Silenced but Resilient: Belarusian Media Since the Revolution of 2020
TOUGH TIMES FOR EXILED MEDIA FROM BELARUS
Three and a half years have passed since the revolution in Belarus was violently suppressed in 2020. Even by the standards of now three decades of of Alexander Lukashenko’s repressive rule, the severity and viciousness of the subsequent crackdown was devastating – resulting in the forced cessation of publishing activities and mass exodus of the last remaining independent media.
Belarusian media have struggled in exile. Their finances are precarious, making them reliant on donor financing. In addition to the financially precarious situation, it is a major challenge to maintain relations with the audience from exile, while websites and social media are blocked and Belarusians face retaliation for sharing or even viewing “extremist content” (security forces frequently inspect the phones of people, both “suspect” and random).
HIGH REACH, LONG RETENTION TIME
Yet despite these challenges, independent Belarusian media are still uniquely valued by their audiences. The five biggest sites had over 17 million visits in December 2023. That same month, the average time spent on site was over 10 minutes for leading Belarusian outlets. These numbers show that although the state spent an estimated 50 million euros on propaganda in 2023, the people of Belarus still value objective and trustworthy coverage very highly.
JX Fund, together with the media researchers from The Fix Research and Advisory, have compiled a comprehensive overview of both individual media and the sector overall. The present report relies on data collected from various sources, including open channels, and data shared by both media themselves and sector experts.
Download the full report here.
Publication: March 2024
Projects Partners: The Fix, Belarusian Association of Journalists
The project was supported by funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).