JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

From April 26 to July 6, the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien gallery in Berlin hosts “No,” an exhibition curated by Meduza that brings together artists and journalists to explore life and work in exile amid Russia’s war on Ukraine and repression at home. The launch featured a panel on censorship with Ukrainian writer Zhenia Berezhna and Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov.

This article explores how Russian opposition media, forced into exile after the 2022 crackdown, continue reaching audiences through platforms like YouTube and VPNs. It highlights their growing dependence on viewer donations, the impact of lost international funding, and the ongoing struggle to sustain independent journalism under increasing pressure.

A Meduza journalist working undercover in Russia describes living a double life, hiding their identity from both friends and sources. Balancing safety, fear, and the burden of secrecy, they reflect on censorship, impostor syndrome, and the emotional toll of reporting anonymously in a society where many no longer want to hear the truth.

The death of Alexei Navalny shocked the world and dealt another blow to Russia’s opposition. Navalny had united and mobilized many, but now the movement is divided. In exile, his allies clash with Khodorkovsky’s. Ilja Yashin fights irrelevance abroad, while in Russia, Yekaterina Duntsova resists repression at the local level.

“Paving the Way” is a comprehensive handbook by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), designed to support journalists in exile, particularly those relocating to Germany. It offers a curated collection of resources to help media professionals navigate their new environment, including information on legal rights, housing, language acquisition, and professional integration.

In the article, journalist Nikita Sologub shares how independent media like Mediazona continue reporting in Russia despite mounting repression. Founded to expose abuses in the Russian prison system, Mediazona has operated for over a decade, even as press freedom has deteriorated and the state increasingly targets dissenting voices.

Although physical attacks against journalists are the most visible violations of press freedom, economic pressure is also a major, more insidious problem. The economic indicator on the RSF World Press Freedom Index now stands at an unprecedented, critical low as its decline continued in 2025. As a result, the global state of press freedom is now classified as a “difficult situation” for the first time in the history of the Index.

Protecting journalism in the AI age means adopting it responsibly. This guide is intended as a starting point for ongoing conversations within your organisation on how to use AI while upholding journalistic values—accuracy, fairness, transparency, and accountability. These principles serve as essential pillars for informed communities worldwide, allowing journalism to fulfil its vital role in society.

The Entrepreneurial Journalism Playbook is a practical guide for media leaders to develop a more effective and innovative business mindset. By including real-world case studies from four countries, the Playbook demystifies entrepreneurial journalism, outlines the basics of ‘pitching’ new business ideas and other entrepreneurial tactics, and lays out different funding and financing options, including an investment guide, for media projects.

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.

When William McCarren talks about press freedom today, he doesn’t speak in abstract terms. The longtime executive director of the National Press Club and now head of its new Press Freedom Center sees a world where increasingly journalists are under siege—imprisoned, exiled, injured, or killed. The Barents Observer this week takes part in a event in Washington DC on defence of free journalism.

The article examines how Russia’s war in Ukraine has transformed the production of knowledge about the country, focusing on the role of exiled media and scholars. It highlights the ethical tensions between those abroad and those still in Russia, raising concerns about safety, representation, and knowledge extractivism in journalism and academia.

This report explores tools, techniques, and legal strategies to erase digital footprints and create a new, lawful identity. Drawing on real-world cases, privacy software, and legal frameworks, it offers a practical guide for journalists, whistleblowers, and dissidents seeking to avoid surveillance.

This guide has been produced with the support of UNESCO, thanks to its Global Media Defence Fund, to assist journalists – and other information professionals – when working with whistleblowers. It provides an accessible breakdown of the applicable legal framework, details the existing protections – and their limits – and offers practical advice on assessing and managing the risks involved in publicising public interest alerts.

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.

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.

Claire Murphy reports on the plight of Russian journalist Lilia Yapparova, who fled to Latvia after the Kremlin’s crackdown on independent media. Yapparova, along with hundreds of other Russian journalists, has found refuge in Latvia, a country that offers crucial support through organizations like Media Hub Riga.

Alesya Sokolova on how the relatively low popularity of independent media may be influenced not only by censorship but also by the choice of topics and the tone of content. While censorship remains the biggest obstacle, audience fatigue with negativity and a narrow thematic focus may also push even opposition-minded readers away.