JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

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.

The sports outlet «Tribuna» is actively expanding its network of apps and services – cutting-edge not just for Belarus, but for the entire region. Belarusian Association of Journalists spoke with Tribuna’s director, Maksim Berazinski, about how modern technologies are being integrated into their journalistic and editorial work.

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where news reporting has been transformed from a process of awakening and raising awareness—crucial for the development of critical knowledge in society—into a dreary, unbearable exercise in censorship and propaganda, the only hope for citizens lies in social networks and media outlets that reject the Taliban’s order and operate from outside the country.

In this episode of “Survive and Thrive”, Zahra Nader, founder and editor-in-chief of the award-winning Zan Times, talks about journalism as a form of resistance and the struggle to stay afloat reporting on women and LGBTQI+ people in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan under Taliban rule is more than just the “worst” place for women—it’s a catastrophic reality of oppression. Forced marriages, executions, and a brutal denial of basic rights are just the beginning of the horrors Afghan girls and women endure daily.

Taliban laws and restrictions make journalism in Afghanistan increasingly challenging. But media in exile are ensuring that voices of women and others are still being amplified.

The role of journalism in authoritarian and conflict-affected regions remains as crucial as it has ever been. While technological advances provide new opportunities for newsgathering, there are still plenty of pitfalls for those who are trying to convey the truth.

How he exiled Afghans of Amu TV are holding the Taliban to account — from 7,000 miles away. Even though it operates abroad—or perhaps because it operates abroad—Amu TV is one of the most effective chroniclers of life under Taliban rule. The Atlantic reporter Cora Engelbrecht paid a visit to their newsroom.

Siyar Sirat is a journalist with experience in various media organizations in Afghanistan. He has been living in exile for three years. For Amu TV, he wrote down how the day the Taleban took power in Kabul is haunting him.

One of the Belarusian media outlets that has survived in exile is Dev.by, a publisher dedicated to the IT industry in Belarus and the world, producing news, interviews, reports, and analytics. The organisation operates in spite of constant threats and lack of funding. Dev.by’s CEO and founder Artiom Kontsevoi shared with The Fix how they manage to operate in such unstable conditions.

Reporters Without Borders has ranked Belarus as the worst country for press freedom in Europe. Maria Savushkina, a Belarusian journalist currently living in Berlin, reaches tens of thousands of people back home with her political satire.

Zahra Nader ist the founder and editor-in-chief of the Afghan Magazine Zan Times. For the Institute of War & Peace Reporting she reflects on her mission and shares what helps her to keep fighting for equality and justice in Afghanistan.

Nadio Momand was a journalist and a law student in Afghanistan. But with the Taliban back in power, she has left her home and her dreams behind.

Former Afghan journalist Hedayatullah Zyarmal, who now lives in Bruchhausen-Vilsen, talks about his desire to continue his media work and the hurdles he has to overcome.

Afghanistan’s once thriving media sector has been facing myriad challenges under Taliban rule. Despite all challenges, however, Afghan journalists continue to produce factual, objective news.

Resisting the Taliban’s efforts to make women in Afghanistan invisible, a group of female journalists establishes an online magazine. An interview with Zahra Nader, founder of ZanTimes.

Exiled Afghan journalist Zahra Nader confronts Taliban oppression. Her news outlet Zan Times investigates issues like suicides and forced marriages, involving both in-country and exiled journalists.