Letters From the Field
From Afghanistan and Nigeria to Ukraine, journalists speak of exile, legacy, and resilience. Move through the map to encounter their stories, insights, and calls to action. Discover stories from the journalists we interviewed by interacting with the highlighted sections of the map.
From Afghanistan and Nigeria to Ukraine, journalists speak of exile, legacy, and resilience. Move through the map to encounter their stories, insights, and calls to action.
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Read the Full Letter from Afghanistan
“Journalists are not just reporters of events; we are
— Zahra Joya, Editor-in-Chief of Rukhshana Media
guardians of historical truth. In a world where censorship, propaganda and lies are so often promoted, our voices may be the only remaining record of a generation’s
resistance.” -
Read the Full Letter from Guatemala
In every case of repression, journalists adapted. From creating support and collaboration networks, to independent media archives or the creation of exile journalism. And in every case, the answer was not less journalism — but more.”
— Jose Carlos Zamora, Regional Director for the Americas Committee to Protect Journalists -
Read the Full Letter from Kenya
During times of political turmoil, people often look for a savior or an alternative leader, and journalists, through bold and truthful reporting, are uniquely positioned to fill
— James Okong’o, Independent Digital Investigations Journalist
this gap.” -
Read the Full Letter from Lebanon
Courage does not have one single shape. Some days it’s loud. Some days it’s just staying alive to tell the next story.”
— Joe Kawly, Producer & Host at The Diplomat -
Read the Full Letter from Latin America
In the face of governmental obstruction, declining transparency and intimidation strategies, there is one clear response: better journalism.”
— Martha Ramos, Chief Editorial Officer of Organización Editorial Mexicana -
Read the Full Letter from Nigeria
In the darkest and most ferocious moments of Nigeria’s totalitarian experience, two survival strategies worked for us: courage and community.”
— Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher at Premium Times -
Read the Full Letter from Serbia
When those in power want to stay invisible,
— Teodora Curcié, Data Journalist Center for Investigative at Journalism of Serbia
they don’t have to say ‘no.’ They just make things slow, complicated and exhausting – so you
stop asking.” -
Read the Full Letter from Syria
Our fight as journalists isn’t just against censorship; it’s against forgetting what
— Lina Chawaf, CEO of Radio Rozana
freedom feels like.” -
Read the Full Letter from Ukraine
Rarely do threats arrive all at once. They slip in quietly: an accreditation that never comes through, a source too frightened to speak, a records request endlessly delayed, an editor who shelves a story for
— Tanya Kozyreva, Chief DC Correspondent at Suspilne
being ‘too political’ ”
When we started CNTI nearly two years ago, it was with the firm belief that an independent and diverse news media is critical to the future of functioning, free societies.
The United States has long been a beacon of such press freedom. It is now, however, facing an unprecedented level of threat. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker documented 196 incidents targeting press freedom in 2024, including 80 incidents of assault against journalists and 49 incidents of arrests of or criminal charges pressed against journalists.
These attacks are continuing in 2025. Trusted news sources have been banned from press pools, outlets have been targeted with lawsuits, and social media is filled with comments calling reporters “enemy of the people.” Furthermore, in April, Attorney General Pam Bondi released a memo that could make it easier for the Justice Department to pursue journalists to reveal their sources when reporting on the leak of classified material.
For many other countries, this kind of threat has been an ongoing reality for years, if not decades. One hundred twenty-four journalists were killed in 2024, including in Haiti, Mexico and Gaza, making it the most deadly year on record. Countries like China, Russia, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Belarus regularly arrest journalists, often co-opting democratic language to falsify claims of “extremism,” “terrorism” or “fake news.” Pegasus spyware has been used to target journalists in Serbia, Jordan, El Salvador, Armenia and many other countries. And journalists around the world are victims of doxxing, defamation and disinformation campaigns.
Despite these risks and attacks, journalists continue to work to bring verifiable, trustworthy information to their communities, even in closed spaces.
Over the next month, CNTI will share first-person stories from several of these journalists and their advice for American journalists: Zahra Joya, one of Time magazine’s 2022 women of the year, covers women’s issues in Afghanistan from exile, in defiance of the Taliban; Dapo Olorunyomi has been fighting for press freedom since Nigeria was under military rule in the 1980s, when newspapers could not be openly sold; and Tanya Kozyreva seeks to bring important stories to light in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
These nine journalists from around the world offer valuable insights into the essential role journalists play in bringing truth to light, in countering oppression and in how to keep going in face of attacks and insecurity. They work against the odds to carry out the important role of journalism. These voices help build strength and solidarity across countries and provide us with reasons to be hopeful.
As the United States prepares to celebrate Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, let’s remember to celebrate — and to continue to fight for — the constitutional rights our founders fought for, including freedom of the press.
Read The Full Letters
- A Letter from Afghanistan by Zahra Joya
- A Letter from Kenya by James Okong’o
- A Letter from Serbia by Teodora Ćurčić
- A Letter from Nigeria by Dapo Olorunyomi
- A Letter from Lebanon by Joe Kawly
- A Letter from Ukraine by Tanya Kozyreva
- A Letter from Latin America by Martha Ramos
- A Letter from Syria by Lina Chawaf
- A Letter from Guatemala by Jose Carlos Zamora
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