​The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today publishes its position on the draft proposal for the  European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which was adopted by its Steering Committee in Brussels on 13 January.   While we welcome the European Commission’s initiative to strengthen the free and pluralistic media system, and the commitment to protect journalists and editorial independence within the European Union, we stress the importance of a more robust protection of both media freedom and editorial independence.  In its position, the EFJ proposes urgent amendments which are crucial to be included by the co-legislators, the European Parliament and the European…

Following a decision of the General Meeting in Izmir (Turkey) in June 2022, members of the European Federation of Journalists decided to create a new expert group focusing on gender and diversity issues (Gender and Diversity Expert Group – GENDEG). The first in-person meeting took place on 12 January 2023. The group, chaired by Elena Tarifa (FeSP, Spain) and Lina Kushch (NUJU, Ukraine), consists of 13 other members from Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Switzerland. This first meeting launched the discussions around priorities, objectives, as well as an action plan for 2023. The safety of female…

Media outlets across Poland united in a strong act of solidarity when the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) decided to launch legal proceedings against TVN for “promoting false information” over a report critical of the Smoleńsk committee. The report, published on Monday 12 September, was made free of charge by the broadcaster TVN. Media outlets Gazeta Wyborcza, Newsweek Polska, Rzeczpospolita, radio stations Radio Zet, Tok FM, and RMF, news websites Onet, OKO.press and Wirtuala were amongst the dozens of editorial offices that published the documentary. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Polish affiliate the Society of Journalists (TD) welcomes…

Several journalists and media workers working on environmental and climate stories have been subjected to threats and obstruction to press work in 2022, hindering the right to information of the public. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is alarmed by the risks associated with climate journalism throughout Europe and recalls the necessity for media to cover the current ecological and social issues.  Climate journalism has gone from being a niche beat to a field covered by a lot of national and international media outlets. Despite a belated but tangible expansion of the media coverage, journalists’ organisations have witnessed a lack…

The European and International Federation of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) raise the alert on the increasing threats surrounding journalists and media workers reporting on the tensions between Serbia and Kosovo from the North of Kosovo, and joins its affiliate the Association of Journalists in Kosovo (AJK) in asking the competent authorities, including the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), the Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the police, to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of journalists reporting on the ground. Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have escalated recently, especially in the divided city of Mitrovica, with Belgrade (Serbia) accusing Pristina…

New Year’s Eve is always a difficult time for journalists’ organisations and their European federation, the EFJ. How can we celebrate when we know that 13 journalists were killed in Europe, mainly in Ukraine, in 2022? How can we celebrate when we know that 124 journalists in Europe will spend New Year’s Eve in prison? The European Federation of Journalists has only one wish for the coming year: that these 124 colleagues be released. May no other journalist be killed or imprisoned simply for doing their job in 2023. On this special day, the EFJ remembers the 13 journalists killed in…

Today, the Government of Kosovo announced that it will offer shelter to five journalists fleeing persecution in Afghanistan. The journalists will receive housing, a monthly stipend, health insurance and a return ticket, for when circumstances on the ground allow them to go back home. The project will be integrated into ECPMF’s Journalist-in-Residence programme in Kosovo, in collaboration with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). The organisations are teaming up with the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) as implementing partner. Following the announcement, ECPMF’s senior legal advisor Flutura Kusari said: “We welcome this decision by the Government of Kosovo, who are again offering their support…

Football supporter Andrea Serrani, has been sentenced to 18 months in jail, suspended for five years, and ordered to pay 10,000 euros for groping television journalist Greta Beccaglia as she reported live after a football match in 2021. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) join their affiliate, the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI), in welcoming the court’s decision and warning against any further attempt of sexual assault against media professionals. On 27 November 2021, Toscana TV journalist, Greta Beccaglia, was groped by Serrani while reporting live from the Empoli vs Fiorentina game in Empoli. Beccaglia…

Italian freelance journalist Claudio Locatelli was injured by Russian fire on December 19 in the southern city of Kherson, while driving a car marked clearly as press, together with photojournalist Niccolò Celesti and their interpreter, Daniel. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliate, the National Federation of the Italian Press (FNSI), in condemning the deliberate attack and recalling that Ukraine is the deadliest country for journalists and media workers in 2022 with 12 killed. On Wednesday, at the request of the Italian embassy, the Ukrainian authorities opened an investigation into a possible war crime. On December…

Award-winning journalist Matilde Kimer, who has been working at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) since 2014 and covering Russia and Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea, has been banned from Ukraine by the authorities. Her press credential in the country have been removed after she was labelled “pro-russian”. She has shared, on her Facebook page, links to some of her reports, including reports on pro-russian demonstrations. The Ukrainian authorities have said her credentials would be restored if she shared information that they would supply directly. Kimer announced that she refused, as an independent journalist, to write stories using materials produced…

Founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange is jailed in the UK awaiting extradition to the US to face charges of espionage. If found guilty, he faces a jail term of up to 175 years. Together with EU lawmakers, Assange’s wife Stella and organisations defending press freedom and human rights, the International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) have co-signed an open letter to US President Joe Biden asking him to pardon Assange. Theletter has been released in the week that Stella Assange will represent her husband, a nominee for the Sakharov Prize 2022 for Freedom of Thought, at the plenary of…

The Spanish affiliates of the International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) have reached a landmark agreement with the government to regulate professional secrecy and protect the identity of journalistic sources. The IFJ and EFJ have joined their affiliates in welcoming the bill, a reminder that the protection of journalistic sources is a cornerstone of press freedom. After a year of negotiations between the IFJ-EFJ Spanish affiliates, – the Federation of Spanish Journalists’ Associations (FAPE), the Journalists’ Associations of CCOO and UGT and the Federation of Journalists’ Trade Unions (FeSP) – and the parliamentary groups, the right to professional secrecy…

Struggling local, regional and community media in Europe is to receive a financial boost of over 2 million euros through a new EU-funded project “Local Media for Democracy” (#localmedia4democracy). It aims to revive the local media landscape in the news desert areas with measures to build resilience, independence, and sustainability by improving their capacity in innovation, business strategies, and audience engagement.  The project will be led by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) with a consortium of partners, the Centre for Media Freedom and Pluralism (CMPF), International Media Support (IMS) and Journalismfund.eu. It will inject €1,200,000 financial support through a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today in expressing concern over the latest summons issued by France’s top security agency to journalists from investigative platform Disclose and public broadcaster Radio France over the suspected violation of national secrecy in connection with their reporting on the armed forces. Our organisations raise the alarm that the three journalists summoned for voluntary questioning could facepotential prison sentences of up to five years and a fine of €75,000 if charged and ultimately found guilty. We therefore urge the General Directorate of Internal Security…

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today renewed its call on the international community for concrete action to protect the safety and freedoms of journalists as it recorded a spike in the numbers of journalists killed or imprisoned during 2022. The vote on the IFJ Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists by the UN General Assembly has become urgent. The IFJ released the latest figures ahead of International Human Rights Day, recording 67 killings of journalists and media staff in the line of duty in 2022 (including 13 in Europe) compared to 47 last year – a reversal…

Belarusian former journalist Larysa Shchyrakova was detained in the city of Homel, RFE/RL Belarus reported on 7 December 2022. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls for her immediate release. “The reasons and circumstances of her detention are still unknown. She is in pre-trial detention, and her son Sviataslau is in a shelter for children. Larysa has not been engaged in any public or journalistic activities in recent years,” said the RLE/RF Belarus source. Larysa Shchyrakova is a well-known journalist who stopped her journalistic activities in 2021 due to threats of arrest. The schoolteacher-turned-journalist worked for a number of independent…