The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) pledged their support to the ongoing dialogue between the Ukraine and Russian journalists unions under the auspices of Dunja Mijatovic, Representative on Freedom of the Media for the OSCE. IFJ President, Jim Boumelha, participated in the fifth Ukraine / Russian dialogue meeting in Vienna 25 February, where the Russian Union of Journalists, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine met to review the situation facing journalists attempting to report the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. “The conflict, violence and war…

The growing trend of legal restrictions on journalists and media in Europe is an issue of concern raised in a meeting today (26/02/2015) with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The EFJ presented an exclusive survey on the legal restrictions facing journalists and media. The discussion showed that journalists are most concerned by laws on data retention, protections of sources, anti-terrorism laws, privacy and defamation. The EFJ and its affiliates expressed concerns that such trend of legal restrictions is growing in the climate of fear…

Macedonian government stands accused of tapping the phones of over 20,000 citizens, including more than 100 journalists. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Macedonian affiliates, the Trade Union of Macedonian Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) and the Association of Journalists of Macedonia(ZNM), expressed grave concerns about the publicly announced allegations of the unauthorised mass surveillance of journalists and citizens. Zoran Zaev, leader of the center-left opposition party (Social Democratic Union of Macedonia – SDSM), has released yesterday many details on the mass wire-tapping of more than 100 Macedonian journalists for more than three years. “This violation of privacy directly affects…

“Why do they leave journalism?” – This is the question asked to 38 former journalists by journalism student Hélène Brédart in a project initiated at the Université de Liège and reproduced by Jean-François Dumont of the Belgian Association of Professional Journalists (AJP, member of EFJ). The results of the project published in the latest edition of the monthly Journalistes by the AJP show that the deteriorating working conditions and practices in journalism make are major reason why journalists left the profession. The most frequently mentioned reasons for journalists to leave their job are: • Increasing workload: The digital development and restructuring measures are putting…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has attended at the Brussels Press Club,  the launch of a new book Mapping Foreign Correspondence in Europe showing that London is the world capital of foreign correspondents. The editor of the book Georgios Terzis has conducted a pan-european research for almost two years and gathered data about the 6.600 registered journalists working as correspondents in 27 countries (this first edition does not include information for Poland and Italy). According to the data disclosed, the country that has the highest number of foreign correspondents working there is the United Kingdom (1.700), following by France (945), Belgium…

Joakim Medin, a Swedish freelance journalist arrested by Syrian security forces has been released, on Saturday night, according to the Swedish daily newspaper Expressen, who talked to the journalist. He was arrested by the Syrian forces earlier last week in the Kurdish areas of the country. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Swedish affiliate, SJ, to welcome his release. “Our thoughts are with the journalist’s family and I hope that they can be reunited as soon as possible,” said Jonas Nordling, President of the Swedish Union of Journalists, Journalist Förbundet (SJ). “It is becoming increasingly common for journalists being targeted…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has today expressed its solidarity with Deutsche Welle (DW) journalists who are participating in this afternoon’s demonstration in Bonn against cost-cutting measures in the agency. Ricardo Gutiérrez, the EFJ General Secretary said: “Cost-cutting measures are used to address the economic crisis but often for the wrong places. In an media organisation, such measures will have great impact on media pluralism, diversity and democracy. “We express our solidarity with DW workers and support the protest action today organised by the initiave of the trade union action circle, of which our affiliates DJV and dju in…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Russian affiliate, the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ), are deeply concerned by the new threats against the Mass Media Defence Centre (MMDC), which is the only Russian NGO specialising in media law, as well as providing legal assistance and protecting media rights on a daily basis. Over the past two years, an unprecedented number of laws have been adopted in Russia which dramatically restrict the activities of all independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs). According to a law passed in 2012, Russian NGOs that receive foreign funding must declare themselves as “foreign agents”. This law threatens…

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) had today joined their affiliates in France and Morocco (SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes and SNPM) to strongly denounce the death threats sent from a Twitter account to Zineb El Rhazoui, journalist and contributor of Charlie Hebdo, and her husband, the Moroccan writer Jaouad Benaissi. Rhazoui has received several threats via the social media Twitter containing picture and information on her husband’s home and working place; information that has also been published on social network. The fresh attack on Rhazoui and her husband shows that the Charlie Hebdo perpetrators…