Exile Media Forum 2025

The seventh Exile Media Forum (EMF) took place on 04 and 05 November 2025.

How can journalism in exile remain resilient, impactful, and connected in the face of mounting global pressure? The Exile Media Forum 2025 brought together exiled journalists, support organisations, and international experts for in-depth exchanges, reflections, and networking opportunities. On the second day, the Exile Media Lab offered a practical workshop on open-source intelligence investigative tactics and practices.

The Exile Media Forum is part of the Hamburg Week of Press Freedom, an initiative of Körber-Stiftung and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.

Day 1: Exile Media Forum

10:00–11:00 Opening

• Welcome address by Eva Nemela (Körber-Stiftung)
• Exile Media Revisited: From Past Keynotes to Today
  Speakers: Katerina Abramova (Meduza), Lotfullah Najafizada (Amu TV)
  Host: Sonja Wimschulte (Körber-Stiftung)
• Keynote: On Exile Journalism from Sudan
  Speaker: Amal Habani (Sudanese Journalists Network)

11:00–12:00 Panel: New Threats, New Strategies? On the State of Exile Journalism
Speakers: Natalia Belikova (Belarus Press Club), Jan Braathu (OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media), Jodie Ginsberg (Committee to Protect Journalists)
Host: Brigitte Baetz (Deutschlandfunk)

The loss of international funding means existential cuts for numerous exile media outlets. At the same time, they are constantly confronted with new digital challenges and political attacks. What is the situation of exile journalism in 2025?

12:00–12:45 Lunch break

12:45–13:45 Panel: In Exile and Safe? On Transnational Repression in Germany
Speakers: Julia Idler-Poppe (German Federal Ministry of the Interior), Basma Mostafa (Law and Democracy Support Foundation e.V.), Anja Osterhaus (Reporters without Borders)
Host: Steffen Wurzel (Deutschlandfunk)

For many journalists, fleeing to Germany offers only apparent safety. Through intimidation, threats, violence or even murder, the long arm of their home regime reaches into exile. How can so-called transnational repression be combated?

13:45–14:15 Break

14:15–15:00 Deep Dives I

1. The Fast-Built Force: How Afghan Media in Exile Became the Taliban’s Worst Nightmare
   Speakers: Sharif Amiry (Amu TV), Naveeda Khoshbo (Volant Media)
   Host: Lotfullah Najafizada (Amu TV)
   
   Since the Taliban’s return to power, a wave of Afghan media outlets has risen in exile. They have become one of the most significant challenges to the Taliban’s narrative control. A panel discussion on what exile Afghan media has achieved, the challenges they continue to face, and the vital lessons they offer to other journalists in crisis.

2. Showcasing Impact Beyond Metrics: How to Define and Measure the Impact of Journalism in Exile
   Host: JX Fund
   
   How do media in exile know that their content is not losing relevance? How can they contribute to solving problems in their home countries? What is the best way to shape the dialog with donors who are asking for measurable impact? An open discussion to share experiences, and brainstorm new approaches with first inputs from colleagues from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia and Syria.

100. Stay Safe Online to Protect Yourself Offline: Everyday Security for Exile Media Makers
     Trainer: Hagen Lindner (Security 4 Good)
     
     The workshop will explore digital security choices that balance protection, practicality, and the emotional realities of exile media work. It will provide ready-to-use tactics and procedures for protecting accounts, devices, identities, and communications. It will discuss how to prioritize tasks to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

500. Collaborating in Exile: How do Journalists in Exile Reclaim their Space?
     Speakers: Masha Borzunova (ARTE), Tobore Ovuorie (Freelance Journalist)
     Host: Nazeeha Saeed (Freelance Journalist)
     
     Journalism in exile is moving to the centre, yet journalists in exile face obstacles in connecting locally, while host-country media rarely engage with them. This session, hosted by ECPMF, explores strategies to overcome barriers and foster sustainable, cross-border cooperation through interactive discussion.​​​​

15:00–15:15 Break

15:15–16:00 Deep Dives II

1. Impossible Crowdfunding: How to Rely on Donations When Most of Your Readers Cannot Support You
   Speaker: Katerina Abramova (Meduza)
   
   For more than four years, Meduza — Russia’s largest independent newsroom in exile — has survived thanks to crowdfunding. This session will share lessons on sustaining reader-funded journalism under extreme conditions (Meduza is outlawed in Russia, so its core audience inside the country cannot donate), while addressing challenges like news avoidance, community building, newsroom engagement, interactive formats and digital security.

