The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ- EFJ) joins their Turkish affiliates, the Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (GCD), the Journalists’ Union of Türkiye (TGS), DİSK Basın-İş, the İzmir Gazeteciler Cemiyeti and the Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti (TGC), in strongly condemning the appointment of a trustee to Halk TV and the suspension of its broadcasts on 14 October 2026. The federations denounce the move as a grave attack on press freedom and on the public’s right to information. “Türkiye has woken to a bleak day for democracy and press freedom,” the GCD said in its statement. Early today, police raided Halk TV’s building…

Ahead of the European Council summit on 15–16 October, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and more than 600 organisations call on EU leaders to defend a strong AgoraEU budget. The Irish Presidency has proposed a 30% cut to AgoraEU, the largest cut in its draft budget. AgoraEU funds journalism, media, culture and civil society. The cut would save just 0.2% of the EU budget, but could do lasting damage to Europe’s democratic resilience. For journalism, the timing could not be worse. News media are at financial risk in almost every EU country, and news deserts are spreading. Meanwhile, the…

In recent weeks, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has documented more than ten cases of violence and obstruction of press freedom targeting journalists covering student and high school protests in France. More than half of these incidents are attributable to law enforcement officers. Once again, our conclusion is unequivocal: media professionals, even when clearly identified as such, are not safe in the field. The EFJ strongly condemns this violence and calls on the competent authorities to identify and sanction those responsible, including law enforcement officers. The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and law enforcement are also…

On 6-7 of October 2026, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) conducted an advocacy meeting as part of the IMPACT project funded by the European Commission. Together with our Hungarian affiliates, the Hungarian Press Union (HPU) and the Hungarian Association of Journalists (MUOSZ), a series of conversations with major stakeholders dealing with the transformation in media were held to evaluate the state of the country’s media landscape after 16 years under Viktor Orbán’s government, and look ahead of what needs to be done to create a truly independent media landscape in Hungary. “Independent media survived Orbán’s government through the support…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in condemning the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against the Mapping Media Freedom platform on 30 September and 1 October 2026 and in expressing their solidarity with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), which operates it. The attack overwhelmed the platform’s servers and temporarily disrupted public access. ECPMF took technical measures to restore access and the platform was accessible again on 2 October. ECPMF reported the attack to the Leipzig police on 6 October. According to its latest public update, there…

On October 11, Slovenians will vote on a referendum on whether to abolish the licence fee that funds their public broadcaster. In addition, a draft law is moving forward that would give the government decisive influence over the body responsible for appointing the broadcaster’s management. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in warning that both proposals risk breaching the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and in calling on parliament to pause the legislative process. Ahead of a consultative referendum on abolishing the mandatory contribution that finances RTV Slovenija (RTV…

Between January and August 2026, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) documented 28 verified drone-related incidents affecting journalists, media workers, newsrooms and media infrastructure in Ukraine. At least five media workers and newsroom staff were physically injured. New incidents followed in September. In Sloviansk, a fiber-optic FPV drone destroyed a vehicle used by Spanish photojournalist Diego Herrera and Swedish journalist and writer Mustafa Can, only minutes after they had stepped out of it, on 24 September. Their professional and protective equipment was also destroyed. On 28 September, Radio Liberty video correspondent Marian Kushnir survived a drone attack in…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliates in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, and leading media freedom organisations in calling for a strong and effective anti-SLAPP framework in Albania. In a joint open letter (see below) addressed to the Albanian minister of Justice Toni Gogu, the signatories welcome the draft anti-SLAPP legislative package and its important safeguards, while recommending targeted improvements to strengthen early dismissal, protection against abusive proceedings, implementation mechanisms, and safeguards for public-interest participation. The letter also calls for addressing the continued criminalisation of defamation and insult and for a…

Access-blocking orders are increasingly being used in Türkiye as a tool to restrict freedom of expression and press freedom. In recent weeks, not only news websites but also the social media accounts of journalists, media organisations, professional associations and civil society organisations have been blocked from being accessed in Türkiye. In response to these restrictions, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Turkish Journalists’ Union (TGS) are making the following clear and public call to X and its management: X must not block access to the accounts of journalists and media organisations in…

Although France enjoys a legal and regulatory framework which is generally supportive of media freedom, challenges are mounting ahead of the 2027 presidential election, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) concluded with its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in a new report published today.  The report follows an international press freedom mission to Paris in June, which was led by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and joined by partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR). The mission was also joined by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), EFJ French affiliates (SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT Journalistes and FASAP-FO),…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) stands with its Slovenian affiliates, the Trade Union of Slovenian Journalists (SNS) and the Slovenian Association of Journalists (DNS), in their defense of independent, sustainable and predictable funding for the public service media RTV Slovenija. On 11 October 2026, Slovenian citizens will vote in a consultative referendum on the proposed abolition of the mandatory RTV contribution that finances RTV Slovenija. The referendum question reads: “Are you in favour of abolishing the mandatory payment of the contribution for Radiotelevizija Slovenija programmes?” The referendum proposal was initiated by the parliamentary groups of SDS, NSi, SLS, Fokus,…

In the negotiations on the EU Multi-Financial Framework (MFF) 2028 – 2032, journalism funding is the new kid on the block. The EFJ has analysed where EU funding on journalism is currently being spent. Local, independent journalism does not come out on top. Journalism is facing an unprecedented crisis of viability. The European Media Industry Outlook report shows that the total revenue generated by the EU news media sector declined by 8% from 2023 to 2024. In response, the EU is, for the first time, developing a welcome and timely specific budget for the journalism and news sector. What started…

One year after French freelance photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed by a targeted Russian drone strike in Ukraine, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners renew their call for effective cooperation between the French and Ukrainian investigations to ensure that justice is secured. Our organisations extend their condolences to Lallican’s family and stand in solidarity with all journalists working under extraordinary risk in Ukraine. A Russian first-person view (FPV) drone killed Lallican on October 3, 2025, in a direct strike near the town of Druzhkivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast, around 15km from the…

An İstanbul court has shut down independent news website T24 and its X social media account over content prosecutors described as “LGBT propaganda”. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns this crackdown by the Turkish authorities on journalists, LGBTQ+ rights groups and online platforms across Turkey. T24, which has been operating since 2009, is one of Turkey’s leading independent news sources. The organisation’s website and its social media account X were shut down on 30 September. The decision was justified by the İstanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace on the grounds that 118 pieces of content constituting so-called “LGBT propaganda”…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate, the Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF), in expressing deep concern over the announcement by STT, the Finnish national news agency, that it may have to wind down its news and photo operations. This puts one of Europe’s oldest news agencies at risk of closure after almost 140 years. According to STT, the decision follows long-standing losses in its news and photojournalism units. The agency has started restructuring negotiations that could lead to 95 dismissals and the end of its current operations on 31 March 2027. It is still possible that…