The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released its 2020 “killed list”. The year 2020 will go down in history as the year of an unprecedented global pandemic crisis, but also as the year of the resurgence of murders of journalists and media staff around the world. With 60 murders in 2020, including two in Europe, the macabre statistics are on the rise again compared to 2019 (49). IFJ records show that the current number of killings of media professionals are at the same levels as in 1990 when the IFJ started publishing annual reports on journalists and media staff killed,…

The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), the European Federation of Journalists affiliate in Belarus, has just drawn the dramatic balance of repression in 2020. Journalists continue to pay a heavy price. In 2020 they spent 1,200 days behind bars. The EFJ once again calls on the European Union, the Council of Europe and the OSCE to end press freedom violations and ongoing human rights abuses in Belarus. According to BAJ monitoring, here are the figures of the repression of media and journalists in Belarus in 2020: 9 media representatives in jail under criminal investigation; 15 media representatives are under criminal…

Can Dündar, the former editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet was sentenced to over 27 years in prison on 23 December 2020. The charges against him are espionage and terrorism. Dündar, who is living in German exile since 2016, was tried in absentia. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined international human rights and press freedom groups to condemn the politically motivated verdict. A court in Istanbul reportedly sentenced Dundar to 18 years and nine months for “obtaining state secrets for the purpose of political or military espionage” and to eight years and nine months…

A new report titled “Guidelines for inclusive media reporting on Covid-19” was published on 14 December. Authored by Marina Tuneva, the Executive Director of the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM), this report is part of the EU-funded UNESCO project Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey. The report aims to complement existing ethical frameworks in relation to journalistic reporting on minority groups and to raise awareness among journalists about mis- and underrepresentation in the media. The guidelines are intended for journalists, activists, media management, students, educators, and all those working in addressing the needs of vulnerable…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) supports the unions of the regional public broadcaster Radio Television of Andalusia (RTVA), in Spain, who have called two days of strike on 22 and 23 December in protest against the 14 million euro cut following the budget agreement between the regional ruling coalition (PP, Ciudadanos) and the far-right Vox party. The EFJ and its affiliates in Spain, FAPE, FESP and FSC-CCOO, joined the Platform for the Defence of Public Radio and Television of Andalusia (RTVA). Budgetary restraint measures imposed by policy-makers threaten the viability of the public broadcaster RTVA (Canal Sur Radio and…

Yulia Slutskaya, the founder of the Belarus Press Club, who is also a member of the board of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), was detained on Tuesday on her arrival at Minsk International Airport. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands her immediate release. In response to new EU sanctions against those responsible for the fraudulent elections and repression of the Belarusian people, the Belarusian Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makei, today announced retaliatory measures against Belarusian organisations supported by foreign embassies in Belarus. Among the first victims of this new wave of repression: Yulia Slutskaya, founder of the Press Club…

The Polish Association of Journalists (SDP), in cooperation with the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today presented the book “I am a journalist. Why do you beat me? “, as part of an action of solidarity with repressed journalists in Belarus. The book is a collection of 20 stories of Belarusian journalists, victims of repression just because they fulfill their professional duty: to inform about the demonstrations taking place in their country. The director of the publication is Sergiy Tomilenko, President of NUJU, member of…

The Austrian and German Press Councils release today their Media Literacy Toolkit for teachers and students which consist of six case studies and roleplay exercises identified by European Press Councils from Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland and Germany. Media literacy is more important than ever for today’s youth in this age of disinformation. The future citizens must be taught how to navigate the modern news landscape. Young people also need to be helped to have the critical literacy skills needed to identify a credible news story. The case studies of the Media Literacy Toolkit deal with various ethical problems in the context of…

The EU DisinfoLab published their report tracking misogynistic disinformation during Covid-19 on 4 December, in solidarity with the #16DaysofActivism2020 against gender-based violence. Researcher Maria Giovanna Sessa adopted a disinformation methodological lens to analyse examples of gendered disinformation. The report “Misogyny and Misinformation: An analysis of gendered disinformation tactics during the COVID-19 pandemic” sheds light on how misogynistic narratives have been retrieved and adapted to fit within the mis- and disinformation environment surrounding the pandemic. Via qualitative, cross-national analysis of fact-checked disinformation in Italy, Spain and France, this research shows a transversal trend in gendered disinformation in the context of Covid-19. The…

A long-awaited drive by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party to bring independent media to heel has started with the planned purchase by Orlen, a state-controlled petro chemical giant, of Polska Press, owned by Germany’s Passauer capital group which has dominated regional newspapers and magazines for over a quarter of a century. The deal announced on December 7 still has to be approved by Poland’s competition authority which is beholden to the government and the deal whose value has yet to be announced is expected to be completed early next year. Polska Press owns 20 out of 24 regional newspapers,…

Ayşegül Doğan has become the latest journalist in Turkey who was sentenced to prison by a court in a controversial case condemned by human rights groups. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has condemned the court’s decision. The 9th Penal Court in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır convicted Doğan on 7 December for “establishing and managing an armed organisation”, sentencing her to six years and three months in prison. The prosecutor had initially requested the court to sentence Doğan to 22.5 years in prison. “This decision shows that the court still sees journalists as terrorists,” said Mustafa Kuleli, EFJ Steering Committee…

As Montenegro’s new coalition government under the leadership of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was formally approved by the Montenegrin Parliament on 4 December, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) and key partners, urge it to put press and media freedom high on its agenda. The detailed report from their virtual fact-finding mission raises a number of concerns. To advance media freedom and, ultimately, the country’s accession bid to the European Union (EU), the new administration must commit to the necessary reforms for building and maintaining a free and pluralist media landscape. This is a…

Four journalists were arrested on 11 and 12 December while covering protests against the murder of Klodian Rasha in Tirana. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Association of Professional Journalists of Albania (APJA) strongly condemn the harassment and arbitrary arrest of media workers who were reporting on a public event. The protests erupted after Klodian Rasha, a 25 years-old Albanian citizen, was killed by a police officer on 8 December. He had been out after curfew and ran away from the police. Rasha was shot twice in the back and the officer alleged he had carried a firearm, which Rasha’s…

16 December 2020 marks 38 months since Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in Malta, yet barriers to justice remain. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with the undersigned organisations condemns the continued threats made by the Maltese Government against the independent public inquiry into the circumstances of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and its three board members. The independence of the inquiry is vital and we call on the Government to uphold its commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights and ensure the inquiry is supported to fulfil its Terms of Reference free from all political threats…

During the health crisis, journalists have been playing a crucial role. When most of us are required to stay home, they act as our eyes and ears on the ground bringing trustworthy and reliable information to us. Yet, in some European countries journalists are still not considered as essential workers impeding their ability to work. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) launched, in partnership with its affiliates in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, a social media campaign to raise awareness about the need to regard journalists as essential workers.  In the region, the COVID-19 pandemic meant for…

On Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December, ministers from close to 60 countries, including 33 European countries (1), are taking part in the Unesco World Press Freedom Conference (WPFC), at the invitation of the Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok. This is the first time in the history of the WPFC that a session gathers 56 foreign affairs ministers from around the world. On Wednesday they discussed topics like how to tackle violence against journalists, photographers and media workers more effectively. All participating countries will confirm the agreements they reach in a final declaration, The Hague Commitment to increase the Safety…