How Journalists Can Continue Their Work in Exile
Journalists across the globe have continued to report on their homelands despite being forced out of their respective countries. These reporters not only have to adjust to life in a new country but must do so while facing challenges like uncertain immigration statuses, threats to their relatives who remain in their home country, and general consistent personal risk. Still, they have bravely reestablished themselves in their exile, ensuring they do their part in providing credible information while essentially being a refugee.
Developing a Plan to Maintain Cash Flow
Finding funding while in exile comes with serious challenges, partly due to the difficulty in finding donors who believe that access to information is such a basic human right that helping journalists generate revenue should be of the utmost importance to them. Some donors may also be restricted to a country or region, and not able to lend their support on a global scale. If a donor can fund internationally, they can provide one of two types of funding: core funding and project funding. Core funding involves a set amount that covers operational expenses for an extended period, allowing for some budget flexibility while project funding involves a detailed budget for a specific activity over a shorter duration.
In this particular situation, it is even more important than usual to establish a trusting relationship with donors because there will be more confidentiality and flexibility required to navigate the unpredictability that comes with reporting from exile. A solid relationship can be fortified by the journalist never missing deadlines and also being flexible themselves when things don’t go according to plan. Also, they should make sure that their core values align.
Staying Connected While in Exile
Journalists in exile have the opportunity to bridge their home and host countries, working with diasporic groups, activists, and communities to drive true transnational change. They can build strong transnational networks using our modern technology to communicate their ideas and values so these reports, activists, and audiences can all be connected digitally.
When conflict arises, these networks can support local journalists, provide emergency aid, promote news safety, and empower exile activists by amplifying their voices. Research has shown that through these networks journalists consistently partake in cultural preservation, identity reaffirmation and a focus on transnational bridge-building, cultivating a kinship across geographical boundaries.
AJSO and JX Fund are a couple of the networks that have emerged. AJSO has created a database out of concern for Afghan journalists to show just how many Afghan journalists are in exile and what their status is. JX Fund helps journalists and news outlets from 25 nationalities, notably journalists in exile from Russia and Belarus. Since launching in 2022, JX Fund has gotten 55 news outlets back on their feet and reporting from exile.
Maintaining Mental Health in Exile
Journalists in exile won’t be able to make it through fully intact if they don’t ensure that their mental well-being is unharmed. This is another instance where a network with fellow journalists will be of huge help, confiding in each other in a form of group therapy and even doing things that are purely meant for unwinding such as having a virtual drink together.
Finding professional support through organizations like the Dart Center can make a world of difference too. Journalists can also turn to online resources such as this Mental Health and Journalism Toolkit. With these measures, the overall mental health of the workplace can be kept healthy and the team can remain functioning at the highest level while navigating the tumultuous experience of working in exile.
