“Voices in exile”: the new project to make France a hub for exiled journalists
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and its consortium partners Canal France International (CFI), SINGA and the Maison des Journalistes (MDJ) have launched Voices in Exile, a project to make France a leading host country for journalists in exile. Supported by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, this aid program will allow journalists and media outlets exiled in Paris to continue their vital work delivering reliable information to their fellow citizens and the world.
Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan – as violent crises and authoritarian regimes grow, hundreds of journalists and media outlets are forced to flee their countries, not just for their own survival, but that of their work. Without their honest, fact-based reporting, how can we fight to uphold the right to information in the places that need it most?
That’s why RSF, the non-profit SINGA, the Maison des Journalistes, and CFI – the operator of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs – have launched Voices in Exile, which will help these media professionals face the daily challenges inherent to exile in both their personal and professional lives.
"The Voices in Exile project responds to a long-standing need and furthers our work at RSF. Many of the 250 journalists who found refuge in France with RSF’s help in the past three years have expressed the need for a connection with the French media ecosystem and professional integration. In countries where free speech is gagged, these journalists and media in exile are sometimes our only access to free and independent information. It is therefore vital to empower them to continue the combat that led them into exile, and support them in their mission to inform.
The program, which will run for at least three years, is centered around three major objectives:
- ensuring the reception and security of the program’s benificiaries, and providing them with administrative, social and cultural support;
- strengthening the beneficiaries’ journalistic work and supporting the production of independent, objective information;
- ensuring the visibility of exiled journalists and media outlets, and encouraging collaborations and shared experiences.
Four groups of 18 journalists will be hosted and supported by the program until March 2027. They will be housed in a residence for journalists located in the Île-de-France region, and participate in a media incubator at the Gaîté Lyrique in Paris.
