“Self-realisation” is the word Anja Matić chose to describe her experience at the Voices festival as an awardee. “Thrilling” was Vicky Hristova’s choice, and “inspiring” was Ilaria Potenza’s. The Voices Festival was created to provide a place for the media community and citizens interested in promoting better-informed societies to meet and discuss crucial themes shaping our relationship with information and media.  In this context, the festival will put in the spotlight 10 talents and innovative projects to promote outstanding work in the fields of Media Literacy (5 awards) and Journalism (5 awards).  We invite European journalists who would like to…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), along with 60 undersigned press freedom and freedom of expression groups, media outlets, and civil society organizations, condemns the official revocation of the terrestrial broadcasting license of independent radio station Açık Radyo by Turkey’s broadcast regulator, RTÜK (Radio and Television Supreme Council). This action marks a severe blow to independent radio broadcasting in Turkey, silencing a platform known for promoting diverse, critical voices and addressing issues of profound public interest. Açık Radyo, an independent and non-profit media organisation founded in 1995, has long been a vital source of free expression in Turkey. Over the past three decades,…

Czech journalist Kristina Ciroková was recently declared a “suspicious individual” by Slovak prosecutor Lucia Pavlaninová after she reported on a Ukrainian cult that spread pro-Russia propaganda.  The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) firmly condemn this abuse of power and demand that the office of the prosecutor drop the charges. On 25 September, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Žilina, northern Slovakia, started investigating Kristina Ciroková, a reporter for the Czech newspaper Seznam Zprav, for allegedly  “supporting and promoting anti-cult movements”. This is related to her investigative work on cults, but more precisely to an article and a video she…

On Monday 14th October, the media community reached a consensus on the need for multi-stakeholder dialogue as countries implement recent EU media legislations at the EFJ high-level European conference on Self-Regulation and Regulation in the Media Sector. Over 90 people attended the conference as ULB hosted media regulators, self-regulators, journalists’ professional representatives, publishers’ professional representatives, ULB Masters of Journalism students, EU policymakers, researchers and civil society for the one-day event to discuss media regulation and its impact on journalists and citizens. “This conference is about the importance of the self-regulation system but also about how such a system can only…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with its French affiliate CFDT-Journalistes, strongly condemn the numerous attacks against journalists during the high-profile Mazan rape trial. These attacks include the eviction of Frédéric Munsch, who was assaulted by one of the defendants, and gender-based intimidation, such as that suffered by the journalist Anna Margueritat. The Mazan rapes trial began on 2 September 2024 before the Criminal Court of Vaucluse. Fifty-one defendants, including Dominique Pélicot, Gisèle Pélicot’s husband, will be on trial until next December in this legal case which has already attracted unprecedented attention. This trial, widely covered by French and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined eleven organisations members of the Spyware Coordination Group in addressing the European Parliament regarding serious concerns about the procurement, use, and regulation of spyware technologies in Slovakia and Greece. In a joint letter, the coalition highlights the alarming developments in both countries, where spyware tools like Pegasus and Predator have been linked to violations of privacy and fundamental rights. The letter urges the European Parliament to take immediate action to ensure transparency, accountability, and adherence to legal standards, emphasising the need for robust legislative frameworks to protect privacy and freedom of expression across…

We, the undersigned civil society and journalists’ organisations (CSOs) that advocate for the safeguarding and promotion of the rule of law, democracy, freedom of expression, media freedom and the protection of journalists are appalled by the decisions of the Atlantic Council to award Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards.  We find that these decisions risk normalising their repressive policies and actions against media freedom and can further erode democratic principles and embolden authoritarian tendencies in both countries and beyond. According to the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law report and…

On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and ten other journalist and freedom of expression organizations wrote to Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela calling on his government to speed up reforms to create a safer environment for the media community in Malta. The groups called on Abela, after years of delay, to finally deliver on the recommendations of a public inquiry into her murder, which concluded in 2021 that the state had created an “atmosphere of impunity” and failed to take…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations today mourn the death of Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roshchyna, who died in unclear circumstances while in Russian detention, and whose death was confirmed by Russian and Ukrainian authorities on Thursday. We welcome the opening of an investigation by Ukrainian authorities on the grounds of “war crime combined with premeditated murder” and demand that Russian authorities do the same to elucidate the circumstances of Roshchyna’s death and bring to justice all those who could be responsible. Roshchyna, a freelance journalist with Ukrainska Pravda, a major Ukrainian publication, and several other leading Ukrainian…

Ukraine’s government spokesperson confirmed the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna while being transferred from the southwestern city of Taganrog to Moscow, the capital for a prisoner exchange on 19 September. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliates, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU) in condemning Roshchyna’s death and urge Russian authorities to disclose the circumstances surrounding the tragic event. Russia’s government bears sole responsibility for Roshchyna’s death and for the safety of all journalists in Russian captivity. On 10 October, Ukraine government spokesperson…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Al Jazeera, took part in a two-day mission to Geneva on 8 and 9 October in the margins of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The six organisations involved denounced the massacre of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. They also denounced the ban on international press access to Gaza, which prevents the ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity from being documented there. On 9 October, the Israeli Occupation Forces targeted…

The AI Act came into force on 1 August 2024. The EFJ participated to the plenary dedicated to drafting the Code of Practice on Generative AI for the EU AI Office, alongside nearly 1,000 other organisations and individuals. The plenary will set guidelines for the responsible use of Generative AI within the EU’s AI regulatory framework. EFJ members have also discussed in expert groups the impact of generative AI and have raised concerns on controlling and regulating the use of AI in newsrooms. The EFJ Authors’ Rights Expert Group (AREG) drafted recommendations on the right of identification and personality, fair…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in welcoming the decision to pause the passage of the law criminalizing fake news and to hold an expert committee meeting on media freedom in Cyprus. The discussion comes at a critical juncture, as concerns grow over draft legislation to criminalize offensive content and “fake news”. A freshly published article on media freedom in Cyprus gives an overview of the current situation for journalists on the island. The meeting, set up by the Cypriot Minister of Justice and scheduled for 11 October 2024, follows the discussion…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the SafeJournalists Network and its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in strongly condemning the attacks on the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) and the think tank – Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) that has issued a shadow report on media freedom in Albania, as well as on researcher Blerjana Bino. In early October 2024, the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) became the target of coordinated smear campaigns by two online platforms, Sot.com.al and Prapaskena.com. These incidents mark a disturbing trend of hostility toward independent…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Coalition for Media Freedom in condemning this legislative process for its lack of transparency and calls for an extension of the deadline and a restructuring of the law, including the creation of a regulatory framework in the areas of public information and advertising by public authorities and political advertising. A working group on amendments to the Advertising Law was set up without the participation of media associations. As the Coalition for Media Freedom pointed out, the government promised to ensure that cooperation between ministerial working groups and representatives of media associations, the…