JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

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.

Cuban journalist Ana Rodríguez dismantles official statistics and state narratives from exile, showing how data is manipulated to shape public perception in Cuba. From debates on inflation to poverty figures, she challenges government claims using independent sources, illustrating how exiled media can counter misinformation and offer factual perspectives to audiences inside and outside Cuba.

As censorship and political pressure rise, journalism is increasingly taking place outside national borders. Media.am critiques this growing trend, showing how independent reporters are forced into exile to continue their work, and reflecting on the challenges and shifts in storytelling when news is produced away from home.

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.

Venezuela’s new amnesty law has led to the release of jailed journalists and other political detainees after months in prison, but activists and rights groups argue it mainly serves the regime’s image rather than addressing systemic repression. Critics say the measure excludes accountability and leaves continued restrictions on press freedom.

Ahead of Djibouti’s 2026 election, independent journalism has been almost entirely erased, forcing critical voices into exile. This analysis shows how censorship, arrests and surveillance create a tightly controlled media environment, while exiled outlets attempt to report from abroad. The piece highlights how the absence of free media undermines democratic processes.

A new analysis from the Reuters Institute explores the complex decisions facing Syrian journalists in exile after the fall of Bashar al‑Assad. Some consider returning to report from inside Syria, weighing hopes for greater impact against persistent security threats, legal uncertainties and ongoing turmoil that still endanger independent reporting.

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.

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.

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.

Learn about the current situation in Venezuela following the surprising capture of Nicolás Maduro by the Trump administration. Valentina Lares, an exiled Venezuelan journalist, explains the situation. She is working for the news outlet Armando.info.

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?

This episode of the mediares podcast takes a closer look at the case in which the Vietnamese government is suing Berlin-based exile journalists. Sebastian Engelbrecht discusses the political background, the implications for press freedom, and what this cross-border legal action means for journalists living in exile.

Journalist and propaganda expert Pavlyuk Bykovsky analyzes the role propaganda plays in the Lukashenko regime and how it has evolved since the mass protests of 2020. Bykovsky’s contribution not only helps to understand the specific principles of the Lukashenko dictatorship, but also sheds light on the general mechanisms of propaganda and disinformation.

Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF) strongly condemns the sexual and physical assaults, threats, and surveillance targeting the exiled journalist Sophia Tekwani and her family in Sweden, as part of a dangerous pattern of transnational repression by Zimbabwean authorities.

Work in exile does not mean a happy end  –  it makes inequalities deeper. Furthermore, two-thirds of journalists in exile leave the profession, while working in editorial offices tend to be more sustainable. Researcher and Professor at Salzburg University, Hanan Badr, discusses the collective experience of journalists in exile.

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.