The CORRECTIV – Recherchen für die Gesellschaft gGmbH, with the support of JX Fund and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), invites Afghan journalistic teams currently establishing their media start-ups to apply for a training program and pitch competition.
Exiled journalists are fighting to maintain independent reporting from and in their countries of origin. On this years’ International Press Freedom Day, the JX Fund provides an insight into the exiled media scenes from Afghanistan, Belarus and Russia.
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.
At the two-day symposium “Rebuilding Afghan Media in Exile”, the JX Fund brought together around 120 exiled media professionals from Afghanistan to develop strategies for the successful continuation of their independent journalistic work.
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.
On behalf of the ECPMF and the JX Fund, the survey institute forsa examined the media usage behavior of Ukrainian refugees for the first time. Social media and messenger services are used most frequently, above all Telegram and YouTube. Among non-Ukrainian media, Deutsche Welle and the BBC are the most popular.
Independent Russian media in exile recorded a total of 38 million website visits in September 2023. The sector is diverse and evolving. A new research report by JX Fund and The Fix provides insights into the performance and needs of Russian exile media.
At this year’s Exile Media Forum in Hamburg, exiled journalists from around the world shared their experiences and strategies for continuing their work in exile. Although the reasons they have had to go into exile are as different as the conditions in their respective countries of residence, the challenges they face are often very similar.
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.
Berlin is becoming an important place for independent media in exile. These media and journalists need places where they can continue their work efficiently and in exchange with colleagues. With the support of the JX Fund, three co-working and co-production spaces are now being created in Berlin.
How does research work when you can no longer enter the country you are investigating due to the threat of politically motivated persecution? The panel “Staying close without being on site – research methods of Russian journalists in exile” discussed this question from three very different perspectives.
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.
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.
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.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) together with the Rudolf Augstein Foundation and the Schöpflin Foundation launch the JX Fund for journalism in exile, which is intended to help media workers quickly and flexibly, to enable them to continue their work immediately after they have fled war and crisis zones.