JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

Independent Russian media in exile play a crucial role in providing audiences inside Russia with alternative information about the war and its consequences. CEPA argues that Western governments should treat these outlets as a strategic capability, supporting their access to audiences, credibility and digital infrastructure rather than undermining their efforts to challenge the Kremlin’s monopoly over information.

Reporters Without Borders examines how China is exporting its model of state-controlled journalism and expanding its influence over the global information space. The report documents pressure on independent media abroad, including harassment and transnational repression targeting exiled and diaspora journalists, as well as efforts to recruit, coerce or silence media outlets outside China.

As journalists remain in exile for longer periods, technology is reshaping how they report, reach audiences and sustain their work across borders — while creating new vulnerabilities through surveillance, censorship and cyberattacks. At ISOJ 2026, JX Fund joined experts from IAPA, CPJ and RSF to discuss these opportunities and risks for exiled media.

A new JX Fund Country Profile examines Iran’s growing exile media sector, documenting 16 independent outlets operating abroad and reaching audiences largely inside the country. The Fix highlights how these outlets navigate censorship, internet restrictions, fragmented teams and the risks of reporting remotely, while also facing threats from Iran beyond its borders.

A series of copyright complaints has led Meta to block the social media accounts of several Azerbaijani independent media outlets, including Abzas Media and Toplum TV. Many operate from abroad after facing repression at home, making social platforms crucial for reaching audiences in Azerbaijan. CPJ and NEMO have condemned the apparent misuse of copyright mechanisms to restrict exiled media.

Crossing a border doesn’t end the threats. Exiled journalists from Afghanistan, Russia, and the Uyghur community describe cyberattacks, disinformation, poisoning attempts, and pressure on family members back home—transnational repression that’s rising fast as exile itself has nearly doubled worldwide in five years.

Far from home, exiled newsrooms face a daily balancing act. Amu TV and Kashmir Times editors describe how they verify facts without being on the ground, protect sources under surveillance and authoritarian threat, and guard hard-won credibility—choosing to delay stories, embrace anonymity, and admit mistakes rather than risk lives or trust.

Serbia is now the only EU-Balkans country where journalists flee for safety. Columnist Marko Vidojković and military reporter Aleksandar Radić are among six exiled amid death threats, smear campaigns, and state harassment. As Belgrade edges toward EU accession, RSF says Brussels can no longer ignore Serbia’s press freedom crisis.

Turkish journalist Doğan Ertuğrul has lived in exile in Vienna since 2016, running the critical outlet Kronos News. In July 2026, Turkey froze his assets over alleged terror links, hitting his pension too. With elections looming in 2028, Ertuğrul sees deliberate intimidation. RSF demands international solidarity for press freedom in Türkiye.

Journalists usually report the news, not live it. At NEMO’s latest Knowledge Exchange Session, representatives from independent exiled media organizations turned that around, reflecting on their own experience of forced relocation: rebuilding infrastructure, securing digital access, and starting over in unfamiliar countries.

The internet is a haven for journalism in countries where press freedom is endangered. Exiled outlets report from abroad, beyond the reach of domestic regulators and press laws. But no space is truly safe: in recent years autocracies have innovated to promote their agendas online, exploit social media algorithms, and block critical media.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 challenged much of the common Western understanding of Russia. How can the world better understand Russia? What are the steps forward for Western policy? The Eurasia Center’s “Russia Tomorrow” series seeks to reevaluate conceptions of Russia today and better prepare for its future tomorrow.

Russia’s parliament unanimously passed a law targeting exiled critics, including “foreign agents,” with frozen bank accounts, revoked driving licenses, and denied consular services like passport renewal. RSF warns the Kremlin is extending repression beyond its borders to silence independent journalism abroad.

Myanmar Satirical Journalism sits at the center of one of the most dramatic press-freedom reversals documented anywhere on this site: a media landscape that had genuinely opened during the 2011 to 2021 reform period collapsed back into severe restriction within weeks of the February 2021 military coup.

Strong institutions make the Baltic states global leaders in media freedom, while independent local media across the Eastern Partnership face unstable, crisis-driven funding and constrained decision-making power. This article presents a report on media development, looking at three interconnected themes: Funding, local ownership, and adaptation.

Nicaraguan journalists who sought refuge in Costa Rica say they are facing surveillance and intimidation linked to the Ortega regime. The reports suggest that repression extends beyond Nicaragua’s borders, undermining Costa Rica’s role as a safe haven and exposing the growing risks of transnational repression for journalists who continue reporting from exile.

A coalition of human rights organizations warns that Vietnamese authorities are expanding repression beyond national borders, targeting journalists and critics living in Thailand. The cases of exiled journalists Truong Duy Nhat and Duong Van Thai highlight the risks faced by independent reporters abroad, including surveillance, intimidation, detention and threats of forced return.

CIVICUS discusses the repression of press freedom in Djibouti with Zineb Haddaji, an exiled independent journalist who covers Djibouti and the Horn of Africa for international outlets and documents freedom of expression violations. Zineb is the founder of ZoomIn, a weekly TikTok series on daily life and systemic issues in Djibouti.