and those in power are not natural friends. They are arguably not meant to be friends.”

    Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

    Guides & Toolkits

    A Mental Health Guide for Journalists Facing Online Violence

    • International Women’s Media Foundation

    Online violence is often only considered a digital safety issue, but the impact of online abuse on journalists’ mental health is significant and has serious consequences for them, their work, and for press freedom. This is particularly true for women and diverse journalists who are disproportionately targeted by online attacks.

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    The Global Directory of Journalist Safety Trainers and Advisors

    • acos Alliance

    The Global Directory of Journalist Safety Trainers & Advisors is a searchable database of security professionals with experience and expertise in journalist safety. It has been created to provide the ACOS Alliance community with direct access to safety trainers and advisors around the world, and to help them connect with those who meet specific geographic and thematic safety needs.

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    Project Management in Investigative Journalism

    • Global Investigative Journalism Network
    • Coco Gubbels

    Organizing collaborative projects comes with its own challenges. This comprehensive guide, organized into seven chapters, also includes tips and tools, extra reading material, templates, and other links for more information.

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    Research & Studies

    2024 Assistance Report

    • RSF

    Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has released its 2024 Assistance Report, revealing a growing trend of forced exile among journalists worldwide. In 2024, the organization allocated 70% of its emergency funds to relocating over 700 persecuted journalists and provided financial aid to 42 media outlets facing crises.

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    China, Israel, and Myanmar: Top Jailers of Journalists

    • Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

    China, Israel, and Myanmar emerged as the world’s three worst offenders in another record-setting year for journalists jailed because of their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 2024 prison census has found. Belarus and Russia rounded out the top five, with CPJ documenting its second-highest number of journalists behind bars.

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    Sustaining Independent Journalism

    • Thomson Reuters Foundation
    • The Fix

    A new report by Thomson Reuters Foundation and The Fix analyzes the needs and support provided to Belarusian and Russian independent media in exile across Czechia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The report highlights assesses how the needs and challenges, as well as the support provided, have evolved for these exiled media over time.

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    Calls & Opportunities

    Journalist Fellowship Programme

    • Reuters Institute

    The Journalist Fellowship Programme at the Reuters Institute is one of the world’s leading schemes for practising, mid-career journalists to take some time out from their day jobs to explore journalism in depth. The majority of our Journalist Fellows are fully-funded and they also receive a stipend to cover living and travel costs.

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    SoJo Europe Grant & Mentoring Programme

    • Journalismfund Europe

    This programme aims to respond to the need for media organizations across Europe to pursue different approaches to increase reader trust, audience share, and revenue by creating a cross-European solutions journalism journalism knowledge hub and encouraging systemic cooperation between professional news media organisations.

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    Country Focus: Afghanistan

    Taliban Have Detained 300 Media Workers Since 2021

    • Amu TV
    • Habib Mohammadi

    The Afghanistan Journalists in Exile in a statement on Sunday said that the Taliban have detained at least 300 journalists and media workers during their three years of rule in the country, describing the detainees as having endured “profound and indescribable violence” while in custody.

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    Afghanistan: “Half the Population is Silenced”

    • France24
    • Marc Perelman

    FRANCE 24 spoke to Saad Mohseni, co-founder and CEO of Moby, Afghanistan’s largest media group. His new book “Radio Free Afghanistan” chronicles the ups and downs of building a media conglomerate in the country.

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    Afghanistan’s Media Landscape

    • Modern Diplomacy
    • Saima Afzal

    Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, Afghanistan’s media landscape has undergone drastic changes, marked by severe restrictions on press freedom. Journalists face constant threats, censorship, and violence, especially when covering topics like women’s rights, human rights, and the actions of the Afghan government.

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    Country Focus: Belarus

    Exiled Belarusians Reflect on Their Lost Revolution

    • The Kyiv Independent
    • Kate Tsurkan

    Belarusian dictator Lukashenko declared himself the victor in the country’s latest so-called presidential elections on Jan. 26, in which no political opposition was allowed to take part. Exiled journalists, including Hanna Komar, Kseniya Halubovich, and Alina Rudina, shared their insights with the Kyiv Independent on the state of press freedom in Belarus following the election.

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    Why Do Belarusian Journalists Risk Their Lives For The Truth?

    • The Journal
    • Sasha Romanova

    41 Belarusian journalists remain behind bars since 2020, punished for covering protests against presidential election fraud that gave Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term in power. Their prison sentences range from 3 to 15 years, simply for doing their jobs — reporting the news. Hundreds more have fled the country. Yet they continue their work. Why?

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    Truth in Exile: Nasha Niva Defies Physical, Digital Borders

    • Freedom House
    • Matt Hooper

    After stealing Belarus’s 2020 presidential election, Lukashenko forced many independent media organizations into exile. Among them was Nasha Niva, Belarus’s oldest newspaper and a protector of the country’s unique language and culture. Matt Hooper tells the story of Nasha Niva’s struggle to maintain Belarusian identity and journalistic integrity amid Lukashenka’s crackdown.

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    Country Focus: Russia

    Kremlin Blocks YouTube, Russian Users Find Workarounds

    • The New York Times
    • Paul Sonne

    Paul Sonne (NYT) reports on the Kremlin’s efforts to cripple YouTube in Russia, pushing users toward state-controlled platforms. While many Russians are finding ways around the restrictions through VPNs, journalist Ilya Shepelin, now in exile, warns that only politically active users will remain on YouTube.

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    Russian Media in Exile Finds Purpose and Global Relevance

    • Kennan Institute
    • Izabella Tabarovsky

    In this article, Izabella Tabarovsky explores how Putin’s war in Ukraine depends on silencing independent media. She examines the struggles of Russian journalists in exile, who, despite immense challenges, are now producing groundbreaking reports and creatively circumventing censorship.

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    Russia Labels Komi Daily a “Terrorist Organization”

    • The Kyiv Independent
    • Tim Zadorozzhnny

    Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has designated the independent media outlet Komi Daily as a “terrorist organization”. This marks the first time the FSB has applied such a label to a media outlet. The Supreme Court finalized the designation in late December, intensifying Russia’s suppression of dissenting voices, particularly the independent media critical of the Kremlin.

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