Exile Media Forum 2023

The fifth Exile Media Forum and the Young Exile Media Forum took place in Hamburg on 12 and 13 September 2023.

Lotfullah Najafizada, former director of the Afghan news television station TOLOnews, held the keynote at Germany’s largest professional conference for journalists in exile. After going into exile in Canada in 2021, Najafizada founded Amu TV, one of the largest Afghan media in exile, in 2022.

In addition to the events in Afghanistan, the conference focused on developments in exile journalism from Russia, Belarus and Iran. In an extra spotlight, the situation of Ukrainian journalists was highlighted.

Other guests included Anton Lysenkov, editor-in-chief of the Russian news platform Spektr.Press, and Zahra Joya, founder of the Afghan online magazine Rukhshana Media.

The topics of the conference also included: How can a media outlet successfully establish itself in exile? What legal and tax requirements must journalists in exile adhere to in order to work for exile media in Germany? How can digital security be improved for journalists in exile?

Our guest partner this year, the British organisation Justice for Journalists, addressed other practical formats.

The Exile Media Forum and the Young Exile Media Forum were part of the 1. Hamburger Woche der Pressefreiheit, an initiative of the Körber-Stiftung and the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin and Gerd Bucerius.