JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

“Paving the Way” is a comprehensive handbook by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), designed to support journalists in exile, particularly those relocating to Germany. It offers a curated collection of resources to help media professionals navigate their new environment, including information on legal rights, housing, language acquisition, and professional integration.

Protecting journalism in the AI age means adopting it responsibly. This guide is intended as a starting point for ongoing conversations within your organisation on how to use AI while upholding journalistic values—accuracy, fairness, transparency, and accountability. These principles serve as essential pillars for informed communities worldwide, allowing journalism to fulfil its vital role in society.

This guide has been produced with the support of UNESCO, thanks to its Global Media Defence Fund, to assist journalists – and other information professionals – when working with whistleblowers. It provides an accessible breakdown of the applicable legal framework, details the existing protections – and their limits – and offers practical advice on assessing and managing the risks involved in publicising public interest alerts.

Alesya Sokolova on how the relatively low popularity of independent media may be influenced not only by censorship but also by the choice of topics and the tone of content. While censorship remains the biggest obstacle, audience fatigue with negativity and a narrow thematic focus may also push even opposition-minded readers away.

Transcribing recorded interviews is often a time-consuming and repetitive task. However, the process can be significantly streamlined with the use of audio-to-text transcription tools. These tools allow users to upload audio files and receive a text draft within minutes, greatly reducing manual effort.

This toolkit by GFMD provides guidance on launching a successful crowdfunding campaign and highlights platforms tailored for media initiatives. Crowdfunding has emerged as a viable solution for media organizations to engage directly with audiences for financial support, especially in light of the recent freeze on U.S. foreign aid.

César López Linares explores 10 advanced AI terms, such as data mining, predictive analytics, and semantic search. He delves into how these technologies are transforming news organizations by enhancing investigative accuracy, boosting audience engagement, and increasing efficiency in news generation and reporting.

Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, Afghanistan’s media landscape has undergone drastic changes, marked by severe restrictions on press freedom. Journalists face constant threats, censorship, and violence, especially when covering topics like women’s rights, human rights, and the actions of the Afghan government.

Recognizing a gap in basic investigative journalism skills, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and iMEdD’s Ideas Zone developed a guide as part of the ‘Introduction to Investigative Journalism’ program in 2024. The guide was written by leading investigative journalists from around the world to address this need.

Organizing collaborative projects comes with its own challenges. This comprehensive guide, organized into seven chapters, also includes tips and tools, extra reading material, templates, and other links for more information.

As Vladimir Putin’s regime tightens its grip on free speech, the Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA) is stepping up to preserve endangered journalism. With backing from PEN America and Bard College, RIMA safeguards independent media, ensuring critical journalism outlasts authoritarian attempts to erase it.

In investigative journalism, connecting data points is often key to uncovering the truth. With an increasing amount of information available online and offline, journalists need effective ways to navigate vast collections of documents, records, and datasets.

Hundreds of journalists are forced into exile around the world by despots, autocrats, and crime cartels. Exiled editors are an old story. But amid the modern backlash against independent media, journalists are taking advantage of a new era in tools and technology. These digital toolkits are proving a game-changer, enabling journalists to better report on their homelands, and their audiences to better access that reporting.

As traditional funding models for journalism falter, philanthropy emerges as a crucial lifeline for news organizations. At the 2024 iMEdD International Journalism Forum, experts discussed the dynamics between funders and newsrooms, emphasizing the importance of empathy, long-term relationships, and strategic sustainability in navigating the evolving landscape of journalism.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the Russian regime has targeted journalists on the frontlines with deliberate attacks, leading to numerous deaths and injuries among women reporters. This campaign of terror aims to suppress independent reporting and obscure the realities of the conflict.

This report challenges the claims that there is no civil society to speak of inside the Russian Federation and that most of its activists are now in exile. A significant number of independent and democratically oriented initiatives and organizations continue to operate throughout the country to address societal issues through civic engagement. These should be acknowledged.

A new generation of Russian writers in exile is reviving Soviet-era tactics to outsmart Putin’s censorship. Through digital publishing, they’re documenting the war in Ukraine and government repression, reaching thousands back home with uncensored stories Russian authorities try to suppress.

FRF Think Tank presents a policy brief addressing the situation of Russian citizens seeking protection in the EU, set against the backdrop of a severely deteriorating human rights situation in Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.