June 20, 2026, 07:25June 20, 2026, 07:25
Reporters Without Borders claims to have helped over 243 people escape last year.Image: keystone
Freedom of the press is under pressure: According to an analysis by the organization Reporters Without Borders, journalists are threatened in more and more places because of their work. The number of countries from which journalists have fled has more than doubled within five years, the organization with the international name Reporters sans frontières (RSF) announced on the occasion of World Refugee Day on June 20th.
In 2021, Reporters Without Borders counted 19 countries from which media workers were driven into exile, but by 2025 there were already 40 countries. The escape movements can be traced and explored in more detail on an interactive map. Journalists from Afghanistan, Russia, Syria and Myanmar are particularly affected.
Emergency visas and secure prospects for staying are in demand
Last year alone, Reporters Without Borders supported 243 people who were fleeing legal persecution, threats or attempted murder. The organization calls on receiving states such as Germany to offer journalists emergency visas and safe prospects to stay and to support them in continuing their work from exile. Far too often, media workers still face problems even after they have fled.
In the past five years, the organization’s Berlin emergency aid team says it has supported 547 media professionals arriving in exile in Germany. Most of the journalists who went into exile in Germany during this time came from Russia – namely 241. (sda/dpa)