JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

“The press must have the freedom to say everything, so that certain people do not have the freedom to do everything.”

– Alain Peyrefitte, French politician and author

The accelerating decline of democratic structures is triggering a global exodus of journalists from authoritarian countries. Never before have so many media outlets been forced to leave their home countries because independent reporting has been criminalized. Exiled media are now, in many regions, the last institutions capable of documenting increasing autocratization and making democratic backsliding visible. Where their voices fail to be maintained in exile, dangerous information gaps emerge, systematically filled by totalitarian regimes with propaganda and disinformation.

REPRESSION, PERSECUTION AND CENSORSHIP

In Russia, even referring to the war as an “attack” or “war” can be punished with up to 15 years in prison under charges of spreading “fake news”. Since the law’s introduction, OVD-Info reports nearly 1,200 individuals have faced criminal proceedings for anti-war activities. Belarusians face similarly harsh penalties if they subscribe to or share content from media classified as “extremist”: up to 15 days in detention for sharing content, and up to 10 years imprisonment for participating in or running such outlets. Between 2020 and 2024, at least 8,075 people in Belarus were convicted for disseminating “extremist” materials.

Around half of all countries now see journalists’ working conditions rated as “difficult” or “very serious” by Reporters Without Borders. When independent voices are silenced, society loses the ability to scrutinize power, and the international community loses its collective memory. Supporting exiled media is therefore not only a matter of solidarity but also a strategic investment in safeguarding democratic structures globally.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRATIC VALUES

“What makes totalitarian or other dictatorial rule possible is that people are uninformed; how can you have an opinion if you are not informed? If you are constantly lied to, the result is not that you believe the lies, but that no one believes anything anymore.”

– Hannah Arendt, German-American political theorist and writer

The global freedom and security architecture consists of multiple components. Beyond expanding diplomatic relations and strengthening military capabilities, protecting free, independent media is key to preserving democratic structures. By exposing disinformation campaigns and revealing transnational repression, exiled media play a crucial role in defending democracy and the rule of law against hybrid threats from authoritarian regimes.

In authoritarian countries, exiled media also secure access to independent information, countering propaganda, censorship, and state-directed disinformation. By providing alternative perspectives and facts, they prevent monopolization of information by authoritarian actors and strengthen civil society’s resilience against manipulative narratives.

This is exemplified in Belarus: despite strict censorship and repression, nearly 40% of the population regularly consumes content from independent exiled media outlets, 94% of whom oppose Russia’s war of aggression. If access to independent information disappears, critical awareness in society diminishes. Belarusian exiled media help maintain such awareness and lay the groundwork for reintegration into a European security and values framework.

“We do not wait for Russian authorities to announce the true number of war casualties. Instead, we manually count every reported death and comb through thousands of social media pages from the smallest and most remote Russian villages. We cannot report from the Russian side of the front, but we find deserters who have fled and document what is really happening there.”

– Nikita Sologub, Russian journalist in exile

“The individuals working in Russian media in exile represent something more than an informational resource. They share a commitment to the institution and values free media represent, making them a crucial ally of the West in its confrontation with Putin’s regime.”

– Izabella Tabarovsk, Kennan Institute

Exiled media in Russia also play a key role in exposing Kremlin disinformation campaigns. In one investigation, iStories, together with Der Tagesspiegel, analyzed satellite images of destroyed Ukrainian cities, contributing to the legally relevant documentation of Russian war crimes. Mediazona, founded in Russia in 2015 and now exiled, used courier service data to show how looted goods from occupied Ukrainian territories were transported to Russia. Meduza, Russia’s largest exiled media outlet, illustrated through leaked documents how Russian authorities manipulate content from liberal voices to spread disinformation.

MEDIA POWER IN A CHANGING WORLD

The U.S.’s extensive withdrawal from funding independent media has created a vacuum, now being exploited by Chinese state and private actors to expand their propaganda networks globally. In Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Chinese channels increasingly displace Western international broadcasters, occupying slots previously held by outlets like Voice of America or Radio Free Asia. This loss of reach for democratic voices not only weakens civil society resilience but also shifts global narratives in favor of authoritarian systems.

