Finding revenue, repelling attacks and protecting sources: How these editors manage their newsrooms from exile

The phenomenon of doing journalism in exile is on the rise. According to press freedom group RSF, at least 460 journalists from 62 countries received financial assistance to leave their countries in 2023, almost twice as many as in 2022, when there were 223 requests. 

It is not easy being a journalist in exile, let alone lead a newsroom thousands of miles away from your country. Despite having limited resources and facing significant personal risks by continuing their reporting, a number of journalists in exile remain resilient in the face of persistent adversity. 

At this year’s Trust Conference, I heard from a number of newsroom leaders from Belarus, El Salvador, and Afghanistan dealing with their own exile and the exile of their journalists: Natalia Belikova, Head of International Cooperation at Press Club Belarus, Lotfullah Najafizada, Founder and CEO of Amu TV, and Laura Aguirre, Strategic Director of Alharaca and Director of Development at Sembramedia. In addition, I spoke with renowned Nicaraguan journalist and editor of Confidencial, Carlos F. Chamorro who has been leading his outlet from exile since 2021. 

Safety for journalists and sources

Despite fleeing countries where journalists are targeted and attacked, being in exile does not mean safety concerns cease to exist. Chamorro says that safety is his number one concern: digital, emotional, and physical safety for his journalists and their families. 

An example of what they do to provide a certain security to their journalists in exile is to protect the identity of journalists that author potentially controversial pieces. Another aspect, often overlooked, is the safety of their sources. In many countries, sources are putting themselves in danger if they speak to outlets in exile, which makes the act of reporting not only more difficult but ethically complex. 

“It is extremely difficult because the source is also criminalised and under persecution, and therefore we have to continue to cultivate sources in these circumstances and make a much greater effort than in normal circumstances to verify because all sources request anonymity to be able to provide information to the media,” says Chamorro. 

Belikova from Belarus says that for her, going into exile was not the end but the beginning of a new set of challenges. She explains that under the current Belarusian government, exiled media are not considered foreign agents but terrorists and extremists, so any contact sources have with them is dangerous. 

“You have to rethink your entire process and your work. Being a media organisation that works for audiences across the border, you need to think about them,” she says. “You will need to think about strategies to source information from the ground and how to do it safely.”

The challenge of financial sustainability 

Both Chamorro and Belikova point out that the cost of doing journalism abroad is also often more expensive, as the costs in their adoptive countries are higher than in their own. The financial sustainability of these outlets is a challenge since they are rarely able to generate income through traditional means like subscriptions or advertisement and rather, they have to rely on international grants or donations. 

“The media has lost its traditional main sources of income from advertisements because our advertisers are also criminalised,” says Chamorro. “So security and economic sustainability are totally inseparable.”

Belikova says that while 60% of the audiences of exiled media in Belarus are still inside the country, they are unable to generate money from them. “[Audiences inside Belarus] are prisoners and you don't take money from prisoners,” says Belikova. “It is now a challenge to keep this outlet viable financially.” 

One of the main tools being replicated by authoritarian regimes all over the world to drown out independent local journalism is to pass so-called foreign agent laws. These laws essentially require local organisations (including local media) to register with the government, report monthly their income and spending, and provide prior notice of what foreign funds will be spent on. Laws like these allow regimes to monitor the finances of independent news organisations supported by foreign benefactors.

Regimes in Nicaragua and Russia have adopted their own versions of this law and have forced independent media to flee their respective countries. In El Salvador, the announcement of a similar law being discussed in the Assembly (which has since been halted) was the last red flag for Aguirre. While she and her newsroom are not in exile, they have begun establishing preparation plans to be ready to flee if the situation in her country becomes untenable for journalists. Among these plans, they have established preparations to have a viable financial infrastructure to continue doing their journalism if they are forced to go into exile. 

“The main axis of our strategy is to be prepared financially. We decided to create an organisation in Costa Rica to have a bank account in another country,” she says.  

Chamorro, who saw Nicaragua pass their own foreign agent law in 2020, urges international governments and independent NGOs who support independent journalism to put their money where their mouth is. “Journalism also requires a change in the models of support and funding for the press in exile so that they can survive because they are the last reservoir of information and freedoms that these countries have,” he says. 

Partnerships in exile and at home 

One of the key pillars of running an outlet in exile is relying on various partnerships to be able to keep reporting. “Know that you’re not alone. Find partners. There are plenty of communities in every state that provide a lot of support,” says Belikova. That support ranges from providing filming studios to help developing IT solutions to bypass censorship, for example. 

For journalists in El Salvador, these partnerships come via advice and guidance from other colleagues in the region who have already been forced to flee their countries. 

Aguirre said that colleagues from Nicaragua, for example, have told her that they “come from the future” as President Bukele is following the same authoritarian playbook as President Ortega in Nicaragua and, to a lesser extent, former President Giammattei in Guatemala. This advice from colleagues comes in the form of guidance on how to prepare financial and mental health infrastructures needed in case exile becomes imminent. 

While networks of exiled journalists abroad provide important sources of support and community, connecting with journalists that are still in the country (if possible) is also key to be able to maintain networks of journalists in the country and do journalism on the ground. 

For Najafizada, CEO of Amu TV, this connection between outside and inside journalists is essential when it comes to countering the Taliban’s censorship campaigns in his native Afghanistan. 

“Our job, at this stage, is to make sure that those of us that are outside partner with that enormous network of journalists inside the country,” he explains. “They have access, we have freedom. We combine the two, get the information out. That's how you counter the Taliban reengineering project by simply informing the Afghan society.”

For Chamorro, it is imperative that international media outlets also cooperate with their colleagues in exile by continuing to report on countries experiencing democratic backsliding as many of these countries not only do not have independent media, but also don’t have foreign correspondents. 

“There is a history of repression and resistance and that history must be told,” Chamorro says. “We are telling it, but we also want the international press to continue reporting on Nicaragua.”

Diverse solutions for diverse contexts

“One is never prepared for exile and these adaptation processes,” says Chamorro. “But I cannot give advice because each reality is different.” Despite highlighting the complex and diverse realities each journalist in exile faces, Chamorro points at two things: the financial sustainability issue and the reality that adapting to a new country will be difficult. 

Najafizada shares the sentiment that solutions look different for every market and every country. For example, they were able to identify that while the Taliban is able to block websites, they are unable to block satellite television which is how Amu TV is able to reach the homes of Afghans in Afghanistan from Canada where the channel is based. 

On the other hand, Belikova says that digital is still a bright spot for independent media in Belarus as they are still able to mirror websites that get blocked by the government. 

Aguirre, who is now in the midst of putting together an exile plan in case the situation in El Salvador worsens, says that part of their plan is not only to ensure the financial sustainability and safety of her journalists, but they are also avoiding using the label of ‘exile journalists’ due to the political connotations it may have as opposition media. 

“Something that we implement in our preparation plan is to change the narrative about ourselves as journalists. We don't see each other as these isolated heroes that are telling news to the people,” says Aguirre. “My team and I are not just telling stories. We are witnesses of something that we have to tell for the future generations.”

Najafizada is also weary of the political connotations of being labelled ‘exile media’ due to the view it may have in your country and because it could potentially make you vulnerable to the foreign policies of the countries you may be seeking refuge from as you could be seen as inciting regime change. 

“What is important for all of us is to stick to the principles and ethics of journalism,” he says. “Our job is not to do regime change or to be opposition media. Our job is to inform citizens. Let people decide for themselves. That’s how I think we protect our profession and at the same time we inform our audiences in an unbiased manner,” he explains.