Exile Media Forum 2026

Day 1: Exile Media Forum

09:00–09:45: Registration

10:00–10:45 Opening

• Welcome address by Eva Nemela (Körber-Stiftung)
• Keynote by Mohammad Bassiki (SIRAJ): Syrian Exile Journalism Two Years After the Fall of the Assad Dictatorship

10:45–11:45 When the Connection Is Broken: Exile Journalism in the Age of Digital Authoritarianism
Panel

The weeks-long internet shutdown in Iran at the start of 2026 was intended to control the flow of information throughout the country. How did Iranian journalists in exile react to the disruption to communication channels? How does the shutdown fit within the global context of control over digital information networks? What measures can European policymakers take to counteract the digital isolation of other countries? The panel will discuss possible responses to digital authoritarianism.

Speakers: Maziar Bahari (IranWire), Elena Epifanova (DGAP), TBA
Host: Steffen Wurzel (Deutschlandfunk)

11:45–12:15 Break

12:15–13:15 When States Misuse International Mechanisms: On Transnational Repression against Journalists in Exile
Panel in collaboration with the OSCE RFoM

Authoritarian governments are targeting exiled journalists through international policing systems, e.g. by issuing arrest warrants via Interpol, by creating obstacles in accessing financial services abroad, or even by revoking their citizenship. These practices severely restrict journalists’ freedom of movement and can result in substantial legal and financial hardships. What measures are being taken to protect journalists from these forms of transnational repression (TNR)? Building on last year’s panel, which examined TNR in Germany, this discussion shifts the focus to the global TNR-context and the range of international policy responses.

Introduction: Aidar Botagarov (OSCE RFoM)
Speakers: Izzy Cutts (Foreign Policy Centre), Rinat Tuhvatshin (Kloop),
Renaud de Villaine (OHCHR)
Host: Sahar Zand (Freelance Journalist)

13:15–14:15 Lunch break

14.15-15:15 Parallel Deep Dives I

1. Between Home and Exile: Navigating Diaspora Audiences

As reaching audiences at home becomes increasingly difficult, diasporas can provide new audiences, revenue streams, and spaces for community-building. Yet they are far from homogeneous: often dispersed across countries and shaped by different waves of migration, resulting in diverse information needs and varying relationships with exiled media. Following input from Echo and Hrodna, the Deep Dive explores how media outlets navigate these tensions and what they can learn from one another.

Host: Maral Jekta (JX Fund)

2. On Transnational Repression: An Interactive Exchange for Journalists in Exile

Together with Reporters Without Borders Germany exiled journalists will examine existing support mechanisms for dealing with transnational repression (TNR). In this interactive session, participants explore the threats involved, the steps that have proven effective in countering TNR and where gaps still exist. The goal is to inform and empower.
Important: This Deep Dive is aimed exclusively at journalists in exile, and contributions can be made anonymously.

Hosts: Ali Çelikkan and Lisa Kretschmer (Reporters Without Borders Germany)

100. How Exile Journalists Keep Working and Adapting: Exploring Best Practices

Drawing on experience of Voix en Exil, a programme led by SINGA in partnership with several organisations, this hands-on session explores how exile journalists keep working as independents, within an exile media, or by launching a new project. Participants will share strategies, discuss what has and hasn’t worked, and connect with peers facing similar challenges in building or sustaining their journalism work.

Speakers: Anoosha Ansari (Les Voix de l’Avenir), Khaled Khalaf (Marges Syriennes)
Host: Aniss Ould Rabah (SINGA)

100. Mapping your Helpers: How to Build Community Resilience against Digital Authoritarianism

Responses to internet shutdowns, surveillance, and algorithmic manipulation have long focused on digital tools, e.g. the development of circumvention tools and encryption methods. However, new research from Iran has shown that this approach is insufficient without in-country helper communities. This session demonstrates how exile media can identify and work with users back home, who can then equip others with the technical skills needed to stay connected and build resilient information networks.