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIVE REVENUE STREAMS

“When you investigate, report, and manage a critical media outlet under a totalitarian and crushing regime, journalists become a kind of juggler. We juggle emotional, economic, logistical, security, and self-censorship challenges. In other words, we keep publishing every single day while managing these fronts, which become even harder when you’re in exile.”

– Néstor Arce, Carlos Herrera & Wilfredo Miranda Aburto, exiled journalists from Nicaragua

For most exiled media outlets, the struggle against censorship and propaganda is not new but a reality they have long adapted to. Constant threats from authoritarian regimes force them to continuously develop their methods – they integrate anti-censorship technologies, secure their communications against hackers, and devise creative strategies to reach audiences despite blockades. This not only provides tools against hybrid threats such as disinformation campaigns and digital surveillance but also drives the development of unconventional revenue streams that inspire the wider media sector.

Exiled TV channels like Russia’s TV Rain and Nicaragua’s 100% Noticias had to abandon their entire production infrastructure after fleeing their countries. Yet both continued broadcasting via YouTube and producing short social media content tailored for these platforms. Despite constant threats of platform blocking, they maintained audience engagement and reach.

Exiled media outlets also continuously evolve their revenue streams: Myanmar’s The Frontier combines freemium content for broad audiences with subscriptions for exclusive analysis and experiments with membership models to engage communities and reduce dependency on grants. Cuba’s El Toque uses AI-powered currency converters to display relevant exchange rates—a simple but highly effective service that drives website traffic while enhancing reader value. Russia’s Bumaga responded pragmatically to Kremlin censorship, generating 15–17% of its revenue from its own VPN services.

INDISPENSABLE PARTNERS IN INTERNATIONAL REPORTING

Exiled media outlets have become integral to the international media landscape. In many regions, foreign correspondents cannot safely report due to repression or threats. Exiled media, however, maintain reliable contacts and sources on the ground, delivering critical information otherwise inaccessible. Through cooperation with international media, they contribute to fact-based reporting, prevent oversimplification in public discourse, and help uncover disinformation campaigns.

For example, the Russian exiled media outlet The Insider, in collaboration with Der Spiegel, analyzed hacked documents from officers of Russia’s foreign intelligence service (SVR), revealing strategies for disinformation campaigns against the West. A follow-up investigation with The Insider, NewsGuard, and CORRECTIV identified over 100 fake websites and accounts.

Iranian exiled journalist Omid Rezaee, in his three-part series “Agents of Fear” with STRG_F, mapped the activities of Iran’s intelligence service in Germany, contributing to a deeper understanding of transnational repression strategies and their effects on democratic societies.

Syrian exiled media outlets also collaborate closely with international investigative platforms. In a mid-September investigation by Lighthouse Reports and partners, it was revealed how the Assad regime systematically abducted children from opposition families. Furthermore, independent Syrian media in exile work with civil society organizations to lay the foundation for a professional, pluralistic media landscape and long-term democratization in post-Assad Syria.

FINANCING INDEPENDENT EXILED MEDIA

“Guaranteeing freedom, independence and plurality in today’s media landscape requires stable and transparent financial conditions. Without economic independence, there can be no free press. When news media are financially strained, they are drawn into a race to attract audiences at the expense of quality reporting, and can fall prey to the oligarchs and public authorities who seek to exploit them. […] The media’s financial independence is a necessary condition for ensuring free, trustworthy information that serves the public interest.”

– Anne Bocandé, Reporters Without Borders

Freedom, independence, and plurality in the media require stable and transparent financial conditions. Despite innovative approaches, this is especially challenging for exiled media outlets: consuming their content is criminalized in many home countries, making subscription or membership models hardly viable. Additional structural barriers include blocked websites, restricted payment channels, and the absence of functioning advertising markets. They therefore rely heavily on external support during transitional phases—from start-up funding and grants to partnerships with international institutions.

Such support helps preserve free and independent information spaces and underpins a democratic value system. Supporting exiled media is thus not merely an act of solidarity but a strategic contribution to global freedom and security.

Read the German version here