JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

Cyber censorship is quickly becoming a  weapon of choice for Turkish authorities looking to silence journalists in exile. At least five reporters have been targeted online, notably by having their social media accounts censored in Türkiye. Four of them are facing potential prison sentences as they are unjustly prosecuted — some of these lawsuits stretching over a decade.

This portrait is about the media platform Amal, which is produced by refugee and exiled journalists in Germany and provides news in languages like Arabic, Persian, and Ukrainian. It shows how these journalists, often unable to work in traditional media due to language barriers, find new opportunities to continue their profession and serve migrant communities.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) sheds light on the precarious conditions facing journalists in the African Great Lakes region. The new report details threats from armed groups, state repression, legal harassment and displacement, showing how many reporters are pushed into exile or forced to work underground. It highlights risks to press freedom and the resilience of independent media.

Paraguayan journalist Jazmín Acuña, co-founder of El Surtidor, reflects on building impactful journalism in challenging environments. She discusses how independent media navigate political pressure, engage audiences and measure real-world impact. Her insights highlight how journalists across Latin America adapt their work under constraints that often push reporters toward exile or cross-border collaboration.

Authorities in Russia are expanding their surveillance to monitor not just journalists but also the audiences of independent media. This growing crackdown intimidates citizens who access alternative news and complicates efforts by exiled outlets to reach people inside the country, highlighting new risks for both readers and reporters.

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.

Salvadoran journalist Carlos Dada — co‑founder and editor‑in‑chief of El Faro, now operating in exile due to repression in El Salvador — delivered the 2026 Reuters Memorial Lecture on “Journalism as Resistance.” He reflects on how independent reporting becomes an act of defiance under dictatorship, the challenges exiled newsrooms face, and the vital role of courageous journalism worldwide.

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.

Afghan journalists and media workers in Pakistan live in fear of arrest and deportation as authorities crack down on refugees. Many fled Taliban rule, and rights groups warn that forced returns could put them at serious risk of persecution, highlighting the precarious situation of exiled journalists in the region.

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.

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 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.

Earlier this month Donald Trump launched military strikes on Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The ousting of Maduro was a momentous event for millions of Venezuelans, who have gone through hunger, political repression, a painful economic collapse and a massive exodus in the past two decades.