Absolutely

For future reference: it's important to perform your due diligence research before asking questions. What I'm about to say was the result of one google search, "were there any independent journalists during the Nazi regime?" Not doing your due diligence will frequently get you down voted or result in a closed question.

OK, whenever I hear the word "fascist" the example I start with is the Nazis. From a Google search we learn:

Yes, independent journalists existed during the Nazi regime, but they operated under extreme danger, often working underground, in exile, or facing severe censorship, imprisonment, or death, as the Nazis quickly seized control of the press through propaganda, ownership, and laws like the Schriftleitergesetz (Editor's Law) to silence dissent and enforce conformity. While many German journalists self-censored or were forced out, others, both foreign and German, resisted by publishing alternative news (like in occupied nations) or by fleeing to report from abroad. Types of Independent Journalism:

Underground Press: In occupied territories, clandestine newspapers (e.g., La Libre Belgique) emerged to provide uncensored news, often faster than official channels.

Exiled Journalists: Many German journalists, like Sebastian Haffner and Otto Michael Knab, fled Germany to continue reporting on the regime's actions from countries like England or the U.S..

Foreign Correspondents: Figures like Richard C. Hottelet (CBS) and Edgar Anel Mau (Chicago Daily News) reported critically from Berlin, facing arrest or expulsion for their honest accounts, as highlighted by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and The American Journalists Who Defied Nazi Intimidation.

Challenges Faced:

Gleichschaltung (Forced Coordination): The Nazis rapidly brought all media under control, shutting down opposition papers and making journalists public servants dependent on the regime.

Censorship & Laws: The Schriftleitergesetz banned "non-Aryan" or politically suspect journalists from the profession, controlling content and requiring state approval for publication, notes the Arolsen Archives.

Persecution: Journalists involved in resistance, like Carl von Ossietzky, were imprisoned, tortured, and killed; many others were forced to flee to survive.

In essence, true independent journalism within the Reich was nearly impossible, but resistance persisted in the shadows and from abroad, often at great personal cost.

Whole libraries of research have been published about non-government-controlled journalism in the Third Reich and its importance during World War II. So, to answer your simple question with a wordy answer...

Yes, it's not only realistic, it would be absolutely surprising if people who wanted the truth to be known didn't exist.

Additional research!

The following is a list of major fascist governments since 1900. The list is the result of yet another simple google search ("list of fascist regimes since 1900"). All of them had independent journalists and any of them would be a good source of information about independent journalism in fascist states.

Major Fascist States (Axis Powers & Allies)

• Kingdom of Italy (1922-1943): First fascist state under Mussolini, inspiring others.
• Nazi Germany (1933-1945): Led by Adolf Hitler, with extreme racial ideology.
• Imperial Japan (1926-1945): Characterized by militaristic nationalism, though often called militarist rather than purely fascist.
• Spain (Francoist Spain, 1939-1975): A right-wing authoritarian state led by Francisco Franco, incorporating fascist elements.
• Portugal (Estado Novo, 1933-1974): A corporatist, authoritarian regime with fascist leanings under Salazar.

Satellite & Puppet Regimes

• Slovakia (1939-1945): A client state of Nazi Germany.
• Croatia (Independent State of Croatia, 1941-1945): A fascist puppet state.
• Hungary (1932-1945): Transitioned towards fascism under leaders like Ferenc Szálasi.
• Romania (1940-1944): Ruled by fascist-aligned Ion Antonescu.
• Norway (Quisling Regime, 1942-1945): A collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling.
• France (Vichy France, 1940-1944): An authoritarian regime collaborating with Germany.

Other Notable Movements & Regimes

• Austria (Dollfuss/Schuschnigg, 1933-1938): "Austrofascism" under Engelbert Dollfuss.
• Brazil (Estado Novo, 1937-1945): A nationalist authoritarian regime under Getúlio Vargas.
• Greece (Metaxas Regime, 1936-1941): A right-wing authoritarian dictatorship.

