Promoting Newsafety from the Exile: The Emergence of New Journalistic Roles in Diaspora Journalists’ Networks

Diaspora journalists and digital media play an important role as stakeholders for war-ridden homeland landscapes such Syria. This study analyzes, from a safety in practice perspective, the physical threats that challenge work of Syrian citizen examining three online advocacy networks created by diaspora to promote newsafety. Through metajournalistic discourse analysis networks’ published visions missions, 12 in-depth interviews with founders other selected members networks, paper investigates how working these perceive threats, what counterstrategies they adopt, understand changing nature their roles. Findings demonstrate perceived inescapable, following them across borders. Counterstrategies are implemented through collaborations civil society actors human rights organizations, aiming offer professional training programs emergency rescue under attack, but also release guides or codes conduct. Grounded on findings, we propose four novel journalistic roles promoting newsafety exile: sousveillance, defender, trainer, regulator/policy developer. While follow some traditional ideologies, show hybrid conceptualization journalism.