JX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

The Taliban takeover in 2021 ended a period of media flourishing and improving freedom of expression in Afghanistan. The collapse of the Afghan government and the resurgence of authoritarian rule have created an environment of fear and uncertainty within the media community. Independent and diverse non-state media are in danger; many journalists have fled their homeland in search of safety and freedom.

Despite these challenges, Afghan journalists in exile continue to demonstrate resilience and dedication to their profession, providing crucial insights and reporting on the ground while navigating the complexities of life far from home. A well-founded overview of the existing Afghan media in exile has been lacking until now.

The JX Fund, together with the media researchers from The Fix Research and Advisory, have compiled and continue to maintain the Afghanistan Exiled Media Dashboard – an innovative database that allows for the continuous monitoring of both individual media and the sector overall. It currently includes 47 independent media outlets. For this study, we analyzed data gathered from open sources and submitted by market stakeholders, including the media themselves.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Independent Afghan media in exile remain highly esteemed by their audiences. Cumulative YouTube views reached an estimated 36 million as of April 2024, while an aggregate 6 million followers on Facebook engage with media. A notable feature of the exiled Afghan media community is the importance of television (partially due to low internet penetration and high illiteracy rates). 27% of the exiled media covered in this study use television formats. The high costs of TV production should be considered by the donor community when calculating the total support for Afghan exile media. At the same time, cost-intensive production in exile represents a risk if there are no sustainable monetization models. A transformative development of both seems to be essential for a viable future.

We hope that this study and our database can contribute to a productive dialogue about a future-oriented, sustainable development of the sector.

Download the full report here.

Publication: July 2024
Projects partners: The Fix Research and Advisory