By Mariana Belloso
Carlos Lauría at the IAPA Mid-Year Meeting: “Professional exile is no longer an exceptional phenomenon, but a structural condition of journalism in authoritarian regimes or weakened democracies.”
By Mariana Belloso
Exile has become one of the most visible manifestations of the crisis of press freedom in Latin America. Journalists forced to leave their countries, newsrooms that continue to operate from outside their borders, and media outlets surviving under highly precarious conditions were some of the topics addressed in the panel “Resilient Journalism in the Face of Exile: Two Years of the IAPA Assistance Network,” held on Friday, April 24, during the Midyear Meeting of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA).
The panel analyzed the impact and challenges of the Latin American Network of Journalism in Exile (RELPEX), an initiative launched by the IAPA to assist journalists and media outlets displaced by political persecution, censorship, and the criminalization of journalism in the region. RELPEX currently has more than 400 registered journalists from countries such as Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, among others.
The first part of the meeting focused on the origins, objectives, and achievements of the network during its first two years of operation. Carlos Lauría, executive director of the IAPA, described the creation of RELPEX as a direct response to the sustained increase in the exile and forced displacement of Latin American journalists.
From that perspective, Lauría emphasized that professional exile is no longer an exceptional phenomenon, but rather a structural condition of journalism in authoritarian regimes or weakened democracies. RELPEX, he added, responds to this with emergency support programs, legal assistance, and an employability fund that covers half the salaries of journalists hired by media outlets in exile.
Support for media outlets is key
In the same segment, Juan Lorenzo Holmann, general manager of the Nicaraguan daily La Prensa, shared the experience of one of the region’s most iconic media outlets, which now operates entirely from exile following the imprisonment of its leadership, the confiscation of its headquarters, and the expulsion of a large part of its team.
Holmann noted that RELPEX’s support has had a direct impact on the outlet’s work and the sustainability of its journalism team. “Regimes expel journalists because they want to silence them, and that is what the Network is preventing. It does so by strengthening the media, and that is very important,” he said.
Regarding the awards La Prensa has received while in exile, he stated that these recognitions not only motivate them to continue their work but have also had concrete political effects. “Nicaragua withdrew from UNESCO because (that global organization) recognized the work we are doing,” he explained.
Support and Updates
The second part of the panel focused on the challenges and opportunities of journalism in exile, featuring Patricia Marcano, editorial coordinator of Armando.info (Venezuela), and José Jasán Nieves, director of elTOQUE (Cuba)—two media outlets that have managed to establish transnational working models despite sustained persecution by their respective regimes.
Nieves explained the difficulties of managing dispersed newsrooms, protecting teams and sources, sustaining journalistic production without a physical presence on the ground, and facing stigmatization campaigns, legal threats, and economic pressure from exile.
For his part, Marcano noted that working outside their home countries forces journalists to rethink their routines, narratives, and organizational models, all while facing daily challenges of survival. One phenomenon he has observed, he said, is that in Venezuela, sources feel more comfortable speaking with journalists who are abroad than with those who still live in the country. This poses an additional challenge for reporting, with greater demands for verification.
Added to this are the pressures inherent in exile that they must face. “In a country that isn’t your own, you’re thinking about how to make a living, pay the rent, and reach your sources, and you end up putting aside important things like training and staying current. This is something RELPEX is working on, and it’s very important,” he commented.
The discussion highlighted that exile does not necessarily mean silence, but it does require sustained support—legally, economically, and psychosocially—so that journalists can continue to practice their profession with dignity and safety. “Not everyone will be able to continue practicing journalism from exile, and we must also support them in taking that leap and adapting. Who’s to say that in the future we won’t be able to bring back these professionals who remain journalists at heart?” Nieves suggested.
The forum concluded with an invitation for journalists living in exile or displacement to register with RELPEX via this link, so they can access the resources and programs available through the organization.