The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has recorded 49 killings of journalists and media professionals in 2019, including two in Europe, a significant drop from 95 posted last year. The IFJ says that, while the apparent decreasing bloodbath in the journalists’ community is a welcome relief, the spread of killings and the motives behind the killings are sobering reminders that violence against journalists is still rampant and the failure to combat impunity for these attacks remain a damning indictment on those in power. The IFJ lists 18 countries from the four corners of the world where journalist were killed since…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the release of Ukrainian journalists Stanislav Aseev and Oleh Halaziuk who suffered a long illegal custody in Donetsk. On Sunday, at a checkpoint near Gorlovka, pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine have concluded a long-awaited prisoner exchange of 200 prisoners, including the two journalists who contributed to the Ukrainian service of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. While welcoming these releases, the EFJ recalls that 122 journalists and media actors remain in prison in Europe: 108 in Turkey; 7 in Russia; 6 in Azerbaijan; 1 in the United Kingdom (Julian Assange, founder and publisher of WikiLeaks,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined today its Spanish affiliates FSC-CCOO and FAPE in condemning the increasingly common practice of no-questions-asked press conferences, in Spain. On Wednesday, Pedro Sanchez (our picture), secretary general of the PSOE and candidate for investiture as president of the Government, invited journalists to attend a press conference, after confirming the King’s order to try to form a government and thus be invested president. Sanchez only allowed two questions, which was strongly criticized by journalists present. The Spanish Secretary of State for Communication, Miguel Ángel Oliver criticized journalists covering la Moncloa, the seat of government,…

Public service broadcasters have the capacity to shape public’s perception on gender roles and are leading the way in building gender-balanced workplaces. As public services they have the duty to reflect the societies they are informing. Many of them made gender equality a top priority in their workplaces which led to a change in their culture. The European Broadcasters Union (EBU) has published a new report, ‘All Things Being Equal’, in where it shares their members’ own experience and good practices on equal opportunities, equal pay – gender pay gap in the EU is 19% -, work/life balance or protection…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed today the registry on self-regulation of online media in North Macedonia, which was announced yesterday by the Council of Media Ethics (CMEM) together with the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM). “We believe that journalists’ organisations should promote for the public benefit high ethical standards in journalism, based on five principles: truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and honesty, humanity, and accountability,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “That is why the EFJ supports this professional initiative aiming to strenghten media self-regulation in North Macedonia.” The initiative will promote self-regulation of online media by…

Several Members of the European Parliament (MEP) urged Maltese Primer Minister, Joseph Muscat, to resign “now”. In a resolution adopted on 18 December, the European Parliament expressed its concern about the “integrity and credibility” of the investigations related to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. It stressed that “any risk of compromising the investigations (…) must be excluded by all means” and warned that this risk will persist for “as long as the Prime Minister remains in office”. MEPs also called on the new Commission “to enter into dialogue with the Maltese Government in the context of the Rule of Law Framework…

The Belgian Press Council (Conseil de déontologie journalistique – CDJ) invites you to a European interactive forum on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, to take place in Brussels on 21-22 January 2020. It will bring together media, journalists, press councils, journalists’ unions and associations and will address challenges of journalistic self-regulation in the digital age. Press councils and self-regulatory mechanisms – usually tripartite involving journalists, media representatives and the civil society – plays an ever-important role in upholding standards in journalism while preventing state intervention through media regulations. The forum will raise awareness about the added-value of self-regulation and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined today the “Europe stands with Malta” demonstration in front of the Maltese Permanent Representation in Brussels, to stand in solidarity with the people of Malta demanding the immediate resignation of the Maltese Prime Minister following his office being implicated in the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Several speakers, including Andrew Caruana Galizia, Maltese MEP David Casa, Tom Gibson (Committee to Protect Journalists), Ricardo Gutiérrez (European Federation of Journalists), Oliver Money-Kyrle (International Press Institute) and Alice Stollmeyer (Defending Democracy), spoke out against injustice and impunity in…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ), in partnership with their Turkish affiliates, organised last week two training workshops in Istanbul and Bursa, Turkey. The events are part of an EU-funded project promoting journalists’ rights and human rights journalism, which the organisations currently implement in Turkey. Organized on 4 December in partnership with the Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası (TGS) and Evrensel newspaper, the first workshop focused on countering fake news and fact-checking techniques. Training was delivered in the newsroom to 12 journalists by trainer Gülin Çavuş and Orhan Şener, director of the TGS Akademi. It examined various online fact-checking techniques including KnightLab,…

UPDATE (19 December 2019): On 18 December, the Albanian parliament approved two controversial media laws, known as the “anti-defamation package”. 82 MPs voted in favour of the law, 13 against and 5 MPs abstained. We condemn these media law changes, which if they come into force, will result in the replacement of self regulation of online media with state regulation. Cosmetic changes made at the very last minute do not address all the concerns raised by the European Union, the Council of Europe (CoE) and CoE’s Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic. We urge the president not to decree these changes as…

We, the undersigned organisations, reiterate our call on the Albanian parliament not to approve the draft media laws known as the “defamation package.” Should the draft laws enter into force, they would introduce mandatory registration requirements for online media and create an administrative body with the power to fine, shut down online media and block foreign online media – all without a court order. They would also introduce state regulation of online media, which is contrary to international best practice guidelines on self-regulation. We note that the proposals are not in line with best practices on self-regulation and would have an adverse…

Turkish journalist İdris Özyol who had been beaten up in May was found unconscious in the street in Antalya on 2nd December and rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage. The EFJ and IFJ join the Progressive Journalists’ Association (CGD) and Disk Basın-İş in calling for a full investigation into the case and demanding the government act to ensure journalists’ safety. İdris Özyol, who is known for his criticism of government’s policies, writes for local daily Akdeniz’de Yeni Yüzyıl in the southern province of Antalya. On 15 May 2019, he was attacked by three assailants in front of his…

The European Federation of Journalists together with its partners is seeking project proposals on initiatives to support activities of existing media self-regulation bodies. The objective of this call for financial support is to strengthen the capacities of self-regulatory bodies through support for their initiatives (1) on advocating, promoting and improving media freedom by preventing or avoiding government regulation through self-regulation ; (2) on promoting and improving ethical journalism ; (3) on offering and organising a body or complaint mechanism where citizens and organizations can make a complaint if they believe there is a violation of journalistic ethics. This call for proposals…

At the conference it is organising in Paris on 6 December, the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) joined forces with other organisations defending press freedom to call on European institutions and governments to adopt effective measures to protect the Fourth estate for the sake of democracy. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the call, emphasising the need to avoid any procedure for certification or labelling of the media, on the pretext of combating misinformation, and the importance of supporting the International Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists and Other Media Professionals proposed by the International Federation of…

By Tim Dawson Tim Dawson is a London-based journalist, and a member of the executive of the National Union of Journalists in the UK and Ireland. He traveled to Turkey from November 27-30 2019 to observe and monitor journalists trials as well as participate in an International Conference within the framework of the “Journalism is not a crime” EU-funded project implemented by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Turkish Journalists Union (TGS). Eren Keskin is possibly the most striking defendant hauled before Istanbul’s criminal courts today. Dressed in black from head to…

Download the Codex The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) launched its Press Freedom Police Codex on 4 December in Brussels. The Codex formulates in eight clauses how the police and journalists can work amicably together. The clauses are based on research into areas of conflict between the two professions from all over Europe. It addresses issues of police violence, surveillance, accreditation, protection of sources and confiscation of journalistic materials. With the launch of the  Codex, ECPMF aims to provide guidelines, establish and continue a dialogue between journalists and the police, to help the two professions work together…