The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the undersigned press freedom and free expression organisations in expressing our firm support for our colleague Massimo Moratti, the Senior Research Affiliate for the Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), as he faces expulsion from Serbia in apparent connection with his human rights work. We urge Serbian authorities to immediately withdraw the expulsion order and allow our colleague to remain in the country with his family and continue his work. On 4 September, Serbian authorities denied Moratti’s request for temporary residence on grounds of “unacceptable security…

On 13 September, journalist Tuğba Tekerek was detained and transferred to Ankara over an article she had published in 2024 concerning the LGBTI+ movement in Georgia. Her detention is part of a wave of raids and arrests carried out by the Turkish authorities targeting LGBTI+ activists, organisations and human rights defenders. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliates, DİSK Basın-İş and Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS), in condemning the arbitrary detention and intimidation of journalists for covering LGBTI+ issues and call for their immediate release. The federations underline that LGBTI+ rights are human rights, and fair…

First legal battle won in France at a time when journalists are threatened with being replaced by the artificial intelligence (AI). On Tuesday, 15 September, the Judicial Court of Créteil ordered the partial suspension of a plan to dismiss journalists as editorial secretaries (secrétaires de rédaction) within the Infopro Digital press group in favor of AI. In total, 19 journalists are threatened with losing their jobs and 26 professional press titles published by Infopro Digital are directly impacted. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes this decision as historic for the entire profession, at a time when the use of…

Today, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law (FRRL) Group hearing dedicated to the topic of online harassment of women. This provided the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) with an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of tackling online harassment of women journalists as a professional risk issue. “Online attacks do not remain confined to the screen. We have been monitoring several incidents that have escalated offline, putting women journalists at serious risk and requiring a timely response and safety measures. Unfortunately, online harassment is difficult to tackle as threats are under-reported and…

On 8 September, TV journalists from We Are Ukraine (Ми — Україна) and We Are Ukraine+ (Ми — Україна+) were broadcasting live as part of the national “United News” telethon, when a Russian airstrike hit the building and significantly damaged the premises and injured six. The International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliates, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Media Trade Union of Ukraine (MTUU) in strongly condemning the attack. According to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), the team had just finished a staff meeting before going…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join its affiliate, Sindikat novinarjev Slovenije (SNS), together with the other signatories below, and reiterate our serious concern over proposed amendments to Slovenia’s RTV Act, which threaten to dismantle the financial and editorial independence of the country’s public service broadcaster. The amendments, proposed by the Ministry of Culture, would fundamentally change the governance structure of RTV Slovenia, strengthen government control, curtail employee participation in supervisory and governing bodies, and threaten institutional and editorial autonomy. “Whenever someone attempts to alter the foundations on which the independence of a public media organisation rests, they…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), the SafeJournalists Network (SJN), Reporters without Borders (RsF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporting Diversity Network (RDN), and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) in being concerned about recent incidents in Albania in which media, journalists, civic initiatives and other public-interest accounts have faced unexplained restrictions, removals and apparent attempts to manipulate social-media enforcement systems. In recent days, a number of accounts have become inaccessible or restricted on Meta platforms. Meta subsequently acknowledged that some accounts had been removed incorrectly, restored affected…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns the fines imposed by the Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) on four national newspapers, NRC, de Volkskrant, AD and De Telegraaf, over their reporting on weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic. DPG Media, publisher of de Volkskrant and AD, was fined €51,000, while Mediahuis, publisher of NRC and De Telegraaf, was fined €132,000. The IGJ ruled that the coverage amounted to unlawful advertising of prescription medicines. The incident has been documentedon the Mapping media freedom platform EFJ affiliate, The Dutch journalists’ union (NVJ) said the fines “can have a chilling effect on…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has joined other media and journalist organisations in calling for any reform of the legal framework for RTV Slovenija to protect its institutional and editorial independence and guarantee adequate, sustainable and predictable funding for its public service remit. On 26 August 2026, the Slovenian Ministry of Culture published proposed amendments to the Law on Radiotelevizija Slovenija. They would restructure the organization’s governance and management and change parts of its financing. We recognize the legitimate aim of an efficient, accountable and financially sustainable public service broadcaster. Different governance and funding models work well across Europe.…

The first half of 2026 saw a wide variety of attacks on journalists, media outlets and associated individuals across Europe. These included verbal attacks as well as physical assaults, deliberate obstruction of journalistic work, and legal actions all of which challenged or restricted independent reporting. Between January and June 2026, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) documented a total of 736 attacks on 1,174 journalists and other media professionals. By covering all EU member states as well as candidate countries, the briefing offers one of the most comprehensive overviews of media freedom conditions in Europe. Of particular concern were legislative…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in viewing the upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt with great concern. On 6 September, a decision will also be made on press freedom and the future of the public service broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR). The Alternative for Germany (AfD), classified as far-right extremist in Saxony-Anhalt, is leading in the polls. In its 100-day programme, the party promises that its ‘first official act’ in government will be the immediate termination of the Interstate Broadcasting Agreements (Rundfunkstaatsverträge). This promise threatens the very existence of public broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk…

The following is a joint appeal by the International Advisory Council of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers to governments, international institutions, media organizations, journalists’ unions and donors, convened by EFJ affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).  With autumn approaching, Ukrainian journalists are preparing for a fifth winter of full-scale war. Security threats continue to evolve, while the international support sustaining essential safety infrastructure has become increasingly uncertain. The International Advisory Council of the Journalists’ Solidarity Centers — bringing together experts in press freedom, journalists’ safety, media resilience and media development and convened by the National Union of Journalists…

The European federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners today in lamenting the failure to convict the alleged mastermind in the trial for the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and hope that the demoralising verdict will swiftly be overturned on appeal. On 2 September, powerful Maltese business tycoon Yorgen Fenech was cleared by a jury of any involvement in the journalist’s 2017 car-bomb assassination, leaving the case in a state of partial impunity. The jury in the Maltese capital Valletta reached its decision on the first day after just eight hours of…

One of Malta’s richest men, Yorgen Fenech, has been found not guilty of involvement in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. On 2 September, nearly nine years after her death in a car bombing in October 2017, a jury of six women and three men found Yorgen Fenech, 44, not guilty of both counts with which he had been charged: complicity in the voluntary homicide of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and association with the intention of committing a crime. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns the failure of the Maltese judiciary and authorities to convict the mastermind in…

On 27 August 2026, the mother of the journalist Ulviyya Guliyeva (also known as Ulviyya Ali), raised concerns for her daughter’s safety being held at Baku Pretrial Detention Center. Guliyeva’s detention is part of a wider crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan, where dozens of journalists have been imprisoned since late 2023. This includes the nine Toplum TV journalists and media workers who were unjustly sentenced to up to 15 years in prison on 27 July 2026. Among them is Toplum TV co-founder Alasgar Mammadli, who has reportedly been denied medical care following cardiac episodes and an untreated thyroid growth.…