More than 60 media, journalists and civil society organizations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ),  have signed an open letter urging Israel to give journalists independent access to Gaza. The organizations – which include the EFJ, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post – point out that no independent media access to Gaza has been permitted since the start of the war, increasing the pressure on domestic journalists, and creating a space for mis- and disinformation to flourish. “More than 100 journalists have been killed since the start of the war and…

Come to Voices as an awardee!  The Voices Awards are back for the second edition of the Voices Festival, the brand-new itinerant event co-funded by the European Commission to celebrate Journalism and Media Literacy in Europe. Free registration is already open for this next edition which will take place in Zagreb, Croatia from 25 February to 1 March 2025.  The awards aim at recognising the works of journalists that best convey the values and goals of the Voices Festival, with a competition rewarding innovative ideas and change-makers around journalism. Each winner will receive a €1,000 monetary prize. Find below the…

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday has labeled The Moscow Times news outlet an “undesirable organisation”, outlawing its activities inside Russia and leaving anybody who cooperates with them open to criminal prosecution. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Russian affiliate JMWU strongly condemn this new censorship action, which aims to invisibilise and criminalise independent voices. “A decision has been taken to declare the activities of The Moscow Times, a foreign non-government organisation, undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the office of Russia’s Prosecutor General said in a statement. It said the outlet was “aimed at discrediting…

The undersigned media freedom, human rights and journalists’ groups call on the new European Commission and the new European Parliament to strengthen their commitment to protecting journalists’ rights and freedom of expression in their relations with Turkey. Relations between the European Union and Turkey have been at an impasse for several years with Turkey occupying the status of an applicant country in a process that has long since stalled. The EU institutions need to find a way to reinvigorate relations and ensure that the protection of human rights is front and centre of those relations. Over the past two decades, Turkey’s…

Serbian authorities should not extradite Belarusian journalist Andrey Gniot to face criminal charges in Belarus and release him immediately. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), its affiliates in Serbia (UNS, NUNS, Sinos and Nezavisnost) and several journalists’ organisations in Serbia (Association of Independent Electronic Media, Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina) call on the Serbian Minister of Justice, Maja Popović, to oppose his extradition. Serbian authorities detained Gniot upon his arrival in the country on October 30, 2023, based on a September 21 Interpol arrest warrant issued by the Belarusian Interpol bureau, for alleged tax evasion charges. In December 2023,…

On 5 July 2024, the Athens Court of First Instance will hold the start of the trial of suspects accused of murdering Greek investigative journalist Giorgos Karaivaz in 2021. The trial which was initially scheduled on 26 May 2024, must conclude by 28 October this year, when the suspects’ pre-trial detention ends. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Greek affiliates (JUADN, ESIEMTH, PFJU, PEPU – ESPIT) welcome the steps taken to prosecute Karaivaz’s murder and urge authorities to conduct an independent and transparent investigation to ensure that all perpetrators are held to account, including those who ordered the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its four affiliates in France (SNJ, SNJ-CGT, CFDT-Journalistes, FASAP-FO) call on the French authorities to take the necessary measures in view of the worrying increase in threats and violence against journalists in France. It is the responsibility of the public authorities to guarantee press freedom and an environment that allows journalists to carry out their work in safety. The number of press freedom violations in France recorded by the EFJ on the EU-funded MFRR platform almost quadrupled in the month of June compared to the number reported since the beginning of the year.…

The Reuters Institute, in cooperation with Oxford University, recently published the Digital News Report 2024, revealing the worldwide latest trends in online news consumption. The report is set in a particular context of global elections and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, feeding online news with misinformation and disinformation. This year, the report showcases the growing role of visual and video-led platforms and analyses for the first time audience attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) in news.  Trust in news  In this year’s report, 40% of all respondents said they trust the news, a similar rate compared to last…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins a coalition of Europe’s leading media, publishers, journalists, cultural and creative organisations and associations in calling upon the European Commission to guarantee that cultural and creative industries remain sustainable in the next mandate. The issue addressed by this joint call is the risk of seeing cultural and media content integrated into DG EAC (Education and Culture) and withdrawn from DG CNECT, which is responsible for innovation and digital policies.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Media Freedom Rapid Response Partners (MFRR) in strongly condemning Lëvizja Vetëvendosje MP Dimal Basha’s abusive speech against ECPMF Senior legal advisor Flutura Kusari during a speech in the Kosovo Parliament. Kusari, found herself singled out in a personal attack aimed at silencing the prominent activist and resulting in a wave of online abuse and sex-based insults. On 27 June 2024, Kosovo’s Vetëvendosje MP Dimal Basha delivered a speech in Parliament, during the second reading of Kosovo’s draft media law (IMC). This draft bill has been criticized for not taking into account recommendations…

The European Federation of Journalists strongly supported the Resolution for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine adopted by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). The resolution commends the work of journalists “risking their lives in Gaza for crucial service to humanity and democracy”. It encourages Governments to consider what they can do unilaterally to prevent war crimes, including the introduction of sanctions, and calls on the EU to consider a military embargo. During the debate preceding the adoption of the resolution by the ETUC Executive Committee, the EFJ general secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez highlighted the fact that the International Federation of Journalists…

Another alarming report on the deterioration of media pluralism in Europe. The latest edition of the “Media Pluralism Monitor” (MPM2024) is out. Of the 32 European countries analysed, barely seven (Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland and Lithuania) have a satisfactory situation. Everywhere else, European citizens are not fully guaranteed access to diversified and independent sources of information. Overall trends show increasing commercial and political interference in the media. The report also demonstrates the passivity of European governments and media companies in the face of this democratic threat. The latest MPM report was released today by the Centre for…

Members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), after completing a mission to Bucharest, concluded that much of the media coverage of Romania’s electoral campaigns is seriously compromised by political capture and that media are failing to provide the fair and balanced political reporting necessary for the public to make informed electoral choices.  The MFRR’s two-day mission to Romania, 17-18 June, was held just one week after the European and local elections had been held. With presidential elections due in September and parliamentary elections in December this year, the MFRR calls for an urgent reform of the system of party…

On 26 June 2024, the daily edition of the Greek newspaper Avgi, was shut down by SYRIZA, its main stakeholder, without further notice after 72 years of existence. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) stand in full solidarity with the workers of Avgi and join their affiliate, the Union of Journalists of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), in condemning the “sudden death” of the daily edition of the historic newspaper and the impact of the decision on its workers.  On 25 June media workers at Avgi were informed at 4pm by the board of directors of the President of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in welcoming the release of Australian journalist Julian Assange, after 14 years of judicial harassment and five years in prison. The dropping of 17 of the 18 charges that he faced avoids the criminalisation of the normal journalistic practices of encouraging sources to confidentially share evidence of wrongdoing and criminality. But by forcing Julian Assange to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit, the US is keeping up the pressure on any journalist, anywhere in the world, who reveals classified information on US national defense. Julian…