This resource is part of our Exiled Media Toolkit, produced in partnership with the Network of Exiled Media Outlets (NEMO), and with the generous support of the Joyce Barnathan Emergency Fund for Journalists.
One of the key challenges for almost any media outlet operating in exile is creating and maintaining a network of reporters within its home country. Having trustworthy reporters on the ground who act efficiently – but carefully – is necessary for obtaining a reliable picture of what is happening inside the country.
While this is true for hybrid newsrooms (editorial offices that operate semi-legally or legally within their home countries without extreme daily risks), it holds especially true for newsrooms that find themselves completely abroad. Unfortunately, the number of countries where independent journalism is outlawed is increasing, among them Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Russia.
At Meduza, the largest independent Russian-language media outlet, we have a decade of experience establishing a network of journalists inside Russia from abroad. Here’s what we’ve learned:
Meduza’s context
We launched Meduza in 2014 in Riga, Latvia, against the backdrop of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the country’s increasing pressure on independent media, and the beginning of the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine. We were the first major Russian media outlet started abroad, a decade before the whole of Russia’s independent journalism sector left the country.
In addition to our base in Latvia, from 2014 to 2022 we had an editorial office in Moscow. Some of our reporters were even accredited by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which essentially treated them like foreign correspondents in their own country, though it enabled us to work in relatively safe conditions).
In 2022, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the introduction of complete media censorship in Russia, we were forced to evacuate all of our employees abroad.
The following year, Meduza was declared an “undesirable organization.” Today, any interaction with the publication is considered a crime. Donating to Meduza or giving interviews to our reporters are both crimes, the latter of which can send someone to prison for four or more years.
Since the moment our editorial staff was forced to flee Russia until today, we have been building a network of freelancers inside the country who provide our editors with vital information about what is happening there. Every day they are in real danger; on more than one occasion, our editors have had to help freelancers urgently leave the country.
Working in such conditions is what we at Meduza call “impossible reporting.” And the journalists themselves who continue to collaborate with an officially banned organization? We call them “guerilla reporters.”
In light of the danger these journalists face, it is difficult to speak publicly about the specific mechanics of their work, and the protocols that they and the editors who interact with them follow. Nevertheless, the following recommendations can be useful for those who are forced to build a similar network now or in the future:
Establish operating rules
Editorial offices in exile must have trusted people on the ground; quality journalism cannot be conducted solely through external observation.
Although technology has greatly improved in recent years, both in terms of collecting information (such as through open source intelligence (OSINT)), and content delivery and access (through VPNs and other methods that can bypass website blockades), these developments are no replacement for on-the-ground reporting.
Reporting in country requires the establishment of strict operating rules that describe how reporters interact with sources, editors, and each other. It’s imperative that these rules take into account local laws: operating rules must be reviewed by media lawyers with knowledge of local legislation.
Your journalists should formally confirm their willingness to work according to your policies, and must be aware that any violation may result in your publication deciding to stop working with them.
Importantly, operating rules must minimize or, ideally, entirely eliminate situations when the freelance reporter’s connection with the exiled organization can be revealed. Implementing procedures and technologies that help maintain the anonymity of reporters is therefore essential.
There can be no shortcuts taken here: rules must be set for the use of SIM cards, social media, messaging apps, and email accounts. Consult technical experts to help develop safety procedures. If your publication does not have an IT department, try finding specialists through international organizations and other media outlets.
The issue of how to pay journalists you work with in your home country, and how to transfer them reporting equipment present another set of challenges. Unfortunately, these tasks can be especially difficult – and negligence can compromise reporters’ safety.
It is up to your organization to develop thorough procedures that allow you to financially and organizationally support your reporting network. Regularly monitor these procedures to ensure they stay relevant to the country context.
Maintain high journalistic quality
Guerilla reporting requires sober-minded, cool-headed professionals who adhere to the highest standards of journalism. And newsrooms working with guerilla reporters must strive to maintain high standards of their own.
Newsrooms must implement checklists and adopt tools that allow them to independently verify their journalists’ reporting. For example, editors should have access to reporters' supporting materials (transmitted via secure channels). Any operation on the ground must be carefully discussed with an editor, and each character's identity, expertise, relationship to authorities, and relevance to the story should also be discussed.
Editors must carefully choose who they work with, and should have a plan for how to vet potential reporters. For instance, newsrooms can verify reporters’ independence from authorities by speaking with mutual colleagues and checking their social media activity.
There are many nuances here. One hiring mistake can destroy an entire network of freelance reporters and undermine the credibility of the publication. One bad hire who cooperates with authorities or behaves carelessly can put the entire network in danger.
Editorial considerations
Working with reporters on the ground requires a sustained focus from the whole newsroom. When journalists work in a dangerous environment long term, they may grow to consider risks less dangerous than they truly are. People can get used to anything, and it is often when they feel at ease that they are most in danger.
Newsrooms should regularly review and evaluate the rules they put in place for freelancers to keep up with changes in legislation and how law enforcement operates. Ongoing training should also be required for editors working with freelancers.
In addition, editors who work with reporters on the ground must be prepared to solve problems of unprecedented complexity. Reporting in a country like Russia where you may only be able to include anonymous sources in your coverage invites new issues that may not be covered in traditional journalism training.
To draw up rules for a network of in-country reporters, it can be useful to turn to the experience of social and political activists, human rights NGOs, and opposition movements operating in the region. Often, they rely on the same freelancers. Coordination between organizations is important: if the protocols developed in different editorial offices vary dramatically, the danger for reporters increases many times over.
Finally, any editorial office that decides to build such a network must be logistically and financially prepared to evacuate a journalist in danger and support them in exile. Providing psychological help may also be needed. The fundamental recommendation in this regard is simple: if any serious security issue arises, you immediately halt your journalist’s reporting and evacuate them.
If your media outlet in exile is planning to build a network of in-country freelancers and needs advice, or if you have important thoughts of your own you’d like to share, you can contact me or my colleagues at info@exiled.media.
Ivan Kolpakov is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Meduza, the largest independent Russian publication. It operates in exile from Riga, Latvia.