^{By Amélie Baasner, Doctoral researcher, Humboldt University and Independent Advisor, Germany}

Abstract:

Against the backdrop of declining press freedom and a growing number of armed conflicts, this essay examines the structural challenges facing international cooperation in public-interest journalism. It argues that networks, particularly those connecting women* journalists, must develop into durable alliances based on long-term commitments, shared resources and mutual protection.

Article:

International cooperation often begins with a personal connection: a shared cab ride, long hours at a conference, a conversation in the corridor or over lunch, or a common professional interest. Many of us have experienced such moments, and some of our most memorable friendships have grown out of these brief encounters. They foster curiosity and a willingness to venture beyond the comfort of what we already know, and reflect the deeply human need to connect with others across linguistic barriers, cultural differences and personal misunderstandings.

Human connection can provide a crucial initial impetus for international collaboration. Yet if cooperation is to develop beyond loose or short-term commitments, it cannot remain dependent on personal relationships and efforts alone. This applies to international cooperation in politics and cultural exchange, but this essay focuses specifically on cooperation in public-interest journalism.

Personal trust and solidarity can help journalists navigate the many structural obstacles to international collaboration. Sustaining cooperation, however, requires more than individual commitment. This is where foundations as well as democratic institutions should step in and offer structural support.

The Journalism Value Project, an 18-month initiative involving Arena for Journalism in Europe, Átlátszó Erdély, Fumaça, Investigate Europe and Netzwerk Recherche, identified some of the central financial and organisational challenges facing public-interest journalism, many of which also impede cross-border collaboration. These challenges have become more acute amid democratic backsliding and the increasing number of armed conflicts around the world. Reporters Without Borders documented a further deterioration in global press freedom in 2026, while also highlighting the continued killing of journalists in connection with their work. Political repression and attacks on independent media further restrict the conditions under which international cooperation can be sustained.

The funding of international cooperation is often tied to individual projects, limiting the development of long-term structures. Project-based funding comes with an expiration date and does not allow for real resilience within networks. While short-term funding cycles may offer greater flexibility to funders, they leave networks in a constant struggle to secure follow-up grants or project extensions. This frequently diverts time and energy away from journalistic work itself. Funding is also distributed unevenly across regions, while differences in national legislation complicate cross-border financing.

Alongside these financial and regulatory constraints, the Journalism Value Project highlights a fundamental scarcity of time and resources as a key barrier to cooperation between media organisations. As a result, the burden of sustaining collaborative networks often falls on a small number of committed individuals who maintain international relationships alongside their regular workload. This may sound familiar: logging into a Zoom call late in the evening after work, replying to messages from a personal email account, or trying to balance newsroom shifts with travel.

Independent media outlets frequently lack the capacity to contribute to international community-building or sustain the shared issues and investigations on which meaningful collaboration depends. Sometimes, there is simply no colleague available to attend a conference because every member of staff is needed to keep the newsroom running. Personal commitment may keep a network alive temporarily, but it cannot replace stable institutional resources.

The reliance on unpaid labour also raises the question of who is able to participate in international collaboration in the first place. When institutional support is absent, scarce or unreliable, access to international networks becomes dependent on professional contacts, personal time and financial resources. Existing inequalities in income, employment security, care work and institutional support inevitably shape who can afford to contribute additional unpaid hours. International networks do not operate outside these inequalities. Unless they are actively addressed, networks risk reproducing the same conditions they seek to challenge. Informal structures may appear open and accessible while, in practice, privileging those who already possess the necessary time, resources and institutional support.

This is particularly important for networks that bring together women* journalists and activists, including those who report on gender-related issues. Their work often takes place at the intersection of structural economic inequality and growing political hostility. Women* journalists, especially those reporting on gender, human rights and discrimination, are increasingly targeted both online and offline by far-right and anti-gender movements around the world. However, these risks are not limited to those covering gender specifically. Women* working across different areas of journalism are exposed to gendered harassment, threats and violence online due to their public visibility and professional role, as a survey by UN Women shows. Those living and working in areas affected by repression and armed conflict face additional pressure, directly endangering their lives.

Precisely because informal cooperation depends so heavily on unpaid labour and individual resilience, networks of women* journalists require more durable and institutionally supported forms of collaboration. In this context, an alliance would involve more than maintaining professional contacts or exchanging information. It would be based on long-term commitments, shared resources, clear decision-making structures and reliable mechanisms for mutual legal, professional and security support. Such structures could reduce the burden placed on individual members while enabling coordinated responses to shared threats.

In 2026, the democratic importance of public-interest journalism makes this transition more urgent than ever. International cooperation enables peer learning and knowledge exchange, while also providing access to shared resources, legal assistance and security expertise. International networks should therefore no longer be treated as optional additions to journalistic work. They need sustained funding and institutional recognition as part of the infrastructure that enables public-interest journalism to survive and fulfill its democratic function.

For networks of women* journalists, becoming an alliance means moving beyond informal exchange towards binding structures of solidarity, collective protection and coordinated response. If international cooperation is to withstand the pressures confronting public-interest journalism in 2026, it can no longer depend primarily on personal commitment. It must become durable, adequately resourced and collectively maintained.

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 Throughout this essay, the term women* is used to denote all individuals who identify as women, including cis women, trans women, and gender-diverse people who identify with womanhood.

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Euro-Mediterranean Network of Women Journalists.

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Sources (selection):

https://journalismvalueproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/04/Reframing-Public-Interest-Journalism-in-Europe.pdf

https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2026/04/tipping-point-online-violence-impacts-manifestations-and-redress-in-the-ai-age

https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/rangliste/2026

https://wan-ifra.org/2025/04/new-survey-finds-europes-journalists-marked-by-burnout-fearful-of-ai-yet-still-passionate-professionals/

Jürgen Habermas: Ein neuer Strukturwandel der Öffentlichkeit und die deliberative Politik, Berlin: Suhrkamp 2022.

Stephen M. Walt, “Alliance Formation and the Balance of World Power,” International Security 9, no. 4 (1985): 3–43.