JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

A new special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that around the world, governments continue to imprison journalists at unprecedented levels in 2025, with many facing brutal detention conditions. The sustained threat of incarceration has contributed to rising numbers of journalists fleeing into exile to continue their work safely.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) recognises that physical threats to the life, safety, wellbeing, and security of journalists and media organisations remain a serious concern in many European countries. The recent actions of some governments in passing laws that restrict the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media suggest that there is a need for advocacy against such laws or to improve existing legislation.

When a newsroom is forced into exile, relocation is often described as hope: physical safety, freedom of expression, open internet access, and the ability to publish without censorship. In practice, however, the main challenge quickly moves from physical security to survival and continuity.

This report by the Centre for Eastern Studies examines the Kremlin’s expanding control over Russia’s digital space and its impact on independent information. It explores how censorship, surveillance and platform restrictions have pushed many independent media outlets into exile – while these outlets develop new strategies to continue reaching audiences inside Russia.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is releasing a new report “Ending the Silence on Online Harassment of Journalists”. Authored by journalist and tech policy advisor Elodie Vialle, the report provides an overview of the widespread phenomenon that is online harassment targeting journalists, whose normalisation makes it harder to address.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has called for greater international support for Afghan journalists and media outlets, both inside the country and in exile, saying they are the primary defenders and documenters of what is happening under Taliban rule.

Nasir Andisha, Acting Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, said at the International Symposium on Freedom of Expression that the international community must continue supporting Afghan media and free expression and should not allow the Taliban to silence these freedoms. The symposium opened today (Friday, November 21) in Berlin.

The two-day “Exiled Media Forum 2025” concluded in Hamburg, Germany, reaffirming international support for independent media operating outside their home countries. The event convened journalists, media executives, and freedom-of-expression advocates from Afghanistan, Belarus, Sudan, and other nations confronting repressive regimes.

Several exiled journalists from Afghanistan say that gaining access to information from inside the country has become one of their biggest challenges in reporting. They add that with the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on media and social media users, the process of obtaining information for exiled media outlets has become increasingly difficult.

Amid rising global repression and shrinking donor support, understanding how exile media remain viable, independent, and impactful is increasingly urgent. The study identifies key factors that enable media organizations to adapt, survive, and continue serving their communities from abroad. It also offers practical recommendations for exile media, media development actors, donors, and policymakers.

Omidyar Network’s Tech Journalism Fund will provide project funding from $5,000 to $25,000 to support reporting costs for journalists working on a singular, time and resource intensive reporting project.

In order to support and guide these journalists and media in exile, CFI, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), SINGA and Maison des Journalistes (MDJ) are launching the Voices in Exile project, supported by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with the purpose of making France one of the main host countries for journalists in exile.

In response to the security challenges and humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and its Ukraine: Relief, Resilience, Recovery program is launching a call for project proposals for civil society organizations and independent media from Ukraine.

Several journalists from Afghanistan who are now living in exile say that access to information from inside the country has become one of their biggest challenges in reporting the news. They add that with the Taliban’s growing restrictions on the media and users of social networks, access to information for exiled media outlets is becoming increasingly difficult.

A new cooperation agreement between Amu TV and Deutsche Welle was announced on October 1, 2025, to expand access to independent journalism for Afghan audiences inside the country and abroad. The partnership will allow Amu TV, an Afghan broadcaster in the diaspora, to rebroadcast DW’s flagship program Aashiti on its free-to-air satellite channel, while also sharing DW’s news, analysis, and multimedia content across its website and social media platforms.

The Taliban, by imposing a nationwide shutdown of internet and telecommunications services in Afghanistan, have driven the final nail into the coffin of individual freedoms, development, and people’s connection with the outside world. Opponents of the Taliban and other citizens of the country have said that this move has not only dragged Afghanistan into absolute isolation in the 21st century, but has also thrown the daily lives of millions into crisis.

This research explores the gender and ethnicity-based challenges faced by Kurdish female journalists, focusing on their professional experiences in Turkey and in exile.

In an increasingly hostile global environment for independent journalism, journalists under severe political pressure (JUSPP) represent the most vulnerable segment of the media landscape in the OSCE region. In the context of this report, JUSPP are defined as journalists and other media professionals who face systematic threats and persecution from state or non-state actors due to their reporting and dissemination of information.