JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

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.

In recent years, democracy in West Africa has faced serious setbacks. Countries in the Sahel region, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, and others like Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have experienced military takeovers accompanied by violations of freedom of expression and press freedom. These violations have been severe enough to force journalists and civil society actors to flee their home countries for their own safety.

Nastassia Rouda, director of Belarusian outlet Nasha Niva, shares how her team continues reporting from exile in Vilnius. Using creative content, humor, and social media, they stay relevant inside Belarus despite political repression and economic hardships, keeping audiences engaged and preserving free media for Belarusians across generations.

Since Beijing imposed the National Security Law in June 2020, Hong Kong has experienced one of the most significant waves of politically motivated emigration in modern Asian history. Human Rights Watch noted that over 100,000 Hong Kongers had fled the city in the years following the NSL’s imposition.

This practical guide from LatAm Journalism Review outlines how independent media can prepare stronger applications for programs, grants and funds to support sustainability in Latin America. It highlights why applying helps clarify goals, organize teams and refine business strategies, and stresses diversifying income beyond grants for long‑term viability.

Myanmar’s military regime has established a new multilingual propaganda body to push its narrative and counter independent media coverage abroad. The committee, led by a senior junta official, will publish information sheets in Burmese, English, Chinese and Russian and ramp up social media operations to promote the regime’s policies and respond to criticism from exiled and independent outlets.

New News CN is a solo independent news outlet launched amid China’s tightening press environment. Its founder – operating largely from outside the firewall – aims to carve out an independent Chinese‑language voice, reporting on human rights struggles and censorship while navigating severe restrictions that have forced many journalists into exile or freelance work.

The ACOS Alliance has launched a global directory of safety trainers and advisors to help journalists access tailored expertise. The searchable database connects media workers – including those operating in exile – with specialists in risk assessment, digital security and crisis response, supporting safer reporting across borders and high-risk environments.

This Coda Story feature shares four powerful accounts of journalists forced into exile from Venezuela, Russia, Cuba and Afghanistan, showing how repression and censorship uproot reporters and reshape their work. Despite separation from home, they continue to report – adapting methods and confronting the personal costs of exile and resilience.

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.

Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) has confirmed in its 2025 activity report that it conducted overseas surveillance and disruption targeting opponents living abroad – including dissidents, exiled journalists and independent media outlets — framing these as national security measures despite concerns about intimidation, monitoring and interference in host countries.

This first‑person account follows a journalist with a disability as they build an independent media project in exile, navigating barriers to access, technology and audience engagement. It highlights how physical and structural challenges intersect with repression and displacement, offering insight into resilience, innovation and inclusion among exiled media practitioners.

As Belarus prepares for another presidential election under President Lukashenko, opposition leaders and activists – including those in exile – are divided over whether engaging in dialogue with the regime can advance change. While some see negotiation as tactical, others warn it legitimizes repression and sidelines independent and exiled voices pushing for democratic reform.

As Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout during nationwide protests, exiled journalists became a crucial source of information. This Reuters Institute piece highlights how reporters outside the country verify videos, rely on fragmented sources and navigate disinformation, showing both the importance and the limits of reporting on a country cut off from the digital world

More than 300 Nicaraguan journalists have been forced into exile since 2018, facing worsening economic hardship, shrinking funding and ongoing threats. This report examines how repression extends beyond borders through surveillance and intimidation, while many journalists struggle to survive, abandon the profession or continue reporting under precarious and often silent conditions.

An Interpol data leak, examined by Disclose and BBC, reveals how repressive regimes misuse the organization to pursue dissidents, journalists and activists living abroad. The investigation shows fabricated red notices, politicized arrest requests and cross‑border pressure that put independent voices and exiled media practitioners at risk.

Journalist Alma Guillermoprieto reflects on turning conflict and upheaval into lasting narratives, drawing on decades reporting across Latin America and beyond. She speaks to the emotional terrain of covering repression, displacement and forced migration, and how deep immersion and empathy help independent and exiled journalists connect fractured moments into cohesive, meaningful journalism.

Exiled media outlets often face fundraising systems built for stable, in-country organizations. The Global Forum for Media Development outlines practical adjustments – from framing exile in proposals to budgeting for instability – to help sustain journalism across borders under challenging conditions.