Journalists in Turkey have in recent years faced unprecedented state crackdown. Despite the lifting in July 2018 of a two-year long state of emergency, the press continues to be stifled and journalists to face trials, job insecurity and abuse. Thousands of journalists have been sacked in recently years, particularly in the last two, with catastrophic impact on the victims and their families. To support journalists in need and their families, the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) have established a transitional solidarity fund for journalists in Turkey. This solidarity fund provides financial relief to prosecuted and sacked journalists. It…

At this time of an unprecedented assault on the free press of the United States by the Trump administration, the European Federation of Journalists stands in solidarity with US journalists as they do their crucial work. Yesterday, 16th August 2018, around 350 American newspapers published coordinated editorial responses to President Donald J. Trump’s repeated attacks on free media. Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen (Reuters Institute) commented for the European Journalism Observatory that “Trump professes a strong dislike for much of the media, labelling those who have the temerity to offer anything other than unconditional support “the enemy of the American people”, and…

A demonstration of solidarity gathered 250 people on Wednesday 18 January 2017 in Lille, in front of the French newspaper La Voix du Nord‘s headquarters, to protest against the managers’ social plan foreseeing a 25% reduction in staff workers. La Voix du Nord‘s owner, the Belgian media group Rossel, announced in early January its plan to cut 178 jobs, including 72 journalists, while the company recorded a profit margin of 5 million EUR in 2015. Union representatives are meeting on Thursday (19/01/2017) morning the French minister of Culture Audrey Azoulay as well as the French minister of Labour Myriam El Khomri to put pressure on…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is joining the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in its global solidarity action on 21 October to support journalists in Turkey and our affiliates the Journalists’ union of Turkey (TGS), the Progressive Journalists’ Association (PJA), the Association of journalists of Turkey (TGC) and DİSK Basın-İş. The action is part of the IFJ and EFJ campaign Set journalism free in Turkey that both federations have been running together since 2010. It consists of a one-day show of solidarity action where free journalists can sponsor jailed journalists in Turkey on social media. The action includes an online petition calling on…

The European Federation of Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists condemned the arrest of Palestinian journalist Omar Nazzal who was on his way to Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) for the General Meeting of the EFJ. Omar Nazzal, member of the General Secretariat of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) in the West Bank, was arrested by Israeli forces on the al-Karameh crossing between Palestine and Jordan on Saturday, 23 April. He was taken to the Etzion interrogation center. The president of PJS, Nasser Abu Baker, who is also participating in the EFJ meeting, also condemned Nazzal’s arrest. A delegation of Palestinian journalists (Nasser Abu…

The wave of labour organising is increasing in US media companies. On Tuesday, digital journalists at Al Jazeera America voted to organise with the NewsGuild of New York, an IFJ affiliate, in an election prompted after the network failed to recognise the union. In recent months, editorial staff at Gawker, Salon, ThinkProgress and Vice Media have become members of the Writers Guild of America. Staff of Guardian US joined the NewsGuild, so as Al Jazeera America. Journalists at the Huffington Post have also held discussions about unionising. “Staff claim is the same everywhere,” noted Ricardo Gutiérrez, General secretary of the EFJ. “Journalists…

The Svenska Journalistförbundet, Swedish affiliate of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), organised on Wednesday (10/06/2015) in Malmö a protest against the double use zero pay policy affecting press photographers and freelance journalists working for the newspaper Sydsvenskan. The Swedish daily newspaper Sydsvenskan bought at the end of last year another newspaper Helsingborgs Dagblad and the management wants to re-publish all the material from freelancers (photographers and reporters) without any financial compensation for the authors. Since November 2014, the Swedish union has initiated the negotiations with the management of Sydsvenskan without any progress achieved so far. A concrete proposal was put on…

(03.12.2014) La Fédération Européenne des Journalistes (FEJ) se joint à l’action groupée de ses syndicats-membres, les syndicats français de journalistes (SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT journalistes) et le syndicat russe des journalistes (RUJ), et apporte son soutien aux journalistes travaillant sous droit local des bureaux de l’AFP en Russie et en Ukraine, dont les salaires ont été très sensiblement impactés par la chute du rouble. Les journalistes de ces bureaux ont demandé, avec l’appui des syndicats de l’AFP, une réévaluation de leurs conditions salariales avec un réajustement de la parité rouble-dollar pour faire face à la crise actuelle. La réponse de la…

Some 53 delegates from 26 countries representing trade union organsations and professional associations of journalists at the Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) in Moscow on 21 November expressed their solidarity and full support for ethical journalism and the struggle of Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) to defend independent journalism and the safety of journalism. The Annual Meeting commenced with a minute of silence to remember the 56 journalists who were killed for doing their jobs since 1993 in Russia. ‘‘Journalists in Russia are facing a great challenge today. We need more than ever solidarity, unity and…