Displaced Journalists
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Media industry publication The Fix is connecting media to other donors and/or helping with grant applications so that Ukrainian media staff both in and outside of the country don’t have to spend time on paperwork. You can contact them by writing to partnerships@thefix.media.
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.
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.
The CMS employment team has put up together a guide to support Ukrainian refugees regarding immigration and travel requirement. "With the aim of providing a single source of information for Ukrainian refugees considering where they now go, the CMS employment team has gathered information on key points from a number of CMS jurisdictions.
This guide is intended for Ukrainian citizens who left Ukraine on or after 24 Feb 2022, and addresses issues such as visa, work permit and required paper for specific jurisdictions."
The Reuters Institute has published an article documenting how news organisations in Poland, Germany and Italy have launched initiatives to provide displaced people with useful information.
"According to UN figures, almost four million refugees have fled Ukraine since the war started. These people are now having to figure out how to access services, adapt to different customs and rebuild their lives in a foreign country.
Newspapers, news sites and public broadcasters across Europe are helping Ukrainian refugees with this transition by creating news products and publishing information in their own language. These media outlets are offering crucial details regarding issues such as claiming asylum, finding accommodation and accessing education and health services in their respective countries."
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.
If you are a journalist searching for help through one of ECPMF’s support programmes, you can get in contact with them on Signal: +49 176 43839637, Email: support@ecpmf.eu, or through this contact form.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is providing professional and free legal assistance, from counselling to representation, to Ukrainian refugees . On February 24 the Hungarian government recognised the vast majority of people fleeing Ukraine as eligible for temporary protection. Read more about the decree here. You can contact the Committee at ukrainecrisis@helsinki.hu or facebook.com/helsinkibizottsag.
Katapult, an independent magazine with offices located in north-eastern Germany, is offering editorial office space for Ukrainian journalists who have fled the country. The company is offering 2000 m² of office space plus desks, computers, servers & accommodation.
Czech-based NGO People In Need can help to cover costs for relocations and provide support regarding visa and invitations. Their team is mostly working in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, both in the territory under the control of the Ukrainian government and in non-government controlled areas. The aid focuses on those in the greatest need, who have often lost everything. The organisation provides financial assistance to buy the basic necessities of life, hygiene kits, or food parcels with flour, oil, salt and sugar.
In cooperation with partner organisation People in Need Slovakia, the organisation has had a team working on the Slovak-Ukrainian border since 26th February. Humanitarian workers in Ukraine near Velky Berezny—where the situation is critical— built facilities for people waiting for border control. You can read more about their efforts here.
Leading independent media in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, who form part of the International Press Institute’s (IPI) Central Europe Independent Media Network, have offered to support displaced journalists who may end up in their countries by hosting them in their newsrooms.
IPI's partners have already offered support in different ways, for example by promoting fundraising efforts to support Ukrainian media, and in the case of Gazeta Wyborcza by hosting refugees in their offices.
"Newsrooms have also offered to provide working space, use of technology and editorial resources to displaced journalists. In some cases, the newsrooms would be able to host multiple journalists, allowing small teams to stay together. The situation remains uncertain and it is not clear how many journalists will be forced to flee and where they will move to, but IPI is coordinating the offers of support to ensure it can be given when needed."
Journalists from Ukraine or Russia who wish to be put in contact with one of the partner newsrooms can email info@ipi.media. They are also happy to hear from other newsrooms who would be happy to host displaced journalists.
Internews has offices in Vilnius, Moldova and Poland and are supporting in-exile media.
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.
