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Written by media practitioners, editors, media coaches and consultants who have actively worked with MDIF’s partner outlets in the region, this report brings together articles on how independent media organizations are adapting, innovating and building resilience in increasingly difficult political and financial environments.
In Belarus, remembering has become political. Exiled journalist Olga Bubich describes how documenting grief and protest can lead to arrest, as authorities tightly control both history and the present. Her Tagesspiegel essay explores a struggle over memory, truth, and who gets to record reality.
For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom. In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index has never been so low.
The PEN International Case List’s primary role is to inform its membership and others engaged in advocacy for free expression and serves to enable PEN Centres to identify where their focus could be. It is an indication of where the problems lie in any given year, enabling reflection on patterns and trends that can serve to inform future actions.
Last year, governments all over the world assassinated, assaulted, kidnapped, threatened, and harassed critics beyond their borders. Freedom House recorded 126 new incidents of physical, direct transnational repression during the year, bringing the total number of cases in our database, which spans 2014 to 2025, to 1,375.
According to Radzivon Biahliak, chairman of the Association of Belarusians in Latvia Supolka, the main achievement of advocacy efforts so far is that Belarusian journalists have remained at LSM+. The Belarusian section’s archive has also been preserved. Additionally, stories covering life and events in the diaspora are regularly published.
Belarusian independent media-in-exile face a unique financial crisis that goes far beyond typical non-profit sustainability challenges. Cut off from their home country since 2020, these outlets face two challenges: their mission has never been more critical, yet their traditional revenue models have completely collapsed.
What does it take to address the funding needs of public interest media with locally anchored solutions? Public interest media remains an essential pillar of democratic societies. Ensuring its future will require funding systems that are more diverse, more resilient, and more locally rooted than before. This report provides valuable insights into what it takes to begin building those systems.
Operating largely from exile after being blocked in Belarus and disrupted by the war in Ukraine, Tribuna.com has rebuilt itself as a global, remote sports media platform. The piece shows how it adapted to displacement and political pressure by combining journalism, technology, and fan communities into a resilient, product-driven media model.
The Belarus government continued systematic persecution of the independent press within the overall context of its fight against dissent in 2025. The pressure on media workers intensified on the eve of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s election on January 26, 2025 as well as in April 2025, when the few still operating independent regional media outlets suffered from searches and crackdowns in the governmental propaganda channels.
In 2025, Azerbaijani authorities imposed restrictions on international organizations and foreign media, suspending some UN-affiliated entities and revoking media accreditations. While framed as protecting national interests and sovereignty, observers argue these measures further undermine transparency and accountability.
Reporters Without Borders investigates how the Chinese state’s global media strategy aims to extend control over international information and narratives, from expanding state broadcasters abroad to influencing foreign media and exporting censorship models. The report warns this push could threaten independent journalism and press freedom worldwide.
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.
A new survey by the Belarusian Association of Journalists finds that media workers released from prosecution face long‑term challenges even after gaining freedom. Beyond basic needs like housing, medical care and legal paperwork, many seek professional reintegration – from freelance work to training – as they rebuild careers amid exile and uncertainty.
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.
A new GFMD report maps 326 media assistance and journalism support programmes across Sub‑Saharan Africa, revealing uneven funding flows, gaps in journalist safety and digital rights support, and heavy focus on short‑term grants. Despite expanding commercial media markets, donor support remains marginal and misaligned with structural challenges facing independent media.
This The Economist briefing shows how democratic governments are increasingly adopting autocratic‑style tactics to restrict journalism without overt censorship – from legal and economic pressures to demonizing critical media. It highlights a troubling global decline in press freedom as democracies erode protections that once safeguarded independent reporting.
OVD‑Info’s 2025 overview documents political repression across Russia, including arrests, censorship, and restrictions targeting journalists, activists, and independent voices. While most incidents occur inside the country, the report illustrates how sustained pressure, surveillance, and legal crackdowns are forcing many media practitioners into exile, highlighting the growing risks for free reporting.