Despite many challenges, independent Belarusian media are still uniquely valued by their audiences. The study “Silenced But Resilient: Belarusian Media Since the Revolution of 2020” by JX Fund and The Fix Research and Advisory is giving an overview of Belarusian media in exile since 2020.
Since its foundation, the JX Fund has supported 55 independent media in exile from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Around 1,600 media professionals in exile have benefited from this work. The JX Fund focuses on unbureaucratic and needs-oriented support to enable independent media in exile to operate sustainably.
Together with The Fix and the Centre for Media Studies of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, the JX Fund has published the study “Rebuilding Russian Media in Exile – Successes, Challenges and the Road Ahead,” which investigates the current state of Russian media in exile.
Since the Taliban took power in Kabul on August 15, 2021, many journalists have been forced to leave the country and go into exile. A new study by the JX Fund examines the situation and needs of Afghan journalists in exile.
The JX Fund was founded in April 2022 to help journalists successfully continue their work in exile after fleeing war and crisis zones. Since then, 44 exiled media in eight countries have been supported in rebuilding their editorial structures in exile.
Russia has adopted a series of draconian anti-press laws. In order to help threatened media professionals in Russia to choose a country of exile suitable for them and their needs, the JX Fund and Mass Media Defence Center from Voronezh have now launched the information platform Shpargalka.
Two years ago, the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. This has led to a systematic dismantling of civil rights and a stricter censorship of the media. More than half of the 547 media outlets that were registered in 2021 have since ceased to exist. But exiled media from Afghanistan bring a glimmer of hope. From October on, the JX Fund will start supporting Afghan media and media professionals in exile.
Since its founding, the JX Fund has supported over 15 media outlets in exile in over 7 different countries, as well as facilitating the expansion of a media hub in Georgia. In the most recent round of funding, a total of 7 Russian and Belarusian media outlets were selected , including two prominent investigative journalism projects.
On the occasion of Aleksei A. Navalnys death Anatoly Kurmanaev and Alina Lobzina wrote an article for the New York Times, in which they took a closer look at the Russian opposition in exile. In this context, they also refer to the JX Fund’s study on Russian exiled media.
When Russia imposed harsh laws on reporters covering its invasion of Ukraine, dozens fled. But physical distance doesn’t always keep exiled journalists safe. For Voice of America Liam Scott met our managing director Penelope Winterhager for a video interview.
For vox.com, Caroline Houck wrote about the state of press freedom worldwide in 2023 – and refers to the JX Fund’s study on the situation of Russian media in exile.
What are the main problems exiled media professionals face and what could solutions look like? Laura Dulce Romero interviewed our Managing Director Penelope Winterhager, among others, on these and other questions for Reuters Institute.
Authoritarian campaigns to clamp down on dissent and control the media have driven scores of journalists from many countries into exile, but the repression of a free press does not stop at the border. In their article on transnational repression Michael J. Abramowitz and Jessica White mention the JX Fund as ” instrumental in providing vital resources for journalists to carry on with their work”.
Two years after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the crackdown on independent media and journalists in Russia has intensified, leading to the collapse of press freedom. Today, the vast majority of Russia’s independent journalists work in exile. This episode of “News in Depth” by SBS News Australia discusses, among others, the JX Fund’s study on the situation of Russian media in exile.
RadioFreeEurope / RadioLiberty devotes this article to the situation of Russian journalists in exile. In addition to interviews with Russian exiled journalists, Elizabeth Owen refers quotes the studies of the JX Fund.
Many journalists who have fled Belarus and Russia would like to continue their work in Berlin. But the German bureaucracy puts obstacles in their way: Despite promises to the contrary, the admission procedures remain tough and humanitarian visas are only granted in individual cases.
On the BR podcast “BR24 Medien,” Polina Stretter, program director of the JX Fund, spoke about the challenges faced by Russian media in exile and the successes they are nevertheless achieving.
The pressure on media critical of the Kremlin in Russia has increased again since the beginning of the war. Hundreds of journalists have since been forced into exile. Deutschlandfunk (DLF) talks to Russian journalists in exile and representatives of media organizations about current developments in the Russian media landscape. Penelope Winterhager, managing director of the JX Fund, comments on the needs of media in exile.
After the outbreak of the war, the German government promised independent journalists from Russia quick, unbureaucratic admission. In the program “Medien – Cross und Quer,” Penelope Winterhager, managing director of the JX Fund, talked about how the situation has developed since then.
After the Russian war of aggression and the resulting tightening of Russian media laws, the last independent media have also left Russia. The JX Fund helps them to continue their work efficiently and sustainably in exile.
At the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, the JX Fund discussed with journalists from Russian media in exile their current challenges. On another panel JX Fund was invited to debate the future of the Ukrainian media system. A comprehensible article by Reuters Institute summarizes the learning from the Festival.
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