Almost any state needs journalists.

These are people who collect information on current events, from tomorrow's weather and today's bridge closure to the achievements of the glorious party and the upcoming speech of the dear leader. They may work for the state or a corporation which has been co-opted by the state.

They may be subject to censorship (i.e. checks of their work prior to publication, but after writing), editorial direction (orders given prior to writing), or punishment (checks on their work after publication). Knowledge of the latter will lead to self-censorship.

But does a state need investigative journalists?

The leadership of the propaganda department might say 'nope.' Yet a complete lack of investigative skills by the loyal regime journalists leads to bland media. Bland media won't carry the propaganda message nearly as well. The trick, then, is to have sufficiently tame, sufficiently non-tame journalists.

Imagine a writer on the business desk of a big-city paper. He or she started out at the crime desk, night shift, a decade ago. There are still good contacts to the police department. Now things are happening in business which make no sense unless one assumes a larger political angle. Possibly involving suspicious deaths as well.

The journalist knows that certain things 'cannot be written.' Yet the journalist is actually under orders to write on business trends caused by these 'unspeakable truths.'

Yes, it makes sense to have journalists, but not as a cooperate endavour. Its more a "spy" of the public, hired by a conspiracy of people wanting to be informed. So journalists are financed via annoymous donnations and deliver via something similar to TOR.

The question is how do you get reliable annonymized software, devices and payment for these spies of the public. First answer attempt: The other facist states see journalism as a propaganda unravelling tool and thus support it.

Another answering attempt - there is a underground resistance, capable to provide this infrastructure (maybe even just pillaged from forgotten depots) - but this technolgically superior resistance is not capable to put up a working resistance in country.

Totalitarian countries tend to engage in totalitarian wars - which get forced by style upon there opponents, wether they like it or not, making journalists and newspapers subjects to bureaus of censorship/ministry of information. Meanwhile the local secret police, will try to force any publicly visible journalist to publish propaganda. So you either become a propagandist- or you cease to publish, or you vanish into the underground and become a "spy", with an allegiance to its information receiving network.

PS: Forgot, the problem of a "hired by the public" journalist is, that in a totalitarian society, you have the government capable to spend money to "hire" this spy and capture him/her.

look! See how free you are!

This is already the policy of several authoritarian regimes who figure it's impossible to stop ALL news. Instead, they make it impossible to tell what is real.

Authoritarian regimes don't want people to THINK they are authoritarian. They also hold all of the cards and can bury true stories under a flurry of lies & deceit. So, to maintain the illusion of freedom, they still allow reporters to run around and report on things. There is always a fringe of society who will listen to them, and those folks may even feel less threatened to know they can still get the truth. The more reporters, the better!

But 99.5% of the people swallow the party line. For every legit reporter, there are a hundred government bots churning out fake news (often in multiple directions) that discredits any actual news that might slip through. Anyone trying to fact-check the news gets numerous sources backing the government line. With every government in the world following the same course, there is no outside verification to prove claims.

And thus, everyone must watch the official news to know what they are supposed to believe. But they are free to look at the thousands of mutually conflicting stories dumped out and try to figure out what's real.

The government isn't stopping the alternative media! See how free you are!

Some people are willing to die to get the truth out. However, since there are no support from external governments that the journalist can run to, their job is extremely difficult. Depending on the technological level, you could create underground societies that are in the know. These societies then will use alternative means of trying to reach out. This depends too much on the technological level. For instance, if it is current level of technology, a tool similar to Thor network could be used to send out messages while protecting the sender. Depeding on the aims of the said journalist, they might try to broadcast the message to masses or simply send it to the members of the society. These are all extremely likely cases.

Every country falling in line with authoritarianism is used in 1984. Of course, in 1984, we are (readers) unsure if every stated information is factual, even presented to us. If you haven't, I strongly suggest you read it.