JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

A new GIJN feature explores how investigative journalists from Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia collaborate across borders to uncover corruption and environmental crime in the Black Sea region. The story highlights how international partnerships, shared expertise and secure cross-border reporting help sustain accountability journalism under increasing political pressure.

At an IRE26 panel, exiled journalists from Iran, Tibet, and Venezuela shared advice on reporting from afar: prioritize source protection and trust-building, verify via NGOs or satellite imagery, collaborate across networks, and resist “propaganda creep”, subtle state-shaped terms and narratives seeping into Western coverage.

Exiled journalists often struggle to navigate mental health while facing challenges presented by language barriers, burnout, and even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Some, also face an identity crisis causing them to lose their professional identity, audiences, and the newsroom communities that shaped their daily lives.

In this podcast episode of Booda Media’s “Fasl-e-Digher” program, Lina Rozbeh, a renowned Afghan poet, writer and journalists talks about women, migration, war, identity, freedom, the Taliban and the current situation and future of Afghanistan. Moreover, she discusses her experience in media and literature, the fate of women, the role of intellectuals and the responsibility of media.

In this article the Iranian writer and journalist Vorya H. Panahi Tazehabad, who lives in exile writes about his own personal experience with persecution, threats, political repression and ongoing safety hazards in exile. The digital age enabled making digital intimidation, monitoring or silencing dissenting voices harder to escape from a distance.

RSF is giving their supported exiled journalist the opportunity to tell their stories in their new blog series Blogreihe home². They write about their lives in between their old and new home, about language, identity, journalistic work and the challenges of a restart. The first edition is written by the Iraqi exiled journalist Shan Sabir living in Germany.

During this Interview, conducted at a panel talk at Exile Media Hub Berlin, as part of jinn’s program, Editor-in-Chief Myint talks about the pratical and ethical realities of reporting on post-coup civil war realities from inside Myanmar and from exile. He mentions topics such as sustaining independent journalism, searching for viable revenue models in displacement and more.

The Association of Tibetan Journalists (ATJ), an organisation of Tibetan journalists living in exile, marked World Press Freedom Day on Saturday with the theme, “We are the custodians of our language. Let us learn, use, and promote the Tibetan language,” according to a report by Phayul.

Exiled journalist Rana Rahimpour writes on contacting her parents in Iran during the war. She argues that for many Iranians, this war has not brought clarity but deepened uncertainty, especially about what any postwar settlement might look like. While some once believed that external pressure might weaken the regime, something Trump had promised, there is now a growing fear that the opposite could happen.

In this article, some of the hundreds of journalists and defenders of human and land rights have told Open Democracy how their lives have changed since the state of emergency was introduced. Some remain in El Salvador, defiant in their resistance despite fearing for their and their families’ lives amid state-led persecution.

Exiled Afghan journalists are keeping critical reporting alive through Amu TV and its flagship show Jan-e-Gap, broadcasting from studios in the U.S., Canada, France, and Turkey. Host Sadaf Rahimi and co-founders Lotfullah Najafizada and Sami Mahdi connect millions of Afghan viewers to open debate, exposing abuses and giving a voice to those silenced under the Taliban.

Authoritarian repression is forcing civic actors out of their countries, yet the support available to continue their work from abroad remains limited and inconsistent. This analysis argues for a comprehensive, systematic framework to help relocated civil society leaders maintain influence, access funding and navigate digital and legal barriers as they work overseas.

Nicaragua’s historic paper La Prensa celebrates its centenary amid ongoing repression, marking 100 years of reporting that now includes operating its newsroom in exile. The anniversary reflects its long struggle for press freedom, the impact of state pressure on independent media and the resilience of journalists continuing to publish from abroad.

Myanmar‑focused outlet People’s Spring – launched in exile after the 2021 coup – has found that digital platforms can be a viable revenue source even under challenging conditions. By mid‑2025, income from Facebook, YouTube and audience membership helped cover about half its operating costs, offering a rare model of financial resilience for independent media in exile.

This comprehensive guide from Deutsche Welle Akademie explores strategies for exiled media outlets to remain financially viable, true to their mission and influential. Drawing on examples and expert advice, it covers sustainability models, audience engagement, digital tools, safety and collaboration – offering a practical roadmap for independent journalism operating from abroad.

The rollback of press freedom programs, as well as the loss of some funding from European nations refocused on security closer to home, has left exiled media outlets from Myanmar, Belarus, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and other countries that lack a free press facing the same question: When decades-long donors pull out, what comes next?

Alexander Udikov’s Medium blog offers personal insights into life as a Russian journalist forced into exile after persecution for anti‑war articles. Since receiving political asylum in France in 2024, Udikov chronicles daily life, bureaucratic hurdles, creative workarounds and the ongoing challenge of staying true to independent journalism beyond Russia’s censorship.

The situation for independent media is not getting any easier, and the grant crisis of 2025 has shown just how vulnerable journalists are, especially those working in exile. But many newsrooms are developing innovative ideas to replace some of this lost funding and even developing news products aimed at different audiences in the diaspora or elsewhere.