04/25/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/25/2024 09:42
Today, 71 percent of people live in countries that are considered autocratic. That's up from 48 percent just a decade ago. The independent research institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden that published these figures also found that nearly four dozen more countries are "autocratizing."
The implications of this are profound. In the most oppressive autocracies, freedom of expression, freedom of association, free and fair elections and other democratic values are absent. In others, they may be present in part but insufficient.
In the work we do at ICFJ, we see these trends up close. It is particularly evident in the increasing number of journalists forced to flee their homes due to threats designed to silence them. They come from every region of the world, countries like El Salvador and Nicaragua, Syria and Türkiye, Belarus and Russia, Hong Kong and Myanmar…the list goes on and on.
Recognizing the growing need, we have ramped up support for exiled journalists, many of whom face threats even after relocating. Examples include:
The needs of exiled media are urgent and unique, which is why tailored, increased support is so important. It helps ensure talented, courageous journalists who have lost so much can continue to empower their communities with information that pushes back against propaganda and disinformation - even from afar.