Media Diversity Institute

By Lailuma SADID, Journalist in Exile

I didn’t plan to leave my country. Like many of my colleagues, I believed that journalism was worth the risks. But when threats turned into raids, and warnings turned into arrests. I was left with a choice: stay and risk everything or flee and try to preserve the one thing they couldn’t take - my voice. 

I chose exile. But what I didn’t realise was how difficult it would be to hold onto that voice once I left.  

For journalists like me, refugees who once worked in media, starting over in a new country brings both relief and a heavy silence. We escape persecution, but we also lose the platforms that once amplified our work. We lose our press badges, our networks, our credibility. We are no longer seen as reporters, cameramen, photographers or editors. We are seen as survivors, which is very painful and unacceptable. That shift is both real and painful. 

One of the biggest barriers I encountered was language. In my home country, I reported in my native tongue. I knew how to shape a story, ask tough questions, and write with nuance. But in exile, I struggle to find the right words even in everyday conversations. Pitching an investigative piece to a foreign editor becomes almost impossible when you cannot really express the complexity of your ideas. Even with a translator, your voice is filtere...Read more