The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) was invited on 26 January to participate in the high-level debate “#SpreadNoHate: Hate Speech Against Migrants and Refugees in the Media” organised in Brussels by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the European External Action Service (EEAS). This event was aimed to better understand the mechanisms of hate speech against migrants and refugees as well as exploring new ways to improve the quality of media coverage, by promoting ethical journalism and fostering dialogue between journalists, institutions and organisations. EFJ General secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez moderated the panel on “Strengthening Partnerships between Media and Civil…

On 19 January, an indictment has been issued for hate crime against Ivan Goluban, arrested since November 2016, following threats by text message to CJA president Saša Leković. Goluban has been detained following his arrestation as the judge considered that he could potentially repeat the harassment against Leković. He is facing up to 5 years in jail. In October 2016, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) denounced the increase of hate speech and direct threats towards journalists in Croatia in an article explaining how Saša Leković escaped a serious road accident after his car appeared to have been tempered with.…

A demonstration of solidarity gathered 250 people on Wednesday 18 January 2017 in Lille, in front of the French newspaper La Voix du Nord‘s headquarters, to protest against the managers’ social plan foreseeing a 25% reduction in staff workers. La Voix du Nord‘s owner, the Belgian media group Rossel, announced in early January its plan to cut 178 jobs, including 72 journalists, while the company recorded a profit margin of 5 million EUR in 2015. Union representatives are meeting on Thursday (19/01/2017) morning the French minister of Culture Audrey Azoulay as well as the French minister of Labour Myriam El Khomri to put pressure on…

On 12 January, the National Radio and TV Council (NRTC) of Ukraine voted unanimously to cease the retransmission of the Russian TV Channel Dozhd (Rain), following TV reports showing Crimea as part of Russia. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins today the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović in condemning this decision, which will have harmful consequences for media pluralism in Ukraine. Decision of @NacRada to stop broadcasting @tvrain DozhdTV very demaging for media pluralism in #Ukraine https://t.co/cdT4mmMLna @OSCE_RFoM — Dunja Mijatovic (@Dunja_Mijatovic) January 12, 2017 According to a press release posted on the council’s website,…

UPDATE (13 April, 2017) – Blogger Mehman Huseynov’s appeal was rejected on 12 April by the Baku court of appeals, according to media reports. He was sentenced to two years in prison on defamation charges, because he accused the police of having tortured him following his arrest in January 2017. Huseynov’s lawyer Elchin Sadigov said they will file an appeal to the supreme court. Court of Appeals in Azerbaijan upholds 2 yrs sentence against Mehman Huseynov for defamation: https://t.co/E4ep7Bq1tD — CoE Media Freedom (@CoEMediaFreedom) April 12, 2017 On 9 January 2017, Mehman Huseynov, a blogger and journalist, was detained in…

Roularta Media Group announced on 10 January in a press release the decision to block comments on articles published on its newspapers’ websites, “due to the disrespectful nature of the discussions”. The Belgian group publishes among others Le Vif/L’Express, Trends, Knack and Sport-Foot Magazine. “Our mission is not to moderate resentments, but to inform. In this new era, where fake news spread on social networks takes precedence over verified information, there is an urgent need for the press to get back to basics: informing while at the same time avoiding to ride the buzz wave”, wrote Le Vif editor-in-chief, Vincent…

The Ethical Journalism Network launched on Tuesday 10 January the report Ethics in the News which aims to throw some light on ethical challenges for media and gives journalists some key tips on ethical survival techniques. In Europe and America the report looks at how media covered the UK vote to leave the European Union and the Trump election which intensified concerns about the revival of racism, extremism and political propaganda across the western world. Ethics in the News analyses fake news and how journalism with a public purpose can be overwhelmed in a do-it-yourself world of communications that has…

Media – in all its forms – play a crucial role in the shaping of identities, in the promotion or inhibition of dialogue, solidarity and recognition.Which strategies and tools can empower counter-narratives and challenge mainstream perceptions of refugees, of migration, of marginalised groups in general?We invite professional journalists, community media practitioners and media students in Europe to document how their daily work helps fight against discrimination and counter hate. How to enter: To be eligible, you must be resident in a EU member state, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Register here by January 15th, 2017. You will receive a DropBox link where you…