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Taliban Have Detained 300 Media Workers Since 2021

  • Amu TV
  • Habib Mohammadi

The Afghanistan Journalists in Exile in a statement on Sunday said that the Taliban have detained at least 300 journalists and media workers during their three years of rule in the country, describing the detainees as having endured “profound and indescribable violence” while in custody.

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People in Russia “Need the Truth”

  • Voice of America
  • Liam Scott

Exiled Russian journalist Alesya Marokhovskaya works as an editor for IStories. Despite legal threats and surveillance, her investigative outlet strives to connect with Russians seeking truth amid a landscape dominated by misinformation.

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Afghanistan: “Half the Population is Silenced”

  • France24
  • Marc Perelman

FRANCE 24 spoke to Saad Mohseni, co-founder and CEO of Moby, Afghanistan’s largest media group. His new book “Radio Free Afghanistan” chronicles the ups and downs of building a media conglomerate in the country.

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Afghanistan’s Media Landscape

  • Modern Diplomacy
  • Saima Afzal

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.

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How Sanctions Against Russia Impact Journalism

  • Columbia Journalism Review
  • Lauren Watson

Sanctions targeting Russian propaganda have inadvertently crippled independent journalism. Exiled reporters, battling Kremlin censorship, face funding blockades from Western tech and financial giants, threatening their vital work of delivering uncensored news to Russians.

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Russia: Exiled Journalist Founds Media Startup

  • Voice of America
  • Liam Scott

Running a news outlet in exile presents unique challenges. For Lola Tagaeva, founder of Verstka, this means reporting under difficult conditions, maintaining journalistic standards, and reaching millions of readers while navigating the complexities of independent journalism abroad.

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“Soviet-Minded Men Rule Everything in Russia”

  • The Moscow Times

In November The Moscow Times hosted “Women Against the Kremlin”, spotlighting women’s resistance to war and repression. Journalist Ekaterina Kotrikadze, a pioneer of Russia’s #MeToo movement and advocate for gender equality, reflects on women’s rights, propaganda, and journalism in exile.

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What has Taliban Rule Meant for Media in Afghanistan?

  • Al Jazeera English

Since the Taliban regained power, Afghanistan’s media landscape has faced severe restrictions. Al Jazeera English sat down with Lotfullah Najafizada, the former head of Tolo News, to discuss working in exile and keeping the spirit of Afghan journalism alive.

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In Pakistan Afghan Journalists Face a Grim Reality

  • ABC News
  • Trisha Mukherjee

Afghan journalists in exile confront harsh challenges: after escaping Taliban persecution, they now endure poverty, threats of deportation, and years-long waits for humanitarian visas in Pakistan. Many now struggle with mental health crises as Western nations delay promised aid.

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Afghanistan: The Taliban are Banning ‘Living Beings’ on TV

  • Deutsche Welle
  • Shakila Ebrahimkhil, Hely Asad, Shabnam Alokozay

Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, detentions, imprisonments, and torture of journalists have surged, creating a “shadow of restriction and oppression” over press freedom in Afghanistan. Recently the Taliban have ordered TV channels in parts of Afghanistan to cease broadcasting images of living beings, after already banning music and female faces on screen.

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The Mechanics of Media Policy Creation in Russia

  • Media & Journalism Research Center
  • Leonardo Ingannamorte

The Media & Journalism Research Center has published a study on Media Regulation, Government and Policy in Russia. It explains the core principles of media regulation in Russia and the various forms of censorship that the Russian political system has introduced and refined over the past decades, profiles several key influencers in the Russian media policy and provides context on the country’s media policy.

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Afghanistan Faces a Future Without Voice or Image

  • 8AM
  • Amin Kawa

The Taliban have aggressively targeted media freedom and journalists over the past three years. They have banned photography and filming, mandated pro-Taliban reporting, used violence against journalists and media staff, carried out arrests, imposed severe censorship, threatened to shut down media institutions, and exploited journalists’ vulnerable status.

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Where Independent Reporting Ends

  • WittenLab Magazine
  • Marius Dragomir

Research by the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) identified four key elements that lead to media capture as part of a matrix designed to study the phenomenon. These elements include control of media regulation, control of public media, use of state funds as a means of media control, and acquisition of private media outlets by businesses linked to the government.

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Misuse of Economic Charges to Silence and Attack the Press

  • World Association of News Publishers
  • Lucinda Jordaan

The autocratic playbook of abusing or introducing economic laws to curtail journalists and newsrooms by attacking their credibility and financial viability is sharply outlined in a new report by WAN-IFRA and the IAPA.

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Holding Putin to Account from Exile

  • Global Investigative Journalism Network
  • Olivier Holmey

In this interview, investigative journalist Roman Anin, founder of IStories, discusses his work in exile, the risks faced by his team, and the challenges of reporting on corruption and the war in Ukraine. Despite threats, he remains committed to documenting crimes and holding powerful figures accountable.

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The Russian Independent Media Archive

  • Nieman Reports
  • Ann Cooper

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.

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Afghanistan: “An Unfinished Journey”

  • CBC

In a new documentary four Afghan women – former parliamentarians, a past minister and a journalist — who fled their homeland after the Taliban-takeover of in August 2021, spotlight the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. “An Unfinished Journey” captures their resilience in exile as they advocate for women’s rights and strive to keep Afghanistan’s plight in global discussions.

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