International online newspaper
Clarity for
a changing world.
Meridian 21 is an independent, multilingual newspaper launching in 2026/27. It will report from New York and Prague for readers who want serious international journalism, plain language, and a wider field of view than they are offered by much of the legacy press.
Publisher
First Editor-in-Chief
First editions
Base
What Meridian 21 will be
An independent international newspaper.
Meridian 21 will be an online newspaper for readers who follow the world closely and expect a publication to treat them as adults. It will cover international politics, business, technology, health, culture, sport, society, and the themes that are reshaping the next generation's life and work.
The publication will begin in English and Spanish. Meridian 21 works from New York and Prague: New York as its operational center, and Prague as a European base shaped by 1968 and 1989 — a fitting home for a newspaper built to take democracy, freedom, and propaganda seriously.
What we stand for
Liberal democracy
Meridian 21 stands for liberal democracy, individual human rights, rule of law, and press freedom.
Human rights for all
A human right violated in Beijing, Tehran, Moscow, Khartoum, Havana, Jerusalem, Prague, London, or Washington deserves the same attention.
Forgotten minorities
The newspaper will report on peoples and communities often pushed out of the global conversation, including Kurds, Yazidis, Druze, Amazigh, Baluchi, Darfuris, Uyghurs, Tibetans, and others.
No double standards
Meridian 21 rejects authoritarianism, left- and right-wing extremism, one-sided ideological agendas, religious fundamentalism, and selective concern for human rights.
Reader-protective journalism
The reader's space will be protected from third-party display advertising, programmatic placements, sponsored content, and advertorials.
Education, not flattery
The role of a serious newspaper is not to mirror what readers already believe. It is to broaden access to facts, context, and voices that change how the world is understood.
Editorial approach
Expanded access, not argument.
On contested international stories, Meridian 21 will not begin by lecturing readers. It will begin by widening the field. The newspaper will seek out voices often excluded from dominant narratives: dissidents, minority representatives, democratic activists, exiles, reformers, and people whose lives are shaped by decisions made far from them.
The aim is to let reporting do the work. Readers should be given facts, context, and sources strong enough to form their own judgment.
Publisher
Libera Mondo
Meridian 21 is published by Libera Mondo, a Prague-based non-profit human rights association. Libera Mondo means “Free World” in Esperanto. Its work is grounded in freedom, democracy, and the defense of people whose rights are ignored or excused away by more fashionable political narratives.
Libera Mondo's activities include publishing, public discussion, campus and parliamentary engagement, and its Forgotten Minorities program.
Learn more at libera-mondo.orgLeadership
David T. Abeles is the first Editor-in-Chief.
David T. Abeles is the founder and first Editor-in-Chief of Meridian 21 and a founding member of Libera Mondo z.s. His work focuses on the international information space: how authoritarian regimes, extremist movements, and disinformation networks shape public opinion, and how the voices of persecuted peoples are kept out of it.
His principal regional and topical specialization is the political and security situation in the Middle East. He also works with representatives of persecuted peoples, including Kurdish, Druze, Amazigh, Baluchi, Darfuri, Yazidi, Uyghur, and Tibetan communities.
Imprint
Public information
- Publication
- Meridian 21
- Publisher
- Libera Mondo z.s.
- Registered office
- Chudenicka 1059/30, 102 00 Praha 10, Czech Republic
- Editor-in-Chief
- David T. Abeles
- Launch
- 2026/27
- Language editions
- English and Spanish
Registration details, ISSN information, editorial contacts, corrections policy, and privacy documents will be added before publication begins.