Hannah Arendt Initiative: A network to protect media workers

In October 2022, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media launched the Hannah Arendt Initiative, a program dedicated to the protection of journalists under threat. This network of civil society organizations support journalists and media workers from crisis and conflict zones with – for example – fellowships, training opportunities and consultations. Along with DW Akademie, partners of the initiative include the European Fund for Journalism in Exile (JX Fund), Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) and the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).

"When you are in exile, you are not in a good psychological place. Writing is somehow difficult, but I still try. If I stop writing, I stop existing."

Participant of the Space for Freedom project, a part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, aimed at supporting and training Afghan media professionals in exile. 

Within the framework of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, DW Akademie has implemented the Space for Freedom project, which aims to support media professionals in Afghanistan, Belarus and Russia who are now working in exile. Structures and resources are also being put in place so that these media professionals can continue to report independently on their home countries.