A special aid package to protect journalists wages and support struggling media is to be introduced in North Macedonia thanks to the efforts of the union representing the country’s media workers. The North Macedonian government accepted wide ranging proposals put forward by the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) to help journalists and media cope with the harsh conditions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) have congratulated their affiliate, the SSNM, in negotiating the plan. Applicable to June, July and August, the plan will provide subsidies…

The undersigned members of the Sounding Board (“SB”) of the Multistakeholder Forum on disinformation online (representatives from media, civil society, journalists – including the European Federation of Journalists -, and academia) thank the European Commission for highlighting the crucial role of free and independent media, journalists and academia in the fight against online disinformation during the Covid-19 crisis. The undersigned are alarmed by the rise in online disinformation during the pandemic and call for much stronger measures to apply to the Platforms that are co-signatories of the Code of Practice (CoP). The Sounding Board notably calls for more ambitious proposals…