On 18 October 2018, the Helsinki District Court issued a symbolic verdict against online disinformation and hate speech. The Court’s decision makes Finland the first European country to directly fight Internet trolls, taking action against those who harass journalists through the net. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Finnish affiliate, the Union of Journalists in Finland (UJF), in welcoming the verdict as an example to be followed by other European countries to fight online defamation of journalists. The case sees as protagonist Jessikka Aro, a Finnish journalist investigating how pro-Russia disinformation is spread in Finland through social media and websites believed to be linked…

The Steering Committee of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed solidarity with Italian journalists affected by the sale of the magazine “Panorama” by the big publishing company Mondadori. Anna del Freo, EFJ Steering Committee member and deputy General Secretary of the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI), was invited at the occasion of the trade union assembly to assist her colleagues, whose working conditions will seriously be deteriorated. Mondadori’s recent decision to sell Panorama to La Verità will force the 24 journalists working for the magazine to accept the cut of their salary by 45%. This was their only choice – the alternative was…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)  has joined its Russian affiliate, RUJ, in condemning the record fine imposed on 26th October by a Moscow court against the Russian independent news website The New Times. Moscow’s Tverskoi District Court imposed fines of 22.250.000 rubles (EUR 300.000) against The New Times and 30.000 rubles (EUR 400) against the website’s editor, Yevgenia Albats, for allegedly failing to comply with financial reporting obligations under Russia’s controversial “foreign agents” law. In an interview with RFE/RL, Yevgenia Albats said she believed the court decision was intended to punish her for an interview she conducted on the…

On 18 and 19 October in Belgrade, programme directors and editors’ in chief discussed with members of  the EFJ Broadcasting Expert Group how to best implement code of conducts and editorial guidelines for Public Service Media in Western Balkans. The workshop was implemented by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and is part of a two-year project “Technical Assistance to Public Service Media in the Western Balkan” led by the IFJ in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The EFJ trainer Muriel Hanot, Director of the Belgian Press Council, gave a presentation about ethical standards in Belgium including the use…

Access Now, Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) and European Digital Rights (EDRi) just issued a joint report evaluating the work done by the EU institutions to tackle online disinformation. They found out a lack of evidence-based solution to address the problem and therefore  established a series of recommendations to be followed prior and after the adoption of the forthcoming EU Action Plan on the topic. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) supports these organisations in asking the EU and Member States to refrain from undue interference and censorship while addressing the issue of disinformation. “We urge the European Commission…

The EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez and trade union leaders from all over Europe today united in their demand for more workers’ participation and workplace democracy. They are calling on MEPs to improve the EU company law package currently going through the European Parliament to strengthen workers’ information, consultation and board-level representation in the new types of companies allowed by this legislation; MEPs to strengthen information to and consultation and representation of workers in the Draft Directive on restructuring and insolvency also going through the Parliament; the European Commission to publish its long-overdue revision of the European Works Council Directive…

The Authors’ Group is Europe’s leading Authors’ network representing more than 500,000 authors, including writers, literary translators, composers, songwriters, journalists, photographers, film/TV directors and screenwriters in Europe. The Authors’ Group consists of the following associations: European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), European Writers’ Council (EWC), Federation of European Film and TV Directors (FERA), and Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) Together with the EU Cultural and Creative Industries at large, the Authors’ Group strongly supports the successful adoption of the Copyright Directive. Along with over 130 professional organisations representing authors from the book, music, press and audio-visual…

In the frame of the EU tripartite negotiations on the Copyright Proposal, the IFJ and the EFJ call on EU institutions to stand up for journalism by safeguarding journalists’ fair and proportionate remuneration from the new neighboring right and strengthening the Proposal’s transparency provisions. Following the approval by the European Parliament on 12th September of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM) – a major step forward in protecting authors’ rights- EU institutions, namely the Council, the Parliament and the Commission, have now entered into their final phase of negotiations through a trilogue that should last until…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has published today a joint statement of findings from an international freedom of expression mission to Malta from 15-17 October 2018. The mission found that the Maltese authorities are not living up to their obligations to guarantee and safeguard freedom of expression and press freedom. The joint mission issued a set of recommendations. EFJ Steering Committee member and FNSI (Italian journalists’ union) deputy General Secretary, Anna del Freo travelled to Malta along with representatives of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the International Press Institute…

On 18 October, the Employment Committee of the European Parliament (EMPL) has voted on a draft Directive on Transparent and predictable working conditions. The draft legislation aims to improve the rights and working conditions of workers in non-standard forms of employment including certain freelance workers. It comes as a response to recent resolutions in which Parliament has called on the Commission to review the precedent directive of 1991, lacking of protection for new forms of employment, so that all workers could enjoy a common core set of rights. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the adoption of this draft…

The EFJ backs the IFJ call to “end the lies, cover-up and appeasement over killing of Jamal Khashoggi”. As more and more evidence emerges about the gruesome nature of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the IFJ-EFJ has called on the international community to stop appeasing the Saudi regime. Converging reports from Turkish and international media and video footage indicate that the journalist was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by Saudi hitmen, some with links to the government. Furthermore, Turkish investigators announced that the search of the consulate on Monday has brought more evidence that Mr Khashoggi was killed there.…

The regional workshop on developing code of conduct/editorial guidelines for Public Service Media in Western Balkans has started today, 18 October, in Hotel 88 Rooms, Belgrade. The workshop brings together the program directors and editors-in-chief from the six PSM (RTSh Albania, BHRT Bosnia and Herzegovina, RTK Kosovo, MRTV Macedonia, RTCG Montenegro and PSB Serbia) to discuss, examine and assess code of conducts and editorial guidelines with European experts in the field. How to ensure independence, how to be accurate & relevant, connected & accountable as well as fair & respectful are the challenges for all journalists and media; for public…

From 15-17 October 2018, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) took part in an international freedom of expression mission to Malta, together with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the International Press Institute (IPI), PEN International, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The mission took place exactly one year after the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, while the ongoing investigation is being questioned and journalists in the country are under pressure. The EFJ was represented by Steering Committee member and FNSI (Italian journalists’ union) deputy General Secretary Anna del Freo. She encouraged Maltese…

The United Kingdom is currently discussing a new terror bill including a wide range of anti-terrorism and border security measures. Many voices, including the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), and recently the influential Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), raised concerns on the bill and its possible side effects on freedom of the press. The bill aims to close a number of loopholes in existing counter-terrorism legislation, in order to guarantee enough powers to the police and security services. However, according to the NUJ, “a number of clauses that could gravely endanger legitimate, public interest, media reporting of terrorists and…

Today, it is one year since journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb for exposing corruption in Malta. Those who ordered the murder still enjoy impunity. Following the silent vigil held in her honour, in front of the Residence Palace in Brussels, the EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez demands concrete actions from political decision-makers: The EFJ calls on the Maltese government to respond positively to the request of the family of Ms Caruana Galizia to establish an independent public inquiry conducted by a panel of respected international judges, retired judges and/or qualified individuals with no political or government links. The EFJ…

On 16 October 2017, Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered by a car bomb in the town of Bidnija, near her family home. One year after, the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) deplore the lack of independent public inquiry and the unwillingness of the Maltese government to take concrete action to end impunity around this crime. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a 53 year-old prominent investigative journalist who kept a blog labelled Running Commentary, one of the most widely read websites in Malta. The journalist had been targeted and sued many times for her writings in which…