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CPJ interviewed 10 Afghan journalists, inside and outside the country, who said that independent media, which used to reach millions of people, have largely been banned, suspended, or shuttered while key outlets have been taken over by the Taliban. None would publish their names, citing fear of reprisals.
With the Taliban in control, journalism lost its meaning. Widespread censorship, constant threats, and gender-based restrictions defined the daily lives of women journalists. Not only aspirations but also freedom of expression, job security, and even women’s physical presence in the media sphere faced serious challenges. Journalism—a profession once used to promote awareness and demand justice—became a dangerous battleground.
Independent media can be destroyed, journalists can be imprisoned — but they cannot be forced into silence. The starting point of the newest Belarusian history was August 9, 2020 — the day of voting in a presidential election that never truly happened. That day marked the beginning of a total purge of Belarus’s democratic society.
A new report highlights how Taliban censorship, arrests, and intimidation severely threaten Afghan journalists working inside the country. Despite growing risks, many continue reporting under fear and secrecy. Journalists warn that without strong international support, independent voices in Afghanistan may soon be silenced.
In a feature for LatAm Journalism Review, Silvia Higuera reveals how misogynistic online campaigns – from the #malqueridas hashtag to rape threats – push Central America’s women journalists further into exile. Their credibility, sources, and safety are under siege, even beyond borders.
The Spanish-language report ‘Displaced Voices: An X-ray of Latin American Journalistic Exile 2018–2024’ shows that a total of 913 journalists were forced to leave their countries in Latin America between 2028 and 2024. Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba together account for more than 90% of all journalistic exile in the region.
The Human Rights Watch’ report, “Disrupted, Throttled, and Blocked: State Censorship, Control, and Increasing Isolation of Internet Users in Russia,” documents the impact of the government’s increasing technological capacities and control over the country’s internet infrastructure.
From empowering exiled journalists, to sustaining watchdog journalism in fragile democracies and conflict zones, donor aid often serves as the lifeline for public interest media across the Asia-Pacific region. However, recent research led by DW Akademie reveals that donor aid is sometimes fragmented, poorly coordinated, and even unintentionally harmful.
In democratic nations, journalism plays the role of a watchdog. It questions authority, exposes corruption, and gives a voice to the voiceless. But in authoritarian states like the Islamic Republic of Iran, media is not a platform for truth—it is a platform for power.
Authoritarianism is on the rise globally – with far-reaching consequences. More and more journalists are forced to leave their countries in order to continue their work. At the same time, states undergoing autocratisation – where once-democratic systems become increasingly authoritarian, or authoritarian regimes descend fully into autocracy – are extending their repressive tactics beyond their own borders.
The Global Forum for Media Development’s (GFMD) Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in Asia, Pacific and Oceania region is a timely data-based analysis of media assistance in the Asia region between 2020-2024. It will be an important resource for stakeholders — donors, international NGOs, local civil society organisations, media, and journalists — to assess donor-based funding in the region.
More than 70 percent of Afghan journalists working in exile say they regularly practice self-censorship to protect sources, colleagues and family members, according to a new study released by Leipzig University. The widespread use of caution, researchers say, has come at a cost to journalistic depth and integrity.
Several journalists in Afghanistan have expressed concerns over increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and challenges in accessing information. According to them, the Taliban even refrain from providing information to journalists operating under their control. Additionally, Journalists and media operating in exile face significant obstacles in accessing information.
With the freeze on USAGM’s funding in March, scores of Washington-based foreign reporters were suddenly left jobless or in limbo. Many of them had come to Washington not only to help report on the U.S. government for their home audiences, but also to use American free speech protections to report on corruption and repression in their own countries.
Sudanese journalists forced into exile in Uganda are risking their safety to report on the war back home, ensuring the conflict remains in the global spotlight. Despite limitations, international support is emerging, with the Thomson Foundation offering programmes for civil society organisations and journalists in conflict zones, focusing on crisis communication, advocacy, resilience, and the disproportionate impact of conflict on women in media and civil society.
On June 11, at Berlin’s Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien gallery, Meduza publisher Galina Timchenko sat down with sociologist Polina Aronson for a conversation about the emotional toll of today’s news cycle — on both readers and journalists. One of the questions raised during the Q&A was how censorship is reshaping the ways newsrooms connect with their audiences.
After almost 14 years of civil war, the lightning overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in December has unleashed the possibility of returning home for hundreds of exiled journalists. Complex legal and family obligations, security concerns, and sectarian tensions mean permanent return is rarely an option.
With the closure of USAID resulting in a 25 percent cut to the world’s media development budget, independent media outlets across the world have become more vulnerable to existential threats ranging from bombings to disinformation. It is vital that the rest of the world steps up to support journalists in these trying times.