While many journalists fled Russia after the invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago, some journalism students stayed. This is their story: learning the craft of reporting in a system designed to silence it, and facing a future where their chosen profession is all but outlawed.

How do you build a media outlet for an entire continent? Since November 2022, The European Correspondent has been creating a pan-European news model from scratch. What began as a volunteer project now has 70,000 newsletter subscribers and €2.16 million in funding. Here's their journey:

How can independent media attract investment during war? The partnership between Dutch impact fund Pluralis & Ukrainian news agency Ukrayinska Pravda offers a model. It injects essential capital into a stressed media ecosystem, showing a sustainable way to support press freedom in tough environments

Are your newsroom's assumptions getting in the way of audience growth? The solution might be "product thinking". In our new FixEd podcast episode, Orsolya Seregely speaks to Fabienne Meijer, a product thinking expert from @occrp.org, about how this mindset is becoming essential for sustainability.

While many Russian journalists fled after the 2022 invasion, a new generation of journalism students stayed. What is it like to study reporting in a country with extreme wartime censorship? @verosnoj.bsky.social looks inside the difficult choices facing Russia's future journalists.

Our colleagues at WAN-IFRA have published their annual trends report. The full study is available to the association’s members, and there’s a public summary.

Netherlands-based impact investment fund Pluralis announced its first Ukrainian investment – a welcome bright spot as its media sector grapples with the economic fallout of Russia’s war. The funds will help Ukrayinska Pravda, one of Ukraine’s leading publishers, launch and market its first paywall.

As @kyivindependent.com grew from a startup into Ukraine's leading English-language voice, the demands and pace increased significantly. In this episode, CEO Daryna Shevchenko discusses how pressure can affect performance and attitude. 🎧 Listen to the full episode now 👉 thefix.media/2026/01/22/f...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to severe suppression of free speech, forcing many journalists to leave the country. What is it like for Russian journalism students who stayed to navigate such turmoil during their studies? @verosnoj.bsky.social explains.

An Italian newspaper used AI to create a memorial for COVID victims that evolved into a community treasure. L’Eco di Bergamo has digitised 320,000+ obituaries dating back to the 1950s, creating an unprecedented historical archive. Here’s their remarkable story in a 🧵:

Hiring, managing, and firing are the hardest parts of leadership. Now imagine doing it while running a newsroom during a full-scale war. Daryna Shevchenko, CEO of @kyivindependent.com, shares her invaluable lessons on talent management under extreme pressure in our latest FixEd podcast episode 👇

Over the past decade, a wave of English-language media outlets has reshaped how CEE is covered internationally — from Visegrad Insight to Telex and Direkt36. We explore this growing transregional media ecosystem and how Hungarian outlets are increasingly addressing global audiences directly 👇

Ever wondered why Wikipedia's donation banners are so long? In this FixEd episode, Wikimedia's Fundraising Director Sheetal Puri reveals that their data consistently shows that longer, heartfelt messages outperform short, simple ones. More about their fundraising approach👉 pod.link/1834171300?r...

Exiled Venezuelan journalists in Spain, Dariela Sosa and @adistasiob.bsky.social , pin hopes on the US operation to restore press freedom back home. While waiting, they’re pioneering creative workarounds to bypass censorship and keep independent reporting alive.

As Hungary makes news across Europe, more major publishers are also broadcasting in English. The Fix’s Alessandro Pilo spoke with @telexhu.bsky.social, @direkt36.bsky.social, @atlatszo.hu, and Lakmusz.

Russia’s February 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine has only strengthened the censorship already endorsed in the country, becoming one of the main reasons why many Russians, and journalists in particular, were forced to leave to be able to report independently on the war and its consequences.

New from The Fix – Venezuelan journalists exiled in Spain hope that the American operation in Venezuela will restore freedom of the press, @romainchauvet.bsky.social reports. In the meantime, they are using innovative initiatives to overcome censorship.

The 2022 invasion of Ukraine has brought censorship in Russia to a new level. By 2025, restrictions on accessing information had taken a new turn, posing even greater challenges for media makers.

Small newsroom? No budget for A/B testing your fundraising? Here's some advice from @wikimediafoundation.org's Fundraising Director Sheetal Puri: Look at what larger organisations with more testing capacity are doing. Don’t copy... but do get inspired. Our new podcast is full of practical tips 👇

2025 definitely was not the year of the website – but The Wall Street Journal dubbed it “the year of the newsletter.”

What’s top of mind for 280 news leaders from 51 countries in 2026? @reutersinstitute.bsky.social annual report by Nic Newman delivers the gospel. The Fix’s take: three standout observations on what matters most, what’s novel, and what our readers care about.

New from The Fix – the war against Ukraine has brought censorship in Russia to a new level. By now, restrictions in accessing information have taken a new turn, posing even more challenges to media makers, @verosnoj.bsky.social writes.

Amid shrinking traffic from social platforms, French independent outlet Basta! leaned into its core community in 2025, securing nearly €400,000 in reader donations. The Fix spoke with the development manager to unpack their strategy.

[email protected] seeks the next generation of news communicators who understand the medium, hustle for audiences &believe journalism can take many formats. Learn more about the outlet's partnerships with creators in the FixEd podcast featuring executive editor James West 👉 pod.link/1834171300?r...

New from The Fix – Anton Protsiuk writes about three key observations from @reutersinstitute.bsky.social's fresh trends report. Will everyone become a creator by 2027? How do AI platforms change what kind of journalism we produce? What platforms will publishers (de)prioritise this year?

