Voices in Exile Support Programme for Media and Journalists in Exile – First Cohort

The role of journalists, media and civil society actors in exile is essential in disseminating reliable information to their fellow citizens who have remained in their country, to the diasporas, and to the rest of the world. Given the deterioration of the international context, the risk of a significant increase in the number of journalists and media forced to leave their countries is very high.

This project, with an initial duration of 3 years, will be launched in April 2024 and aims to:

• Ensure the safety of journalists in exile in France;
• Offer multidimensional support to journalists in exile in France wishing to continue their professional activity: socio-cultural support, psycho-social support, legal and administrative support, editorial, managerial and digital capacity building, networking, etc.;
• Support these journalists in their professional careers and facilitate the realization of their projects, including the creation of new media;
• Contribute to sharing and creating links with existing initiatives to support journalists and media in exile in Europe.

4 cohorts of 18 beneficiaries will be welcomed and supported as part of this project until March 2027.

This call for applications is dedicated to the first cohort of this project that will benefit from support between June 2024 and March 2025 (6-month support program followed by a 3-month post-program).

The Beneficiaries

• The support is offered to independent journalists in exile already present in France or in other Schengen countries, and who wish to continue their journalistic project. The journalist can indicate if he or she has a dependent family (consisting of spouse and children). The support provided will include, under certain conditions, accommodation for beneficiaries and their families. The person can also indicate their specific gender-related needs.
• NB: Other calls for applications are planned from September 2024 and may concern journalists and media outlets in exile who do not reside in a Schengen country.

Support & Guidance 

• Applicants will indicate the type(s) of support they wish to receive to pursue their journalistic project. The program will offer one or more types of support, depending on the needs expressed and the profiles of the candidates.
  • Support for daily life and installation in France:
    • Administrative support;
    • Social and cultural activities;
    • French lessons;
    • Personalized psychological and psychosocial support;
    • Accommodation in “Ile-de-France” for some selected journalists and, under certain conditions, for their families (spouse and child).
  • Access to workspaces and equipment:
    • A laptop;
    • Access to a workstation and workspace;
    • Access to audiovisual production studios (podcast, video).
  • Journalistic Capacity Building and Professional Support Program:
    • Within an incubator located in an ecosystem dedicated to creative industries and emerging media in Paris, several types of support will be offered to journalists, which they will be able to choose according to their needs:
      • Training (security, disinformation, fact-checking, audience and social networks, editorial management and strategy, quality of productions, etc.);
      • Mentoring and support for content production;
      • Support for socio-professional integration (exchanges and collaborations with French and European media, participation in dedicated events);
      • Selective grants for content production.
  • Support in the ideation and development of the journalistic project: 
    • Workshops (administrative and financial management, business creation, viability of the business model, etc.);
    • One-on-one mentoring and coaching.
    • For all project beneficiaries

Duration and Location of the Program

• The first cohort of the project will receive support and guidance between June 2024 and March 2025. The support program lasts 6 months (June 2024 to December 2024). The post-program lasts an additional 3 months (January 2025 to March 2025).
• The workspaces, the support programs and most of the activities will take place in Paris, within the Gaité Lyrique.
• Accommodation for the journalists concerned will be located in “Ile-de-France”.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants will be required to meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
  • You work as a journalist, you are from a country outside the European Union and are in exile because of your journalistic activities, and you wish to settle temporarily or in the longer term in France or in another country of the Schengen area;
  • You already have a refugee status, or a residence permit, issued by the French State or you already have a residence permit and a travel permit issued by another country in the Schengen area;
  • You have an information and/or a journalism project and are looking to develop it, whether it is in the process of being developed or at the initial stage of reflection. The accepted formats include in particular: written, audiovisual, photographic, press cartoons;
  • You want to take the time for several months to move forward on your project and/or to acquire new skills;
  • You undertake to respect the principles of ethics and editorial independence specific to journalism according to the Munich Charter of 1971;
  • You have a sufficient command of English and/or French (level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) as an oral working language (and you undertake to take French courses if necessary).

For more information, visit CFI.