Network for the protection of journalists and media worldwide

Hannah Arendt Initiative

We are a network of civil society organizations that, at the initiative and with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), protects and supports journalists from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus and other countries who are under threat as they conduct their important work.

Among the Hannah Arendt Initiative projects are training measures, regional scholarship programs and exile journalism centers in countries abroad as well as corresponding measures for journalists living in exile in Germany.

Partners in this protection program include DW Akademie, the European Fund for Journalism in Exile (JX Fund), MiCT – Media in Cooperation and Transition, and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).

The program is committed to state neutrality. Funding is based solely on unbiased criteria and independent juries free of state influence.

News from the projects

A compilation of four pictures. The main one shows two veiled women in an interview situation, behind them many more veiled persons are sitting at tables.

In acts of defiance, Afghan journalists continue reporting

Four years after the Taliban takeover, MiCT continues to support Afghan journalists at home and in exile. It provides fellows with stipends, psychosocial care and more, while amplifying their reporting so Afghanistan’s untold stories continue to reach the world.

Click here for a selection of recent reportages.

A reporter with a protection vest is standing in front of a camera, holding a microphone is his hands. A building that has collapsed is seen in the background.

From Gaza: Telling stories the world needs to hear

Despite the extremely dangerous conditions in Gaza, journalists and MiCT Fellows continue to report with courage, many times at great personal cost. They even cover the loss of family, friends and colleagues. Some of their recent work is featured on MiCT’s website.

Click here for the compilation.

Hannah Arendt Initiative at the Global Media Forum 2025

How can forgotten crises be brought back into the news cycle? What role do local media professionals play? How do exiled journalists cope? At #GMF25, partners and experts from DW Akademie, ECPMF, and MiCT shared their expertise.

Click here for the panel with Rafa Renas (MiCT) and Natalia Belikova (Belarus Press Club).

View of a room in the exhibition “The Only Material.”

What drives journalists before the headlines of war take over?

This was in focus of ECPMF’s exhibition called “The Only Material” in the Museum for Communication in Berlin. Personal journeys of Ukrainian journalists reshaped by war were presented through powerful testimonies and photography.

Click here for more information on the exhibition.

Overshoulder-shot shows the frontpage of a newspaper called "La Prensa", behind there is a desktop.

Challenges of exiled female journalists in Central America

A new study from DW Akademie and IPLEX explores the situation of Central American women journalists in exile. With their findings on challenges and the women’s resilience, the authors want to close a knowledge gap.

Click here for the report and the study (in Spanish).

News from the partners

Myanmar nach dem Erdbeben 2025: Ein zerstörtes Gebäude.

Myanmar: How the earthquake and its aftermath impacts journalists

Amid government pressure and a weak infrastructure, journalists in Myanmar struggle to work after the recent earthquake, reports DW Akademie. The organization works with exile media from Myanmar.

Click here for the full report.

JX Fund: Insights into exile media landscapes

The JX Fund’s Country Profiles provide insights into the exile media landscapes of Afghanistan, Belarus, Russia, Syria and, now, Nicaragua. They show the challenges and range of exile media with data-based analysis, expert commentary and up-to-date statistics.

Click here for the Country Profile of Nicaragua.

MiCT book launch: “Unbroken: 14 Stories of Ukrainian Resilience”

Young Ukrainian journalists interviewed other Ukrainians about how Russia’s invasion has affected their lives – and their resilience. Media in Cooperation and Transition supported the journalists, and the new book contains 14 very personal stories.

For more information and to download the book click here.

The Partners of Hannah Arendt Initiative sign call for European support

The US government is cutting aid for independent media. DW Akademie, together with strong partners, is therefore calling for more European support for independent journalism. MiCT, ECPMF and JX Fund – the partners of the Hannah Arendt Initiative – have also joined in.

Click here to read the full call.

Projects

DW Akademie: Space for Freedom

A cameraman is leaning over his camera which is in the foreground. His face is covered by a baseball cap.

Through the project Space for Freedom, DW Akademie and local partner organizations are helping create new perspectives for journalists and media working in exile.

The project is aimed at exiled journalists originally from Belarus, Russia and Central America. It is also developing structures and creating resources to enable exiled journalists and media outlets to continue to report critically.

More information

DW Akademie

Space for Freedom

Projects

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom: Voices of Ukraine

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has been supporting Ukrainian media since the beginning of the full-scale invasion to ensure the continuous work of journalists and contribute to strengthening independent journalism.

The Voices of Ukraine program offers support through emergency grants, technical assistance, insurance for journalists on the front line, training, short-term and long-term residencies, special support for female journalists, and publication support.

More information

ECPMF

Voices of Ukraine

Members of the media covering Russia's war on Ukraine in Kyiv (Kiev) Ukraine, March 14, 2022.

Projects

JX Fund: Rebuilding editorial structures in exile

The JX Fund is helping media workers quickly and flexibly to continue their work after they have fled war and crisis zones. It aims to strengthen independent media in exile beyond a current phase of high attention and to support the building of sustainable media outlets accessible for their home countries.

More information

JX Fund

Study: Rebuilding Russian Media in Exile

Projects

Media in Cooperation and Transition: Critical Voices Fellowship

The MICT Fellowship for Critical Voices is aimed at media professionals from war and crisis regions who are acutely threatened by political persecution, censorship or discrimination in their home countries. This year, the initial focus is on supporting media professionals from Afghanistan, Belarus, Russia, Myanmar and Ukraine.

The Fellowship is intended to provide media professionals with quick and uncomplicated support, initially until the end of the year, so that they can safely pursue their valuable work and continue to inform the target groups in their home countries.

More information

MiCT

MiCT Fellowship for Critical Voices

A journalist wearing a helmet and a protective vest holds a camera in her hand. In the background there are two people wearing army clothing.

Partners

Donors

Contact

info@hannah-arendt-initiative.de

Take part in the discussion via social media: #HannahArendtInitiative