During early hours of August 30, gunshots were fired at the house of Albanian crime reporter Klodiana Lala‘s parents. The investigative journalist believes that the attack is related to her journalistic activities. The investigation was launched by local police authorities to identify the perpetrator(s). In a joint public statement, the APJA denounced the attack as an example of danger and threats faced by journalists because of their work in the region: This is an unprecedented attack against a journalist who has dared to investigate corruptive and criminal cases, as well as against all media and free speech. The bullets that…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) today reiterated their support for the adoption of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM), calling on members of the European Parliament to vote on 12 September in favor of the proposal, as put forward by its Legal Affairs Committee (JURI). Recognizing the crucial importance of authors’ rights, the media’s investment in quality contents and the need to establish fair practices in the online exploitation of news contents, the text, as proposed by the Legal Affairs Committee on 20 June, is ground-breaking. “This long-awaited piece of legislation…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) – the largest organisation of journalists in Europe and in the World, representing over 600,000 journalists – backs Haber-Sen and UNI Global Union – media entertainment & arts in expressing their concern with the impact of the new regulations affecting the future of TRT (Turkish Radio and Broadcasting) and its staff. The EFJ-IFJ will meet Haber-Sen General Secretary, Mr Burak Ustaoglu, next week in Brussels to discuss the situation in details.  The joint declaration of Haber-Sen and UNI Global Union, supported by the EFJ, is the following : The Emergency Decree Law No. 703, which…

Journalist Alexander Sokolov, an investigative reporter who was detained since July 2015 and sentenced to three and half years of jail in August 2017, has been released on August 28, 2018. Sokolov announced the release on his social media, saying, that he would not call it a release, because he will still be under restrictions of freedom by judicial authorities. Sokolov was released after a number of appeals under an updated law redefining how time spent in pre-trial detention is deducted from jail terms. The charges against journalist, filed in 2015, were based on his involvement in a group called For a Responsible…

Ahead of the copyright vote in European Parliament Plenary scheduled for 12 September, the EFJ (European Federation of Journalists), the IFJ (International Federation of Journalists), EMMA (European Magazine Media Association), ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers’ Association), EPC (European Publishers Council), NME (News Media Europe) – together representing the interests of tens of thousands of European news brands and journalists – jointly call on MEPs to maintain the wording on the publishers’ right (Article 11) as put forward by the Legal Affairs Committee. Article 11, as proposed by Legal Affairs Committee on 20 June, represent a major step in the debate: the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the BH Journalists Association, in condemning the brutal attack on BN TV correspondent Vladimir Kovačević. On 26 August 2018, two masked persons physically attacked commercial channel BN TV correspondent, Vladimir Kovačević, in front of the building he lives in, in Banja Luka. Kovačević was going home after reporting about the latest protest organised in the city by the group “Justice for David”, calling on the authorities to uncover the truth about the murder of a young student from Baanja Lulla. According to the journalist, the two unknown perpetrators were waiting…

UPDATE 27.08.2018 TUT.BY news editors Halina Ulasik and Hanna Kaltyhina, journalist Hanna Yermachonak, BelaPAN editor-in-chief Iryna Leushyna, journalist Tatsyana Karavenkava, and Deutche Welle correspondent Paulyuk Bykowski, also editor of FINANCE.TUT.BY Dzmitry Bobryk have been summoned again by the investigators of “BeltTA” case on 27 August. All named editors and journalists have been issued a temporary restriction of leaving Belarus, EFJ’s affiliate the Belarusian Union of Journalists (BAJ) reported. UPDATE 10.08.2018 The Investigative Committee announced releasing all journalists related to the so called “BelTA” case from detention or questioning on August 10th, EFJ’s affiliate the Belarusian Union of Journalists (BAJ) reported. Investigative Committee announced that Maryna Zolatava,…

Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia would have been 54 today. On 16 October 2017, she died in a car bomb attack close to her home. The investigation into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder has resulted only in the arrests of a few suspects, and no apparent attempt to identify the masterminds behind this assassination. Today the European Federation of Journalists remembers and honours her for being supremely brave and great inspiration for us all. Join our action! Write your message on the birthday card (below) and upload it on social media (Twitter, Facebook…). This evening, we’ll place all the cards at Daphne’s memorial…

