The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joins the undersigned media freedom and journalists organisations in urging the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic to vote to pass a draft bill which would amend the law on public broadcasting to strengthen the institutional independence of Česká televize (Czech Television) and Český rozhlas (Czech Radio). Our organisations have previously called for and supported the development of this bill, which we believe will play a crucial role in limiting the ability of political forces to influence Czech Television’s oversight council and help future-proof the broadcasters against any attempts by governments to erode editorial independence. The…

Thirty-eight journalists working for public broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTV SLO) received pre-layoff notices after conducting acts of solidarity with fellow colleagues. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Slovenian Association of Journalists (DNS) and the Union of Slovenian Journalists (SNS) in expressing support to the journalists as well as urging the broadcaster’s management to stop any kind of pressure and meet employees’ numerous and repeated requests. The 38 journalists received pre-termination letters from RTV SLO management on Friday 7 October in reaction to showing their support to the strike movement that started on 23 May 2022. They physically stepped twice…