JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

In 2018, the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) ushered in an era of reform, freeing exiled media and releasing imprisoned journalists. Yet the hope that these measures promised a renaissance for journalism was short-lived. Since the outbreak of conflict in Tigray in 2020, the environment has sharply deteriorated.

How the “Journalists in Exile” program strengthens press freedom: Nazeeha Saeed explains why independent journalism should not be taken for granted. Nazeeha Saeed has lived in exile since 2016—first in Paris, now in Berlin. In her home country of Bahrain, she could no longer work as a journalist.

In this podcast episode, we talk to Sergey Lukashevskiy about his work as a Russian exile journalist in Germany. Since 2022, he has been building “Radio Sakharov” as an exile media outlet. He discusses the challenges of exile journalism, human rights in Russia, and reporting on a country he can no longer return to.

In a report on audience strategies, Reuters Institute journalist fellow Maria Kiseleva examines which platforms Russian exiled media use to continue reaching audiences inside the country. The report, which focuses on platform shifts and monetization strategies, also draws on research by the JX Fund.

Nearly one in ten people living in Spain today were born in Latin America. As migrant voices multiply, new podcasts and radio shows are emerging—not as nostalgia pieces, but as lifelines that blend homegrown news, practical survival, and cultural solidarity. What unites them isn’t just a migration story—it’s a shared belief that journalism made by migrants isn’t niche content. It’s essential.

“Before I was just seen as a journalist in exile. Now, no one in Russia wants to be linked to someone labeled a terrorist.” Armen Aramyan, DOXA Journal’s Founding Editor, speaks about his recent arrest in absentia, the spread of global authoritarianism, and the state of independent Russian media in exile.

A Russian journalist recounts returning from exile to report undercover inside Russia, navigating fear, surveillance, and censorship while challenging the overly bleak narratives often portrayed by exile media. They argue that repression is real but selective, and that the country remains socially complex and more nuanced than many abroad believe.

For fourteen years, the organization operated in secrecy and exile. Team members risked their lives daily, working under bombardment and surveillance, and facing the constant threat of arrest. Three colleagues remain forcibly disappeared to this day — their absence a painful reminder of the price paid for pursuing truth under the former regime.

In his article, exiled journalist Kyaw Min Swe highlights how, in war-torn Myanmar, radio remains one of the last lifelines to factual, independent information. He warns that recent cuts to U.S. aid are threatening the survival of these crucial radio stations, putting access to truth at even greater risk for people inside the country.

“This is evidence for the future. It’s critical to document these crimes now, even if justice is delayed,” says Maria Zholobova, a Russian journalist in exile and an ICFJ Jim Hoge Reporting Fellow, who investigated how the son of Ukraine’s ousted president allegedly profits from Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories.

Once in exile to escape threats and danger, journalists soon face a new set of challenges: how to sustain their careers, communities and reporting from afar. ICFJ’s International Journalists’ Network (IJNet), in collaboration with the Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO), has expanded its Exiled Media Toolkit to include a comprehensive section on viability, produced by ICFJ Knight Fellow José J. Nieves.

As the world marked World Press Freedom Day on May 3, journalists, scholars and artists gathered at the Haus am Dom cultural center in Frankfurt this week to discuss growing pressures on journalism from political repression, digital censorship and the challenges faced by journalists in exile.

Exile Hub is one of Global Voices’ partners in Southeast Asia, emerging in response to the 2021 coup in Myanmar. In this press statement by Exile Hub, the organization underscores the growing importance of press freedom in Myanmar, highlighting the ongoing persecution of journalists who continue to fight for truth and justice despite the oppressive conditions and their forced exile.

If Trump shuts down RFE/RL, thousands of exiled journalists could lose their platform, and Russian-speaking audiences may lose a vital independent news source. RFE/RL’s reporting from hubs like Riga offers rare, high-risk journalism in local languages, countering Kremlin propaganda in ways few other outlets can.

Amid funding shortages, AI disruption, and rising threats to press freedom, Latin American journalists are launching innovative projects to rebuild trust and connect with audiences. At the ISOJ 2025 Colloquium, seven media outlets shared how they’re using collaboration and creative storytelling.

LatAm Journalism Review (LJR) presents eight essential tools—some new, others well established—that are transforming investigative journalism. Used by leading reporters, these tools help uncover corruption networks, analyze data trends, and tell complex, impactful stories with greater precision.

At this year’s International Journalism Festival, journalists from around the world gathered to discuss the future of journalism. The Reuters Institute has published key takeaways, offering insights into a range of pressing topics, including journalism in exile, local news, reader revenue, news avoidance, and the impact of AI.

In this article, Maxim Alyukov explores the persistent gap between what journalists deem newsworthy and what audiences actually care about. Drawing on global research and the challenges facing Russian independent media in exile, he argues that understanding public perceptions of relevance is essential to staying connected, credible, and impactful under repression.