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.
From 2015 on, Russia has declared more than 90 international and foreign institutions “undesirable organizations”. Since 2022, exiled media – who already have the status of “foreign agents” – have been increasingly affected as well. After iStories, The Insider, Meduza and the Novaya Gazeta Europe, now the independent broadcaster TV Rain has been hit.
Free Media Hub EAST will provide financial and non-financial support to existing and established Belarusian and Russian media working in exile in the EU and that maintain significant audiences back home. In addition to financial support for exiled media it will provide some 1,000 slots to help with visas and registration, provide psychological support or further capacity building. The project will also invest in technological solutions such as censorship circumvention.
Journalists all over the world are threatened or endangered in connection with their work and forced to flee. Reporters Without Borders has now published a map showing the migratory flows of journalists, and the countries that host exiled media.
The International Press Institute has published a review on this year’s IPI World Congress, where panelists representing publishers and media development organizations from Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Poland, Russia, and South Africa to speak about their experiences operating in exile and shared insights on how they continue to make a difference in spite of the challenges they face.
The Free Media Awards aim to strengthen independent reporting in Eastern Europe. This year, the jury has highlighted the role of the media in the Caucasus region, along with the crucial importance of investigative journalism in ensuring insight into Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as into the ongoing crises in Belarus.
Journalists all over the world are threatened or endangered in connection with their work and forced to flee. Reporters Without Borders has published a map showing the migratory flows of journalists, and the countries that host exiled media.
The study “The State of Local News in Ukraine” by the Media Development Foundation describes the development of the Ukrainian media landscape during the war and documents the crisis-related adaptation strategies of Ukrainian editorial offices.
Russian journalists and Reporters Without Borders issued a joint appeal calling on major tech companies to oppose the blocking of almost all independent information in Russia. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2024.
ECPMF and Hostwriter are implementing a platform for media professionals in German exile, where relevant information can be provided and exchanged. Hostwriter provides its members with contacts to local media to promote media pluralism.
In April 2023, the Council of Europe invited exiled journalists from Belarus and Russia, media lawyers, researchers and members of professional media associations to discuss the needs in two closed workshops. The JX Fund also took part in the discussions. The results are to serve the further development of European funding structures.
The Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), initiated by Reporters Without Borders, has joined forces with NewsGuard to launch an emergency protocol for countries with media landscapes at risk. The measure is intended to support the swift evaluation of quality media as defined by the JTI.
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.
How can journalists in distress be optimally supported? And what happens when media can no longer continue their work due to repression? At the “Radioday Fluchtpunkte,” Radio eins spoke with Katja Heinemann, who heads the emergency department of Reporters Without Borders.
As press freedom around the globe erodes, journalists are building networks outside their home countries to hold the powerful accountable. Nieman Reports portrays 9 exiled media from 5 different regions.
Hundreds of Russian journalists have gone into exile to report independently on the war and the Putin regime. The media magazine ZAPP spoke with them about how to investigate from exile and how they deal with death threats.
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.
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 German government wants to support journalists who have fled Belarus and Russia and is investing large sums of money in the reconstruction of media in exile. At the same time, there are no regulated admission procedures.
With kind permission of SZ Archiv.
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.
The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine has made independent reporting in both countries difficult or even impossible. Now, the JX Fund aims to help independent media continue their reporting from exile.
In many places, the free press is threatened by illiberal tendencies, crises and wars. Yet it is needed precisely where it is to be silenced by repression or political persecution. If necessary, media must continue working from exile.
The German government pledges financial aid to support journalists who have fled their home countries. The aim is to ensure that people in Belarus and Russia continue to have access to independent information. Among other things, the foundation of the JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile was financed.
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.
The Global Investigative Journalism Network has compiled information for journalists who have to leave their country due to acute crises or persecution. The overview includes information on required documents, aid organizations and first tips for fellowship programs.