Radio Študent will lose funding of its founder the Student Organisation of the University of Ljubljana (ŠOU), the radio announced in a press release on 8 January 2021. According to Radio Študent, the reason put forward is the critical reporting on the ŠOU structure and management. Europe’s largest and oldest independent student radio fears for its existence. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliates, the Union of Slovenian Journalists and the Slovenian Association of Journalists, in condemning ŠOU’s withdrawal and supports Radio Študent’s calls for the provision of funding at least until 2022. This would enable a two-year…

After a successful year regarding the EU-supported Media Councils projects, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) hosted an online webinar on 11 January 2021 to talk about the achievements and the next phase. Three members of the European Parliament, Petra Kammerevert, Ramona Strugariu and Alexandra Geese, Deputy Head of Unit (DG Connect) Audrius Perkauskas and four consortium members discussed and exchanged respective insights and best practices. The EFJ is the coordinating partner bringing together several European press councils and two universities. Renate Schroeder, Director at the EFJ, moderated the event, which she kicked off by emphasising that self-regulation and press…

There can be no media freedom if journalists cannot work in decent conditions. 2020 has been a challenging year for many people from across all walks of life. This is particularly so for essential workers such as journalists. Across Europe, working conditions for journalists have declined drastically due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many have lost their jobs while others have put their health at risk reporting from the frontline of the health crisis without adequate safety measures and equipment. Some have to adapt quickly to working from home without proper equipment and support of childcare. Thisreport, produced by the European…

As to discuss last year’s achievements regarding the EU supported EFJ Media Councils project and to talk about the next phase, on 11 January 2021, an informal online webinar will take place from 11 AM until 12:30 PM Brussels time. Together with three members of the European Parliament, Petra Kammerevert, Ramona Strugariu and Alexandra Geese, four consortium members will highlight some of their respective results in the panel. The European Federation of Journalists is the coordinating partner bringing together several European press councils and two universities. The speakers and their respective topics are listed in more detail in the agenda…

Three women journalists were detained and another was beaten by police on 5 January during a protest in the Turkish capital Ankara against the disappearance of a Kurdish student a year ago. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and their affiliate, the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS) condemned the violence and demanded the immediate release of the imprisoned colleagues. Habibe Eren and Oznur Deger, journalists from feminist news agency Jin News, and freelance journalist Eylul Deniz Yasar, were among the 18 women detained while covering the rally that marked the first anniversary of 22-year-old Kurdish student…

The Geneva-based non governmental organisation Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said yesterday that more than 600 journalists died of COVID-19 in 59 countries worldwide since March 2020. In Europe, Italy has taken the heaviest death toll with 40 confirmed victims in the year, followed by 17 in Turkey, 13 in Great Britain, 8 in Russia, 6 in Spain, and 5 in France. In particular freelance journalists and photographers are in the forefront. The PEC identified at least one death in other European countries such as Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany and Switzerland. One of the fatalities is Italian journalist Livia Giustolisi, who was the…

The satellite television channel Belsat reported on the grave situation that affects its journalists since the presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020. In total, Belsat journalists were detained 161 times, 27 were sentenced to 400 days in detention and they had to pay fines amounting to 23,514.57 USD in 2020 alone. Belsat was established in 2007 and as a multiplatform media outlet it is targeting Belarusians as well as the entire Russian language-speaking territory of the former USSR. It is a subsidiary of TVP, the Polish public broadcaster. Lukasz Byrski from Belsat TV shared synoptically: “During the crackdown on…

Judge Vanessa Baraitser today ruled against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange‘s extradition to the United States arguing it would be “oppressive by reason of Assange’s mental health”. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its UK and Australian affiliates, the NUJ and the MEAA, and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcome the decision and are urging the authorities to immediately release Julian Assange. The judge argued Assange suffers from depression and that there is a high risk of suicide. If extradited, she considered it likely the US would send him to prison under special administrative measures (SAMs) and wouldn’t prevent Assange from committing suicide. Therefore, she considered his…

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released its 2020 “killed list”. The year 2020 will go down in history as the year of an unprecedented global pandemic crisis, but also as the year of the resurgence of murders of journalists and media staff around the world. With 60 murders in 2020, including two in Europe, the macabre statistics are on the rise again compared to 2019 (49). IFJ records show that the current number of killings of media professionals are at the same levels as in 1990 when the IFJ started publishing annual reports on journalists and media staff killed,…

The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), the European Federation of Journalists affiliate in Belarus, has just drawn the dramatic balance of repression in 2020. Journalists continue to pay a heavy price. In 2020 they spent 1,200 days behind bars. The EFJ once again calls on the European Union, the Council of Europe and the OSCE to end press freedom violations and ongoing human rights abuses in Belarus. According to BAJ monitoring, here are the figures of the repression of media and journalists in Belarus in 2020: 9 media representatives in jail under criminal investigation; 15 media representatives are under criminal…

Can Dündar, the former editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet was sentenced to over 27 years in prison on 23 December 2020. The charges against him are espionage and terrorism. Dündar, who is living in German exile since 2016, was tried in absentia. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined international human rights and press freedom groups to condemn the politically motivated verdict. A court in Istanbul reportedly sentenced Dundar to 18 years and nine months for “obtaining state secrets for the purpose of political or military espionage” and to eight years and nine months…

A new report titled “Guidelines for inclusive media reporting on Covid-19” was published on 14 December. Authored by Marina Tuneva, the Executive Director of the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM), this report is part of the EU-funded UNESCO project Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey. The report aims to complement existing ethical frameworks in relation to journalistic reporting on minority groups and to raise awareness among journalists about mis- and underrepresentation in the media. The guidelines are intended for journalists, activists, media management, students, educators, and all those working in addressing the needs of vulnerable…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) supports the unions of the regional public broadcaster Radio Television of Andalusia (RTVA), in Spain, who have called two days of strike on 22 and 23 December in protest against the 14 million euro cut following the budget agreement between the regional ruling coalition (PP, Ciudadanos) and the far-right Vox party. The EFJ and its affiliates in Spain, FAPE, FESP and FSC-CCOO, joined the Platform for the Defence of Public Radio and Television of Andalusia (RTVA). Budgetary restraint measures imposed by policy-makers threaten the viability of the public broadcaster RTVA (Canal Sur Radio and…

Yulia Slutskaya, the founder of the Belarus Press Club, who is also a member of the board of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), was detained on Tuesday on her arrival at Minsk International Airport. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) demands her immediate release. In response to new EU sanctions against those responsible for the fraudulent elections and repression of the Belarusian people, the Belarusian Foreign Minister, Vladimir Makei, today announced retaliatory measures against Belarusian organisations supported by foreign embassies in Belarus. Among the first victims of this new wave of repression: Yulia Slutskaya, founder of the Press Club…

The Polish Association of Journalists (SDP), in cooperation with the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today presented the book “I am a journalist. Why do you beat me? “, as part of an action of solidarity with repressed journalists in Belarus. The book is a collection of 20 stories of Belarusian journalists, victims of repression just because they fulfill their professional duty: to inform about the demonstrations taking place in their country. The director of the publication is Sergiy Tomilenko, President of NUJU, member of…

The Austrian and German Press Councils release today their Media Literacy Toolkit for teachers and students which consist of six case studies and roleplay exercises identified by European Press Councils from Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland and Germany. Media literacy is more important than ever for today’s youth in this age of disinformation. The future citizens must be taught how to navigate the modern news landscape. Young people also need to be helped to have the critical literacy skills needed to identify a credible news story. The case studies of the Media Literacy Toolkit deal with various ethical problems in the context of…