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) offers practical solidarity to journalists resident in Turkey. It extends its Journalists-in-Residence programme to up to three more journalists from Turkey and is now accepting applications. The ECPMF considers its Journalists-in-Residence Programme to be a concrete and lasting contribution to the campaign for media freedom and pluralism in Europe. “Journalists staying with us have often been fighting for years to be able to work independently and without restrictions. They are long-established colleagues who often face massive threats in their home countries”, says Christian Schult, JiR programme co-ordinator at the ECPMF.  “The…

Blocking of online content and social media, throttling of internet traffic and shutdowns of entire websites constitute the most serious interference with online expression, preventing information from reaching its intended audience, states the fifth annual report by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland. The report analyses the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe, based on the findings of the Council of Europe monitoring mechanisms and bodies. Among the main findings, the focus was drawn to the freedom of expression, especially concerning the troubling tendencies of intimidation and threats against journalists around Europe –…

Slovak journalists are demanding for action in the murder investigation of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kušnírova, which after six months has not given any results. In an open letter, signed by over 300 Slovak colleagues, journalists call for not forgetting the murder and ensuring the independent investigation. European and International Federations of Journalists stand in support with their Slovak colleagues in asking the state authorities to ensure the continuation of a thorough and effective investigation without further delays. Slovak journalists are raising concerns on the actual independence of the current investigation of the murder, concerning the Kuciak’s own findings on…

RES-MPA correspondent Stratis Balaska has been under online and verbal attacks by members of neo-nazi movement “Golden Dawn” after publishing an editorial on August 15th. The publication covered history of Mytilene’s Chapel of Virgin Mary and its significance to the refugee women. Death threats, harassment and incitement to “punishment he deserves” were sent to journalists on Facebook. The threats online were a part of series of threats against Stratis Balaska because of his journalistic work. He was verbally attacked by three men, who he said to be extremists, on the street at the port of Mytilene, Lesbos, on August 12th. After…

One of six Finnish journalists have received some form of threats connected to their professional work, revealed a survey, conducted by the Union of Journalists of Finland (UJF) in 2016. Among them, topics focusing on issues related to immigration, asylum seeking and Russian interference prompt the most negative response and the highest number of attacks against journalists online. The Finnish newsrooms developed a number of measures and protocols to address the rising issue of online harassment, which proved to be successful. One of the advanced steps has been implemented by the public broadcaster Yle by introducing community management, which is…

Members of a TV crew working for German public broadcaster ZDF´s investigative political magazine programme Frontal21 were detained by police during 45 minutes, on 16 August, after a complaint by a participant at a Pegida (far-right) demonstration in Dresden. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its German affiliates, DJV and dju in ver.di, in condemning the Saxon police action. Footage shot by the camera team, which included broadcast journalists Ulrich Stoll and Arndt Ginzel, shows a procession of demonstrators including one man shouting “Lügenpresse!” (“lying press”) while looking and pointing at the camera team. The footage also shows the…

UPDATE (21/08/2018): Ukrainian media and human rights organisations issued a statement today to condemn the so-called “interview” with detained journalist Stanislav Aseev aired by Rossiya 24. ————– Russian television channel Rossiya 24 has aired on August 17 an interview with kidnapped journalist Stanislav Aseev, in which he “confesses” to working for Ukrainian intelligence in Donbass. The interview has raised concerns that Aseev, who has been illegally imprisoned in Donetsk for over a year, was coerced into confessing to false espionage charges. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has said it considers the “confession” of spying for the Ukrainian government given by Stanislav Aseyev “to…

A collaboration of a team of media scholars, Jakob-Moritz Eberla, Christine E. Meltzerb, Tobias Heidenreicha, Beatrice Herreroc, Nora Theorind, Fabienne Linda, Rosa Berganzac, Hajo G. Boomgaardena, Christian Schemerb, and Jesper Strömbäckd, resulted in a publication “European media discourse on migration and its effects: a literature review“, which sets to explore the landscape of media research covering the media discourse on immigration and its effects across Europe. The literature review addresses a general problem of under-representation and depicting migrants as delinquents or criminals. Although, media framing differs for specific migrant groups and used discourses, immigration coverage is often negative and conflict-centered, the publication shows. Repetitive exposure to negative messages on migrants leads to…