JX Fund, an initiative that supports exiled media, published a report Locking Down the Windows: A New Phase in the Fight for Press Freedom in Russia. The report surveys the state of the Russian media market as the Kremlin continuously expands its toolbox of censorship.
“Hopefully, [the report] can serve to re-energize support, rather than simply serving as a warning of potentially far more serious – and costly – challenges to come if the issues are not addressed now,” writes Penelope Winterhager, Managing Director at JX Fund.
Excerpt from the Executive Summary
- Media need to leverage a broad combination of channels and platforms to reach their audiences and evade censors. They are broadly successful, with both subscriptions and traffic continuing to grow, especially via YouTube and Telegram.
- Although tech solutions have reduced the impact of YouTube slowdowns (importantly, multiple innovative anti-censorship solutions were developed by media themselves) and other forms of censorship, these are taking their toll and leaving audiences with a gap in content. This creates a space for propaganda to grow in.
- Russian media in exile continue extensive independent reporting for the Russian audiences by introducing exemplary tech and product innovation that allows to overcome censorship, protect content consumers and address the news fatigue.
- Russian media in exile proved themselves as valuable investigators in Russia and abroad. Materials of the independent journalists assist multiple stakeholders in tracing the international crime, unmasking national and foreign disinformation campaigns of the Kremlin, revealing security threats from the Russian state in Europe.