This text was originally published on the presscouncils.eu website, part of the European “Media Councils in the Digital Age” project. With the rapid transformation of Generative AI, newsrooms face new challenges and benchmarks when it comes to adhering to deontological standards. While there is no single ethical standard on the implementation of AI in journalism, various media councils have established guidelines, or even added chapters on it in their ethical codes. The use of AI needs to be regulated accordingly, so as to empower journalists to be quicker, more efficient and more innovative, rather than substituting for their absence. That’s…

On 24 July 2024, the European Commission published its annual Rule of Law Report, which includes the assessment of press freedom and media pluralism in Europe. This fifth edition is released at a critical time for some EU Member States that face serious threats to media pluralism and press freedom, such as Italy, Slovakia or Greece. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the recommendations issued by the report and immediately calls on the European Commission to consider sanctions as part of the gradual implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The report includes specific recommendations for each EU…

EFJ Freelance Expert Group (FREG) co-chairs, Renske Heddema (Dutch union of journalists – NVJ) and Oddrun Mitbø (Norwegian union of journalists – NJ) contributed to the open letter below, outlining the priorities of FREG. Freedom of the press is essential for all democracies. This freedom is now increasingly under pressure in Europe. Several developments underline the threats for journalists, especially freelance workers, who often stand out for their personal courage. EFJ Freelance Expert Group (FREG) members regularly participate in demonstrations calling for the release of imprisoned colleagues.  The recent release of Julian Assange shows that the relentless fight from people…

On 23 July 2024, a coalition of 13 international and European organisations representing journalists, creators, authors, artists, performers and creative workers, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), sent a letter to newly elected Members of the European Parliament on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the European creative community. Find the letter below. Brussels, 23 July 2024 Dear Member of the European Parliament, We are writing to you on behalf of a coalition of organisations representing the collective voice of hundreds of thousands of writers, translators, performers, composers, songwriters, screen directors, screenwriters, visual artists, journalists, and other creative workers.…

The undersigned Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium partners express deep alarm over the passage of new media law by the Kosovo Parliament this month. We share local and international concerns that this law does not meet international standards on free expression and threatens media freedom, including by granting the authorities greater control over media regulation. The MFRR has previously joined civil society organizations in Kosovo in raising alarms over the law for the Independent Media Commission (IMC). Critics have seen the proposed legislation as an attack on the media, expressing worries that the ruling party may use this law to censor them. Now, this risks becoming a…

On 19 July, a Russian court has sentenced US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to six and a half years in prison for spreading so-called “false information” about the military. Her employer, RFE/RL, and the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) slammed the trial as a “mockery of justice”. The EFJ, the IFJ and their Russian affiliate JMWU are calling for her immediate release. Kurmasheva, an editor with the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) outlet in Prague, was convicted on Friday – the same day a separate Russian court sentenced US journalist Evan Gershkovich for 16 years on espionage charges,…