As print declines, how do you migrate older readers over 50— the most resistant to digital — to online news? Two German outlets, @taz.de and RUMS, show it’s possible.

French outlet Basta! raised nearly €400k in reader donations in 2025 — growing 10–15% annually for a decade. Now they’re launching a curated news feed from trusted independent media. We spoke with development manager Nicolas Camier about how they’re countering the decline of social media traffic.

Can collaborations between newsrooms and independent creators make serious journalism stronger? @motherjones.com’s Executive Editor, James West, tells Anton Protsiuk how the outlet is commissioning “creator-journalists” to cover how politics affects daily life. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation 👇

How can publishers bring loyal print readers — mostly aged 50+ — into the digital space? As print fades& costs rise, two German outlets have cracked the code. From taz reshaping reading habits to RUMS building trust in a digital-first market, both show what it takes to engage older audiences online

With tools like Substack available, the "strongman scheme" no longer holds up, argues @marcelakunova.bsky.social. Individuals can now launch successful media projects without institutional backing. Learn more about what characterised the year 2025 in the full podcast👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fWK...

With nearly 400,000 euros in donations collected in 2025, the French media outlet @bastamedia.bsky.social is targeting a loyal audience to counter the decline in social media traffic. The Fix spoke with its development manager, Nicolas Camier.

35 years after its founding, the French news weekly @courrierinter.bsky.social is thriving, with a circulation of around 175,000. The Fix spoke with the chairman of the board to learn the keys to this success.

Notable trends, inspiring case studies, and just interesting stories – here are our highlights from last year.

As we’re emerging from the holiday season, let’s take a moment to revisit some of The Fix’s most popular and best work from 2025. Take a moment to read a few (or listen to AI-powered audio versions) – and follow us for more this year.

Collab of the year in our European-media-about-media bubble – @journalismnews.bsky.social got ten media industry reporters to make sense of this past year and predict some trends for 2026.

French magazine @revue21.fr began testing Reddit Ads last October to connect with curious readers interested in investigative journalism and long-form content. They discovered that Reddit aligns with their target audience, but many find the platform quite complex. @romainchauvet.bsky.social explains

The media no longer holds a monopoly on traffic and advertising reach amid growth of social media and increased internet penetration, Marcela Kunova of JournalismUK said on the year-end episode of the FixEd podcast, pointing to the new realities for media organisations. thefix.media/2025/12/18/f...

How is Norway's leading newspaper using AI to reinvent its homepage? Operating since 1860, @aftenposten.no has found a way to balance editorial judgment with personalisation—and the results are impressive. Here's how they're doing it.

Don't just chase traffic. Build a real audience. We've analysed how publishers are using Reddit for visibility, niche newsletters to own an audience, and custom-built feeds to deepen engagement. These case studies are part of our members-only content. Become a member 👉 thefix.media/membership/

In a special episode of the FixEd podcast, we’re looking back at 2025 and ahead to 2026. The Fix’s @jakubparusinski.bsky.social and @journalismnews.bsky.social's MD @marcelakunova.bsky.social traded their takes on the good and the bad in media this past year – and their aspirations for 2026.

Founded 35 years ago, @courrierinter.bsky.social—French news weekly—translates foreign articles for a global view and circulates 175K. Despite AI translation challenges, it avoids replacing staff with AI, focusing on youth & fighting fake news. We interviewed board chairman François-Xavier Deveau.

A reliable Christmas tradition in our bubble – annual predictions for journalism from dozens of experts from our colleagues at @niemanlab.org.

“We want people to walk in and talk to us”, SPOTLIGHT Gelsenkirchen editor-in-chief @tohau.bsky.social says. We spoke with him about how a newsroom inside a working café builds visibility, trust, and community. @correctiv.org

French news weekly @courrierinter.bsky.social offers an international view on current events and issues. Despite digital challenges, it rejects replacing staff with AI, focusing on engaging youth and fighting fake news. For this paid piece, we interviewed board chairman François-Xavier Deveau.

The media paradox in Serbia is that the outlets that readily spread disinformation are often the ones receiving the most government funding. 📍 Learn more about the country's shrinking space and rising risks in the latest FixEd episode with media expert Maja Vasic-Nikolic 👉 pod.link/1834171300?r...

New from The Fix – @correctiv.org is testing a bold new model in Gelsenkirchen: journalists working directly inside a public café, publishing a weekly newsletter, and hosting events that pull the community back into local democracy.

Poland is in the top 20 world economies following a decade of buzz. Yet its politics form a bewildering tangle, hard to track remotely. Both locals and outsiders need balanced views to cut through media bias. We spoke to Daniel Tilles, editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland, about closing that divide

In the latest episode of The Fix’s podcast, we discuss resilience in newsrooms under attack, with a focus on the situation in Serbia. Media expert Maja Vasic-Nikolic discusses how propaganda influences viewers and, more importantly, how to boost morale amid political pressure 👇

Several European news organisations are testing Reddit as a tool to connect with younger demographics and boost their online presence. Yet, leveraging this vibrant but unpredictable platform comes with its share of challenges and nuances.

Poland's global profile has risen, yet its politics remain a chaotic maze. For locals and internationals alike, understanding the news requires balanced insights amid partisan noise from local outlets. We examine how @notesfrompoland.bsky.social bridges this gap with editor-in-chief Daniel Tilles.