The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has been awarded the 2022 UNESCO Guillermo Cano Prize. The Award Ceremony will take place on 2 May in Punta Del Este in Uruguay, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) congratulate their Belarusian member for the well-deserved international recognition of its work for journalists and media freedom in Belarus. The EFJ nominated its affiliate BAJ for the award, together with the IFJ and 46 Unesco ambassadors. An international jury of media professionals eventually awarded the journalists’ association with one of the most prestigious…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined nine European and international press freedom and freedom of expression organisations, members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and their partners, have reacted to the harassment of Emilia Șercan, expressing serious concerns about the case and its implications for media freedom in Romania. Today, the ten organisations sent an open letter to the Romanian authorities calling for swift and independent investigations. The letter recalls that the threats and harassment of Șercan are set against a background of recent aggression and undue pressure against journalists and media workers in Romania coming from politicians,…

Lithuanian documentary film–maker Mantas Kvedaravicius was killed in Mariupol, Ukraine, by Russian forces on Saturday 2 April as he attempted to leave the city. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemned his “deliberate killing” and have demanded that Russian forces let journalists work without being targeted. Kvedaravicius, 45, was known for his 2016 documentary, Mariupolis, which won Best Documentary at the Lithuanian Film Awards, as well as receiving commendations at the Berlin, Hong Kong and Stockholm film festivals. The film-maker also directed the 2011 award-winning documentary Batzakh, on Russia’s war in Chechnya. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the film-maker’s…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will hold its general assembly in the western Turkish city of İzmir. More than 100 journalists from 45 countries in Europe are expected to meet on 13 and 14 June 2022. İzmir was chosen as the host city of the upcoming congress of the EFJ, which is Europe’s largest journalism organisation with more than 71 members in 45 countries, representing 320,000 journalists in Europe. Co-organised by Turkey’s Journalists’ Union (TGS), the congress will be held in İzmir’s historic Gas Factory, a 160-year-old industrial-plant-turned-cultural centre, in tandem with the Local Media Summit. EFJ President Mogens…

From 4 to 6 April, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will join partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in Italy for a fact-finding mission focused on two main topics: safety of journalists and state protection measures on one side, and SLAPPs against journalists and the need for comprehensive legislative reforms of the framework of defamation and media freedom on the other.  In collaboration with local partners, including the Italian National Federation of Journalists (FNSI), the journalists’ association Articolo 21 and the Chamber of Journalists, the MFRR delegation will address these issues from different perspectives and with…

Several cases of abduction of journalists in the occupied territories of Ukraine have been reported over the last month. Some have been released while Ukrainian photojournalist Maks Levin is still missing since 13 March. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemned the deliberate targeting of journalists by the Russian military and denounced the torture and pressure exerted on journalists and their families in order to make them cooperate. “They jumped on me from behind, threatened me with weapons, twisted my arms and demanded that I kneel down. Afterwards, I was interrogated by different people. Those conducting the interrogation had their…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has submitted its contribution to the European Commission’sPublic consultation for the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) on 24 March 2022. The EFJ has welcomed the initiative as an overdue action to reconcile unprecedented threats against independent journalism and media including politicisation, such as so-called state capture, lack of transparency in media ownership, increased threats on independent public service and unfair allocation of state funding. The questions include the important issue of self-regulation, the work of media authorities but also the need to create an enabling environment for media. The EMFA proposal aims to increase…

At the beginning of the war in Ukraine and the bombing of major cities, the IFJ and the EFJ launched a special Safety Fund to support journalists in need in the country through their affiliates IMTUU and NUJU as well as journalists trying to flee Russia. Ernest Sagaga is the head of IFJ Safety and Human Rights Department. He tells us about the use of the fund and the IFJ/EFJ work to support journalists in the region. 1. There has been a massive show of solidarity by journalists across the globe to support media professionals in need in Ukraine. Can you describe the type…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined civil society, media and journalist organisations committed to the EU’s efforts to champion the rule of law in Europe to provide advice for strengthening the 2022 rule of law reporting cycle with a civil society statement. This followed other efforts to strengthen the process. As the reporting cycle has entered its third edition, we welcome progressive improvements such as the inclusion of country-specific recommendations. These recommendations are key to ensuring follow-up actions to the reports, thereby strengthening their impact and accountability on national-level and EU-wide reforms on the rule of law. To this…

Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske has revealed today that one of its journalists, Victoria Roshchina, has been missing since 15 March 2022. The media fears that she is “a prisoner of the Russian occupiers”. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls for her immediate release. According to Hromadske, Victoria Roshchina had planned to go last week to Mariupol, a city that has been shelled by Russian troops for more than two weeks. On 12 March, her colleagues were unable to make contact. She was probably detained a few days later, on 15 March, by Russian forces in an unknown location. “For…

Fox News camera operator Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian producer and fixer Oleksandra Kuvshynova, also known as Sasha, were killed on 14 March while reporting from Horenka, a city close to Kyiv. Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall was seriously injured in the same attack. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) denounced the targeting of media workers reporting on the front lines in Ukraine and urged the international community to investigate these attacks. Fox News reported that the journalists’ vehicle “was struck by incoming fire” yesterday as the crew was heading towards the city of Irpin. Only Benjamin Hall’s serious condition following…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its partners today in calling on the Member States of the European Union to set a global example of support for media freedom in crisis by extending emergency shelter and visa waivers to Russian journalists fleeing the country, as well as Belarusian journalists seeking refuge from war and repression. Independent journalists and media in Russia are currently experiencing the most severe and wide-ranging crackdown in the last thirty years. Leading broadcasters have been silenced or shuttered; dozens of news websites have been blocked; use of the word “invasion” or “war” have been banned;…

A solidarity mission carrying half a ton of humanitarian aid for Ukrainian journalists left Athens on 9 March, headed by Maria Antoniadou, the President of the Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN). The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) praised the ”incredible show of solidarity” by JUADN who organized the mission in collaboration with the Unified Journalists Organization of Subsidiary Insurance and Health Care  (EDOEAP) and supported by the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists Unions (PFJU). The aid, which will be delivered to IFJ/EFJ affiliates the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the Independent Media Trade Union of…

Four European organisations are joining forces to strengthen cross-border, local investigative journalism in Europe through the “Cross-border Local” project. With financial support from the European Commission (Creative Europe), Transitions (Czech Republic), SSE Riga Centre for Media Studies (Latvia), the European Federation of Journalists (Belgium), and Journalismfund.eu (Belgium) will undertake a multifaceted, 1.3 million € programme that will impact the journalism profession in Europe. This project will target journalists and news outlets from all Creative Europe participating countries (EU and non-EU). Cross-Border Local will revolve around three main support mechanisms: A grant programme Addressing the shortage of local independent journalism in…

The European Federation of Journalists and its Freelance Expert Group has welcomed the European Commission’s initiative to address obstacles to collective bargaining on behalf of self-employed workers arising from competition law. The draft Guidelines aim to ensure that competition law does not stand in the way of collective agreements to improve the working conditions of certain self-employed persons, who may have little influence over their working conditions. The EFJ and many journalists’ organisations in Europe have responded to the first consultation on the draft guidelines released on 9 December 2021, based on the situation and experience freelancers and their representative bodies face throughout…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today in condemning the vexatious SLAPP lawsuit against the newspaper El Confidencial by the Spanish electricity company Iberdrola, which is claiming €17.6 million for alleged “reputational damage”. The MFRR partners see the lawsuit as another example of the urgent need for the introduction of anti-SLAPP legislation at the EU and national levels and reform of the current legal provisions on protection of honour and reputation in line with international freedom of expression standards. On 4 February 2022, multinational energy company Iberdrola filed a lawsuit…