Since the contested parliamentary elections in October 2024, Georgia has experienced one of the most rapid and serious deteriorations of press freedom ever seen in an EU member state or candidate country, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners warn today. As we mark World Press Freedom Day 2026, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners once again draws attention to the plight of independent media and journalists in Georgia, where the Russia-friendly ruling party has continued its intensifying clampdown over the past year. Our thoughts today are particularly with jailed journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who has now been behind…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the letter sent today by 61 Members of the European Parliament calling on the European Union leadership to make stronger calls for foreign journalist access to Gaza. The letter, addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as EU member states, says that security can no longer be invoked by Israel as justification to deny access. It asks for access to be a key demand in bilateral relations with Israel and to use all possible…

To mark World Press Freedom Day, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) are publishing today an analysis of six years of monitoring data that reveals, in granular detail, the most serious challenges and trends threatening freedom of the press in Europe. The MFRR consortium first began comprehensive monitoring in 2020 and has become the largest public database of media freedom violations in Europe. Our Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) platform has now recorded 6092 media freedom violations in Europe affecting more than 10,200 different journalists and media-related entities in EU Member States…

Public Service Media (PSM) in Europe are under unprecedented attacks: from Finland to Italy, by way of France, Slovakia, Lithuania and Czech Republic – you name it. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (#WPFD2026), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) advocates for public service media as critical democratic infrastructure emphasising that their quality, independence, and robust funding are indispensable for fostering informed and pluralistic debates. It is a domino effect that has been unfolding before our eyes for several years now: European governments are trying to weaken, undermine or exert greater political control over public service media. Almost…

Today, on World Press Freedom Day, 22 journalists are still behind bars in Belarus. The situation with freedom of speech in Belarus remains the worst in Europe. Since the sweeping repression that began in 2020, hundreds of Belarusian media workers have endured detention, arrest, and persecution. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliates the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) in calling for the release of all Belarusian journalists. Recently, several well-known journalists were released. But we worry about those who remain behind bars. In February and March of this year, after large-scale releases of political prisoners, several media…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned organisations in strongly condemning the intensifying use of Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code — widely known as the “disinformation law” — to arrest, detain, and prosecute journalists, and calling on the government to repeal the provision immediately and release all journalists imprisoned under it. Since the law entered into force in October 2022, at least 83 journalists have been charged 114 times over disinformation according to news reports. The scale of Article 217/A’s use against journalists has been starkly illustrated in a recent article. The two journalists most frequently…

A new government bill which would overhaul the funding model for the Czech public media risks financially weakening the broadcasters, eroding safeguards for their financial independence and violating European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and other media freedom, journalist and freedom of expression organisations warn today. Our organisations call on the European Commission to closely assess this bill regarding its compatibility with Article 5 of EMFA and to ensure that no reforms are undertaken which threaten the financial, editorial or institutional independence of the Czech public media.…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and international press freedom and journalist organisations are today calling on the Maltese authorities to make long-overdue media reforms an immediate priority, and to commit to meaningful and transparent collaboration with national and international civil society.  The assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 generated significant pressure to improve working conditions for all journalists in Malta. A 2021 public inquiry, established independently to assess the circumstances of her murder found the state had to “shoulder responsibility” because it had created an “atmosphere of impunity” and failed to take reasonable steps to protect…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) with Europod released their first episode of the Voices podcast “Journalism in War: Solidarity Beyond Borders”. Recorded in March during the third edition of Voices Festival, it explores the challenges journalists face when reporting from conflict zones and the structures that have been established to support them. At this year’s festival, Voices presented the Media Freedom Award to the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the teams behind the network of Journalists’ Solidarity Centres. These hubs were developed as a response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to provide journalists…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium welcomes yesterday’s acquittal of writer and journalist Roberto Saviano in a case brought by current Italy’s  Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, setting a landmark ruling for press freedom and freedom of expression in Italy. On 16 April 2026, the Criminal Court of Rome acquitted Saviano of criminal defamation, rejecting both the public prosecutor’s request for a €10,000 fine and the additional €100,000 damages sought by Salvini’s legal team. The case was initiated by Minister Matteo Salvini in response to a number…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) commends the role of independent media in covering the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election, against a backdrop of the outgoing government’s takeover of the media. We call on Péter Magyar, who is is expected to become the next Prime Minister, to consult without delay with our affiliates in Hungary, MUOSZ and HPU, academics and civil society, in order to initiate the reforms necessary to guarantee media pluralism and independence in Hungary, in accordance with European legal standards, in particular the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The Hungarian media landscape is characterised by the widespread takeover…

Twenty-seven years after the assassination of Serbian newspaper publisher and editor Slavko Ćuruvija in Belgrade, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned media freedom organisations to mark the upcoming anniversary of the killing by lamenting the complete impunity for those responsible for one of the most serious attacks on journalism in the country’s history. Our organisations, which were part of a recent international media freedom mission to Serbia organised by the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists and the Media freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), have monitored the media freedom crisis in Serbia intensively in the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, and other media freedom, journalist and freedom of expression organisations in condemning the arrest and deportation of Afgan Sadygov, founder of Azerbaijani news outlet and youtube channel Azel.tv from Georgia to Azerbaijan. Sadygov’s deportation constitutes a blatant violation of Georgia’s commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and demands strong international condemnation. Sadygov was deported on 5 April following his arrest at his home in Tbilisi the previous night on charges of “insulting police” on social media. The deportation verdict was made by a judge…

Over 500 organisations representing Europe’s cultural and creative sectors, independent media and journalism, civil society and democracy actors have signed an urgent joint letter addressed to EU leadership. The letter calls for a substantial increase in funding for the AgoraEU programme in the next long-term EU budget (2028-2034), envisaged as a dedicated funding instrument for culture, independent media and journalism, audiovisual media, and civil society organisations. Despite its strategic importance, the programme currently represents only approximately 0.43% of the total EU budget — a level the coalition considers insufficient to match the scale of the challenges facing these sectors. Europe…

At 7 pm today, N1 Television employees and the Coalition for Media Freedom, including the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) and Nezavisnost, will gather outside the building to show solidarity with Igor Božić, who was recently removed from his position as News Director. Igor Božić is currently unassigned pending a final decision on his status by the Management Board.  The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Serbian members in strongly condemning the dismissal of Igor Božić who has worked tirelessly in recent years to ensure independent news coverage, despite mounting political pressure. His eviction which follows the…