Hosts: Fereidoon Bashar (ASL19), Patrick Boehler (Gazzetta)

15:15–15:30 Break

15:30–16:30 Parallel Deep Dives II

1. No Safety Net? How Exile Media Are Innovating Through the Funding Crisis

In 2025, US funding cuts threatened the survival of exiled newsrooms. Yet many of them found ways to adapt. This workshop presents findings from JINN’s research on monetisation, revenue models, and strategies beyond donor funding. Following an input by Kirill Artemenko, founder and CEO of Paper, participants will exchange experiences, including successes, failures, and lessons learned.

Speaker: Kirill Artemenko (Paper)
Hosts: Sergey Medvedev and Aigulle Sembaeva (JINN)

2. The Survival Room: Decision-Making Under Pressure in Exile Media

This session will present an interactive crisis simulation exploring the challenges faced by exiled media organisations. Participants will work through a realistic scenario inspired by recurring dilemmas in exile journalism, discussing potential responses and reflecting on resilience, safety, sustainability, and editorial independence under pressure.

Host: The Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO)

100. Beyond the Merger: The Cases for Collaboration Inside the Exile Media Landscape

What does a merger really mean? Is it true collaboration or rather absorption, but with better branding? Media outlets in exile are merging under pressure, at times without a clear road map. While some experiments have been successful, others have resulted in valuable lessons that, so far, have not been made public. This fishbowl discussion asks what collaboration actually demands, and what is lost when it goes wrong for an audience with nowhere else to turn.

Speakers: Kamal Chomani (The Amargi), Ketevan Kavtaradze (Sinatle Media)
Host: Viera Zuborova (CORRECTIV.Exile)

500. Enhancing Digital Safety in Exile: Practical Strategies and Tools

This session provides practical strategies, tools, and techniques to help exiled Afghan and other journalists in exile protect their digital security. Covering encryption, secure communication, and safe browsing, it offers hands-on demonstrations and collaborative discussions, empowering participants to safeguard their identities, sources and work effectively in challenging environments.

Host: Ahmad Quraishi (Afghanistan Journalists Center)

16:30–17:00 Break

17:00–18:00 When Exile Becomes Structural: Latin America and the Future of Press Freedom
Panel in collaboration with SembraMedia

Across Latin America, journalists are increasingly driven into exile by authoritarian governments, organised crime, judicial persecution and territorial violence. As exile becomes a structural condition of journalism, how can independent reporting survive? Drawing on SembraMedia’s regional insights, this panel explores cross-border newsrooms, permanent risk and the support systems needed to sustain journalism from afar.

Speakers: Vania Pigeonutt (taz Panter Stiftung), Melisa Rabanales (freelance journalist), Nelson Rauda Zablah (GFNE)​​​​​​​
Host: Sofi Álvarez (SembraMedia)

18:00 Concluding remarks

… Afterwards: Get-Together in the Körber-Foyer

Day 2: Exile Media Lab

10:00–14:00 Grants, Platforms, Pitches and Networks – How to be Published and Get Paid as a Journalist in Exile
Workshop

What professional challenges do you face as a journalist in exile? How can you finance your work? Where to offer your story ideas and find colleagues for collaboration? This workshop will equip you with practical knowledge on funding, pitching and publishing openings. Through a large set of global and European media platforms for reporting grants, fellowships and other opportunities, you will find which can support your professional life and make it sustainable. You will also learn how to create a good professional profile and where to publish it and how to build a good network of colleagues so that you can keep your professional development competitive and up to date.

Host: Alexenia Dimitrova (Freelance Journalist and Media Trainer)

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

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

Does my registration to the Exile Media Forum 2026 include the Exile Media Lab?
No, attendance for the Exile Media Lab requires separate registration and spaces are limited.

Will the conference be livestreamed? Will photos be taken?
There will not be a livestream of this year’s Exile Media Forum (EMF). Panels on the main stage (excluding Q&A segments and Deep Dives) will be recorded and photographed, and the footage will be published online afterwards for anyone interested, but who cannot join us in person. Photos of conference attendees will not be published. Please note that we cannot guarantee that other participants will not 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. Attendees of the EMF are expected to cover their own travel costs. However, for a limited number of attendees we can provide travel support within Germany. Attendees must be registered to the EMF to be eligible for travel support.