Media in Exile

This page is under construction.

If you would like to share resources specific to displaced journalists, please get in touch by writing to [e-mail].

Network of Exiled Media Organizations

NEMO is a network of exiled media organizations that actively share knowledge and best practices to more effectively — and efficiently — provide independent and high-quality journalism to populations without access to a domestic free press.

HomepageNEMO

The Exiled Media Podcast

The Exiled Media Podcast is a joint collaboration between NEMO co-founders Confidencial (Nicaragua), Meydan TV (Azerbaijan), and Zamaneh Media (Iran).

This series features voices from exile media outlets across the globe sharing their successes and challenges, so that other actors in the exiled media sphere can benefit from lessons learned.

Guidelines for setting up exiled media entities

Media organizations are sometimes forced to set up legal entities in other countries because, for example, restrictive legislation in their home countries makes it difficult for them to operate easily. It can be a challenge to find your way around other countries’ legislation so reliable, up-to-date information is needed that considers the specific requirements of the media. The JX Fund provides overviews of this legislation prepared by professional lawyers from selected countries, in understandable language and a comparable format.

Legal Navigator: Guidelines for Setting Up Media EntitiesJX Fund – European Fund for Journalism in Exile

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ECPMF Journalists-in-Residence Programme

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom's (ECPMF) Journalists-in-Residence (JiR) programme offers "temporary shelter for journalists facing harassment and intimidation as a direct result of their work. Journalists get the chance to rest and recuperate in a safe and discreet place, and also to continue their investigative work at their own pace and use their time in Leipzig for networking and finding solidarity. The JiR programme lasts for either three or up to six months, and includes a rent-free furnished apartment in Leipzig, as well as a monthly stipend to cover basic living costs. It also covers travel and visa expenses, health insurance, psychological counselling, and journalism-related training sessions on topics like digital security, mobile reporting and social media management."

Calls for applications are normally announced on www.ecpmf.eu and the ECPMF’s social media once or twice a year and are also disseminated throughout the Centre’s European networks. The programme is currently working on setting up new fellowships to host journalists from Ukraine and Russia in either Germany or Kosovo.

Journalists-in-Residence - European Centre for Press and Media FreedomEuropean Centre for Press and Media Freedom

If you are a journalist searching for help through one of ECPMF’s support programmes, you can get in contact with them on Signal: [phone], Email: [e-mail], or through this contact form.

Tips and Tools for reporting from exile

Journalists displaced by autocratic regimes are reporting on their homelands in increasingly innovative and effective ways. In interviews with the Global Investigative Journalism Network, exiled news leaders offer lessons learned, including tips on reaching on-the-ground sources, accessing blocked audiences, and circumventing government censorship.

‘Reporting from the Outside’: Lessons from Investigative Journalists in ExileGlobal Investigative Journalism Network

Reports

Navigating instability: A five-phase approach to supporting exiled media

In this report from April 2025, International Media Support (IMS) distils learning from across its programmes to examine what works - and where gaps remain - in supporting media operating in exile. Drawing on research and case studies from 2023–24, the report frames exiled media as often hybrid operations, spanning home and host countries. It introduces an IMS framework for supporting exiled media, mapping five phases in an outlet’s exile journey and linking each phase to tailored forms of support, with a strong focus on business viability, safety, and enabling policy environments.

Articles

A Newsroom in Exile Imagines a Free Kurdish Press

‘The Amargi’ imagines a free Kurdish press.Columbia Journalism Review

In an article for the Columbia Journalism Review, Seyma Bayram profiles The Amargi, a nonprofit newsroom operating from exile in Germany to cover Kurdish affairs without party or state interference. Founded by Kurdish journalists forced out of repressive media environments, the outlet combines grassroots funding, diaspora engagement, and visual storytelling to reach global audiences. The piece highlights how exile can create space for editorial independence and innovation, while underscoring the ongoing challenges around safety, platform dependence, and long-term sustainability.

How exile media can remain viable, independent and impactful

In this article for Inquirer.net, Dr. Esther Dorn-Fellermann from DW Akademie reports on new research examining how Afghan and Myanmar exile media remain viable, independent, and impactful under extreme pressure. Drawing on interviews and expert discussions, the study highlights persistent funding constraints alongside equally pressing challenges around safety, trauma, audience engagement, and technology. It underscores that sustainability for exile media depends not only on money, but on solidarity, credible independence, adaptive content strategies, and technical resilience in the face of ongoing risk.

How exile media can remain viable, independent and impactfulINQUIRER.net

Nieman Lab Predictions 2026: Exiled media will leave grant dependency behind

In this commentary, José J. Nieves, editor-in-chief of elTOQUE, argues that exiled media are reaching a critical inflection point as international grant funding contracts sharply. He suggests that remaining grants should be treated as transitional runway, not a sustainable model. Looking ahead to 2026, Nieves anticipates a decisive shift away from grant dependency toward diversified revenue strategies, particularly those rooted in diaspora audiences and in monetising media organisations’ broader expertise and services.

Exiled media will leave grant dependency behindNieman Lab

As grant funding dries up, exiled newsrooms are finding hope in new revenue strategies

In an article for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Natalia Zhdanova explores how exiled newsrooms from Russia, Cuba, and Myanmar are responding to the sharp decline in international grant funding. Drawing on examples including Meduza, elTOQUE, and Frontier Myanmar, the piece shows how outlets are experimenting with new revenue streams — from memberships and diaspora-focused products to services and technical tools. While donor support remains critical, the article argues that diversification is increasingly a necessity rather than a choice.

As grant funding dries up, exiled newsrooms are finding hope in new revenue strategiesReuters Institute for the Study of Journalism