On 22 and 23 September, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) hosted a two-day webinar on “Trust in media: Telework during and after the Covid-19 pandemic”. Distinguished speakers explored the challenges, opportunities and future of work in the journalism sector. In particular, the practice of hybrid working will be the trend. Media employers and journalists’ organisations play an important role to help journalists transit smoothly to the new working environment while guaranteeing decent and fair working conditions for all. The webinars were part of a cooperation between the Trust and quality in journalism project, co-funded by the European Commission (DG…

The Municipal Civil Court of Zagreb, Croatia, imposed a temporary reporting injunction on the publisher of the news website H-alter following a series of articles about the Child and Youth Protection Centre’s work irregularities. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliates, the Croatia Journalists’ Association (CJA) and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ), in denouncing a direct form of censorship. On 21 September 2021, the Croatian judiciary ordered to stop the articles’ publication and to bar H-alter from further investigation into the actions of the Health Polyclinic for the Protection of Children and Youth of the City of Zagreb, the only…

In a plenary debate, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) asserted its commitment to supporting press freedom, the safety of journalists and media pluralism against the backdrop of increasing attacks across the EU. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Reporters without Borders (RSF) held interventions to inform about the hostile environment where 16 journalists were murdered since 2015 and impunity largely prevails. The linked opinion SOC/635Securing media freedom and diversity in Europe was adopted, calling on the Commission to apply rules of budget conditionality and impose sanctions on Member States where European values including the rule of law…

The “Photojournalism in the Digital Age” webinar – the last in the series of five as part of the “Trust and Quality in Journalism” project – will be held online on the 25th and 26th of October 2021. The webinar will discuss the role of photojournalists in the digital age and the challenges they face at work. The second day’s panel will explore how risks to health and safety can be mitigated. Registration Registrations are open! To register for day 1, 25 October, from 1 PM – 3.15 PM, click here. For day 2, 26 October, from 1 PM –…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) as well as its affiliate in Romania, the FAIR-MediaSind, to express serious concern over the brutal beating of two filmmakers who were shooting a documentary about illegal logging in Romania and call on the country’s prosecutor general and law enforcement authorities to ensure all those responsible are swiftly brought to justice. On 16 September 2021, journalist and freelance filmmaker Mihai Dragolea and director Radu Constantin Mocanu were attacked and badly beaten by around 20 people armed with sticks and axes while they were documenting…

Vice-President of the European Commission Vera Jourova presented a Recommendation ‘on ensuring the safety of journalists’ on 16 September 2021. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed this timely recommendation as well as the Commission’s commitment to the safety of journalists. However, as this legislation is non-binding, the EFJ stressed the need to swiftly put in place a mechanism to thoroughly monitor significant action of Member States towards this end. During the press conference, Vera Jourova paid tribute to all the journalists attacked, and in particular to those who paid “the highest price”. She highlighted the impact of the COVID-19…

The partner organisations in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) welcome the European Commission’s Recommendation on ensuring the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and media professionals in the European Union, presented today. The document is a testament to the Commission’s much-needed engagement in the defence of press freedom and media pluralism as critical elements of the Union’s foundational values in the face of increased attacks and threats to journalists and media workers across the region in recent years. At the same time, it serves as an indictment of the lack of meaningful action by a number of member states…

In Sarajevo, Borka Rudic, the General Secretary of the BH Journalists’ Association (BHN) and professor in journalism Lejla Turcilo, are targeted by nationalistically motivated hateful comments on social networks. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate in Bosnia in condemning the smear campaign and urging the authorities to investigate the case. This campaign is the continuation of coordinated attacks, hateful comments and defamatory statements, which started a year ago on social media against professor Turcilo, led by several media outlets and journalist Alena Lena Demirović. Lejla Turcilo is the head of the Department of Journalism and Communication at…

As the European Parliament today debates the Pegasus spyware scandal, the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) call for an immediate investigation into the alleged use of the spyware against journalists by Hungarian authorities and urge the strong implementation of new EU rules on the export of cyber-surveillance technology around the world. Revelations by the Pegasus Project that at least 180 journalists in 20 countries had their phones infected by the NSO Group’s spyware underscored the need for urgent action by the international community to tackle the unregulated spread of such technology and to create safeguards for…

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gave the annual address on the State of the Union in front of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on 15 September. In her speech, she stressed the need to better protect journalists, media outlets’ independence and the public right to information. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed a strong statement in favour of media freedom and demanded concrete binding initiatives for EU member states to make these words a reality. President Ursula von der Leyen gave a long speech outlining her vision for the future of Europe and…

Originally published on journo.com Turkey’s Journalists’ Union (TGS) has hanged a decision to strike at the Istanbul office of Agence France-Presse (AFP), a global news agency. The three-month talks for a collective labor agreement between TGS and AFP ended with no deal this week, the union said in a statement on Sept. 10, declaring that “the employer’s representatives turned a deaf ear to the demands of AFP employees and came to the table with almost ridiculous offers.” The main disagreement between negotiating parties was the rate of wage raise. The employer’s representatives offered an 11% raise —a figure that the unionized…

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister and Media Minister Xavier Bettel met with the Association of Professional Journalists in Luxembourg (ALJP) on 9 September 2021 to discuss access to information for journalists.  Bettel met with Roger Infalt (ALJP President), Luc Caregari (Secretary General), Ingo Zwank and Misch Pautsch (members of the Board of Directors) as well as the Ministry’s Media and Communications Department, Paul Konsbrück (outgoing head of cabinet) and his successor Jeff Feller. After the meeting, Infalt said he was optimistic, as Bettel showed great awareness of the issue. Bettel’s comments during the meeting suggested that he was aware of the issue…

Police summoned Le Média journalist Thomas Dietrich to Puteaux police station (Paris), where he was interrogated for two hours over a recent journalistic investigation. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) joined their affiliate in France, the SNJ-CGT, in denouncing the attempted intimidation and have called on the authorities to dismiss the groundless complaint against him. The summons followed a complaint filed by the former head of the Chadian political police, Mahamat Ismaël Chaïbo, for “threats to commit a crime or an offence” after the journalist went to his home in Paris to ask him questions. The journalist denied…

More than 250 days have now passed since the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) last received state funding for carrying out its public service mission from the government of Janez Janša, which currently presides over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Since the beginning of the year, the STA has been forced to operate without public funds guaranteed to it under two separate laws while a contractual dispute manufactured by the Government Communication Office (UKOM) is played out with the aim of forcing the agency to submit to greater government control. As the Slovenian government took over the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today strongly condemn the attack on the Slovenian public broadcaster RTV Slovenija (RTVSLO) by Covid-19 deniers and anti-vaccination protesters last Friday.  At around 8:30pm on 3 September 2021, protesters broke into the RTVSLO studio in Ljubljana. The group of about 20 protesters, believed to be from the OPS group (Aware Residents of Slovenia), entered the building and managed to break into a newsroom. The group was demanding airtime on RTVSLO platforms to share their anti-vaccine views and an end to what they alleged was…

ABOUT THE COURSE  The safety of journalists has become ever more important in recent years with an increasing number of journalists facing threats, harassment and injuries in relation to their daily work. While some threats require a broader political and cultural change among multi-stakeholders, others can be mitigated by individuals and organisational level by journalists and media organisations. With this in mind, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has developed this course to address individual journalists with the aims to enhance their personal capacities in making aware of operational media associated…