2. From Text to Innovation: How Exile Journalists Adapt to Censorship and Algorithmic Challenges
   Speaker: Lev Gershenzon (The True Story), Maria Savushkina (The Free Media Center)
   Host: Viera Zuborova (CORRECTIV.Exile)
   
   AI-driven information delivery and digital censorship challenges traditional text-based journalism. The discussion will examine how exile media can harness alternative forms to engage communities, promote media literacy, and resist algorithmic marginalisation by platforms such as Google’s AI Overviews. It explores formats that circumvent censorship by considering technical solutions and artistically innovative approaches.

3. AI for Media in Exile: A Discussion on the Innovation Opportunities and Ethical Considerations
   Speaker: Alexey Terekhov (Media Development Expert), anon.
   Hosts: Sara Elkhalili (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Nick Slater (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

   Exiled independent media face growing pressures, limited resources, and ethical dilemmas as AI tools rapidly evolve. AI offers benefits but also risks in both editorial and operational use, from prioritising and selecting tools to deployment. This session brings experts and a newsroom in exile together, facilitating practical lesson sharing and a discussion of newsroom-specific ethical considerations.

500. How Can Exile Media be Resilient?
     Speakers: Sandy Soe (Monitoring and Evaluation Expert), Karen Williams (Media Expert)
     Hosts: Esther Dorn-Fellermann (DW Akademie), Eva Garcke (DW Akademie)
     
     DW Akademie have examined the operational strategies and adaptive capacities of exile media in Afghanistan and Myanmar, focusing on challenges and resilience factors. The evidence-based findings will be presented for discussion in a World Café format and serve as a basis for actionable recommendations for media organisations, media development professionals, and stakeholders, including donors and policymakers.

16:00–16:30 Break

16:30–17:30 Panel: One Person’s Refuge, Another Person’s Danger Zone: Exile in and Exile from South East Europe
Speakers: Gabor Kardos (Magyar Jeti), ​​​​​​​Iryna Khalip ​​​​​(Novaya Gazeta Europe​​​​​​​), Nino Zhizhilashvili (TV Formula)
Host: Christoph Plate (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung)

Journalists from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Georgia have opted to work outside their home countries – as their work becomes increasingly stifled back home. Not being exiled in the classical sense, their departures indicate a growing sense of insecurity for journalists in some EU-countries or aspiring EU-candidate states. Some of these places ironically are safe havens for people who come from even more severe environments. This panel explores this ambiguous situation in South East Europe and beyond.

17:30 Get Together in the Körber-Foyer

Day 2: Exile Media Lab

9:00–13:00 Workshop: 101 Places to Investigate Your Country
Trainer: Alexenia Dimitrova (Freelance ​​​​​​​Journalist & Media Trainer)

Are the authorities in your home country restricting information from journalists? Do you need alternative sources to find records and data? Are you looking for hidden story gems? In this interactive OSINT (open-source intelligence) session, you will learn how to track open-source information across borders and access it through international public records, online databases, platforms and archives. Working alongside the trainer, you will discover how to unlock valuable sources of information that extend well beyond conventional national resources.

13:00–14:00 Lunch

What is the conference language?
The conference language is English.

Will there be a livestream of the conference? Will photos be taken?
Unlike in previous years, there will not be a livestream of this year’s Exile Media Forum (EMF). This means digital participation is not possible.
Photos will be taken during the event, but they will not be published on our official channels. Please note that we cannot guarantee other participants won’t take their own photos and share them publicly.

Is there a participation fee for the EMF?
The EMF is free of charge, but online registration is required. We recommend registering early, as the number of participants is limited and the event can fill up quickly.

Are hotel accommodations included in the registration?
Travel and accommodation are not included in the EMF registration. If needed, participants are responsible for booking their own hotel rooms.

Will there be another Young Exile Media Forum this year? How can I register?
Yes, this year there will again be a second day of the conference featuring a practical workshop for a smaller group of participants. This second day is no longer called the “Young Exile Media Forum” but is now named “Exile Media Lab”. Participation in the Exile Media Lab requires separate registration.