Support the Maldives Independent – become a member

Join our community and help us stay free, fair and fearless.

Artwork: Dosain

01 Nov, 8:29 PM

The Maldives is a difficult place for independent journalism. Many outlets rely on political funding or serve agendas that go beyond informing the public. Advertising is no safer ground either: the country’s biggest companies are often proxies for state funding, while smaller businesses are cautious about being linked to outlets critical of those in power.

Globally, the picture isn’t much brighter. Media development funding has declined sharply, and the Maldives is often overlooked because of its size. The irony is painful: the country’s success at selling a turquoise paradise hides the cracks in its democracy and a deepening crisis in press freedom.

When we relaunched the Maldives Independent this year, we knew what we were up against. We rebuilt from scratch with a small and determined team. Our newsroom is 100 percent owned and controlled by the staff, with no outside investors, political donors or business interests pulling the strings.

We’re launching our new because we believe independent journalism should be supported by and accountable to its readers.

Join our Community (Free Sign-Up)

to join our community and stay connected through our newsletters, comments and personalised features.

Every registered user gains access to:

The full Maldives Independent archive (pre-2020 content)

The ability to switch between dark and light mode on the website

The daily Dhivehi “Fili” word game

Comment access and community discussions

A personalised homepage to follow the topics you care about most

All our content is free and accessible to everyone. We don’t believe in paywalls – we believe in public accountability.

Become a Member (Individual Supporters)

If you value what we do, please consider and supporting our journalism directly with a monthly or annual contribution.

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us plan investigations, send reporters across the Maldives, and keep doing the kind of public-interest journalism that holds power to account. We also pay and encourage freelance contributors, giving space to diverse voices and experiences that rarely find a platform elsewhere.

Members will have a direct line to our newsroom – to share tips, experiences and stories that matter. In addition to the above perks, they’ll also receive:

A members’ edition of our newsletter

Behind-the-scenes insight into our reporting

Opportunities to participate in our journalism

And this is just the beginning. We’ll soon be adding more perks, including events, new games, limited-edition merch from our design team, and other surprises.

Institutional Memberships (For Organisations and Partners)

Independent journalism also depends on strong partnerships. Our is designed for organisations, academic institutions, NGOs and companies that want to support credible, fact-based reporting in the Maldives.

Institutional Members help sustain our investigative and regional reporting, data journalism, and public-interest projects such as our climate and air quality monitoring.

In return, Institutional Members receive:

All standard member perks for their team

A premium monthly briefing featuring analysis, data, trends and forecasts

A curated summary of key stories from Maldives Independent and other local media

Research assistance and access to our archive for ongoing projects

If you share our commitment to a free and fearless Maldivian press, join our community today, and please consider becoming a Member to help sustain independent journalism in the Maldives.

Visit our to learn more or make a one-off .

Thank you for reading and supporting the Maldives Independent.

– The Maldives Independent team

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