The damaging effects of media ownership concentration in Europe was the topic of the Newsocracy conference held in Prague, Czech Republic, on 14 December, organised by the European Centre of Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). The conference highlighted the importance to develop both transparency and pluralism in media ownership to guarantee media as a public good. “The conference turned out to be a wake up call. Experts showed how the lack of transparency in ownership influences media policy in many European countries – in the EU in general, in Central and Eastern Europe in particular”, said European Federation of Journalists’ (EFJ)…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) expressed its solidarity with the colleague Milan Jovanović and the newsroom of Zig Info and urge the Serbian authorities to fully investigative the attacks and threats against the investigative journalist under attack. The EFJ joined it’s affiliates (UNS, NUNS and SINOS) in condemning the attack and in demanding an urgent investigation. The EFJ has reported the following facts to the Council of Europe’s platform for the protection and safety of journalists : On December 12, 2018, the house of Milan Jovanović, an investigative journalist for the independent news website Žig Info, was set ablaze at 3:30…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and it’s Freelance Experts Group (FREG) today joined the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to welcome yesterday’s (13.12.2018) decision by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe that put an end to restrictions on collective bargaining for self-employed persons. The Ministers’ Committee’s decision endorses an earlier ruling by the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) following pressure by the Irish Trade Union Confederation (ICTU) and its affiliates, SIPTU, Equity, the Musicians Union of Ireland and EFJ’s affiliate, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), and supported by the ETUC. The decision of the ECSR,…

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) recognises that physical threats to the life, safety, wellbeing and security of journalists and media organisations remain a serious concern in many European countries. The recent actions of some governments in passing laws that restrict the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media suggest that there is a need for advocacy against such laws or to improve existing legislation. Individual journalists, bloggers, activists, free speech advocates, non-governmental organisations, and media outlets – especially those operating in countries with more restrictive governments – can find it difficult to find…

Spanish police officers raided the headquarters of Spanish news agency Europa Press and newspaper Diario de Mallorca, on 11 December, to confiscate documents and personal devices of several journalists. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) joined their Spanish affiliates, FeSP, FAPE and CCOO, in condemning the police operation, which is a serious violation of the right of journalists to protect their sources. This right is a fundamental pillar of press freedom and is protected by the 20th article of the Spanish Constitution. Its violation is an attack on the free exercise of journalism. According to Europa…

On December 5, the international press freedom organisation ARTICLE 19 issued the ‘Expression agenda report 2017-2018‘; an analysis on the global status of freedom of expression. The findings are anything but positive. There is a decline in the situation of free press in 24 countries around the world since 2014, and this affects Europe as well. Even though the worst performing countries of the index are non-European countries, the hostility towards the media has become normalised particularly in Eastern Europe, where Poland, Croatia, Romania and Turkey saw a decline in the different areas of the index between 2014 and 2017. The report…

On the December 10, the Human Rights Day, Italian journalists have once again organised a protest against the attacks of some members of the government. They gathered to defend the dignity of Journalists’ work and the values contained in Article 21 of the Italian Constitution (guaranteeing free speech). The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) keeps on supporting its Italian affiliate, Federazione Nazionale della Stampa Italiana (Fnsi), in the fight against the continuous attempts to limit journalists’ work in the country. On the same day, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio (5 Star Movement) convened FNSI and the National Order of Journalists (Cnog)…

European and international authors and performers’ organisations from all sectors, including EFJ and IFJ, urge Member States to support the much-needed Article -14 providing for fair and proportionate remuneration for authors and performers in the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. Proposed by the European Parliament and backed by a large majority of its members on 12 September, the opening provision in Chapter 3 sets a fundamental guiding principle for the remuneration of authors and performers, which should be fair and proportionate to the potential and actual value of the transferred or licensed rights. Capital and business in…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Global Editors Network have today published their first White Paper (PDF) following the Brussels Unconference on Media Literacy organised on 6th of November 2018. The paper highlights the objectives of the intervention, summarize the content of the masterclass, details the dynamic of the process that let the participants decide on the themes and topics of the unconference, calls to action for the upcoming participants of next rounds and make main recommendations for the European Media Literacy Toolkit to be produced at the end of this exercice, shows the impact of the Brussels Unconference…