Report: Independent Exiled Media Continue Reaching Audiences at Home
Authoritarian regimes are afraid of independent press. They violently persecute journalists, force entire newsrooms into exile, and pursue them across borders. They intimidate audiences and try to undermine trust in the independent press while cutting off or shutting down as many distribution channels as they can, so that information no longer reaches people in their countries and government propaganda remains the only offer.
Exiled media therefore have to fight for access to audiences back home while maintaining their trust. Besides, they face the same challenges independent media face everywhere, from fragmented audiences and polarization to dependence on platform algorithms and competition for attention, among many others. In addition, conditions are constantly shifting. Every new tool or platform change brings new opportunities and new risks, and outlets have to rebuild their distribution strategies again and again with limited resources.
That is the focus of this report. The observation rests on monitoring 246 exiled outlets across eight countries and on a survey of 33 outlets. Some of them also serve diaspora audiences or the international public, but all set out to reach audiences in their countries of origin. We looked at how these media work around blocks and pressure, through which channels and under what conditions. One important question remains open: how to reach audiences during and after internet shutdowns. An insight into the full range of strategies, including informal, community-carried, and non-internet channels such as satellite and shortwave, can help to find answers.
Download the full report here.
Publication: November 2026
Projects partners: The Fix Research and Advisory