From the Azerbaijani Meydan TV to Syrian citizen journalists and internet dissidents from Sri Lanka: there are dozens of exile media outlets in Germany, which engage in all kinds of ways with the public discourse in their countries of origin. Yet, little is known about their activities.

How journalistic is the information provided by the activists? Does the confrontational production of news contribute to the resolution of conflicts or rather to their escalation? How can media development, human rights and media policies support such refugee programmes?

This was discussed at the Jour Fixe of the “Forum Medien und Entwicklung” (FoME) on Thursday, May 12th, from 2pm to 6pm in Berlin at the Permanent Representation of the State of Sachsen-Anhalt (Vertretung des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt beim Bund), Luisenstraße 18.

We have invited exile journalists like Biniam Simon, the editor in chief of the Eritrean exile radio “Erena”, Emin Mili from Berlin-based Meydan TV, the convener of Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) Bashana Abeywardane, Maryia Sadouskaya-Komlach, who worked with the European Radio for Belarus, the co-founder of “Raqqa is being slaughtered silently” Abdalaziz Alhamza and many more.

Journalist and media expert Gemma Pörzgen facilitated the meeting. The key note was be given by Stephan Steinlein, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office.

The aim of the Jour Fixe was to share experiences of working in exile, discuss recent developments and perspectives especially for exile journalists in Germany.

The event was co-hosted by the German section of Reporters Without Borders and Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT).

See the programme here