The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls on the Russian authorities to respect press freedom and allow journalists to operate freely as they cover the mass demonstrations in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, scheduled for Saturday 23 January. Since 20 January, Russian police and the Russian media regulator have issued warnings to several journalists, as well as to news outlets and social media platforms, discouraging them from covering protests in support of Navalny. The Russian Prosecutor’s Office announced on 21 January that police will be “focused on taking preventive measures, and if there are grounds – bringing the…

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has released a report titled “Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2021”, which draws from the major events of 2020 and their disruptive effect on journalism. This outlines what to expect as a result of rapid digital change following the Covid-19 pandemic in a new world “where the physical and virtual coexist in new ways.” A key finding is that the pandemic has forced us to rethink where the limits of free speech should lie for giant tech platforms. According to the report, we should expect a more interventionist approach on…