The long-running financial dispute between the national public broadcaster (BHRT) and the Federation of Public Broadcasters of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FTV) is leading to an unprecedented media blackout of programs ordered by the BHRT board and dramatic working conditions for journalists and staff. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, together with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalists’ Association (BHJA), in urging the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to find a sustainable solution to ensure that the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina receives sufficient funding to operate normally and to safeguard citizens’…

On the 20th anniversary of the murder of Montenegrin journalist Duško Jovanović, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the SafeJournalists Network and partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in calling for stronger action from the authorities. Journalists and media freedom organisations jointly condemn the two decades of impunity in the case of the murder of journalist Duško Jovanović and urge the Montenegrin authorities, both political representatives and relevant bodies, to take all necessary measures to identify and bring the perpetrators and masterminds to justice. Duško Jovanović was the founder, director, and chief editor of the daily newspaper…

The editorial office of the weekly magazine Nacional received death threats in an SMS message on Monday, 20 May 2024. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the SafeJournalists Network and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in calling on the relevant institutions in Croatia to immediately respond, find, and prosecute the perpetrator. The message sent to Nacional’s official phone contained the following text: “You and those like you carried out the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Fico by writing half-truths, lies, and inciting against people who are doing their jobs just to make money. Your triple informant paid…

On 20 May 2024, state media informed that an apartment belonging to journalist Dzmitry Kazakevich will be confiscated and sold as “sanctions compensation”. On 16 May 2024, law enforcement authorities invaded the home of the Belarus Journalists’ Association (BAJ) deputy chairperson, Barys Haretski, in Minsk. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join their affiliate, BAJ, in condemning the latest repressive moves by the Lukashenko regime and calling on the authorities to halt the systematic harassment of exiled journalists. In a week’s time, the Belarusian authorities searched the homes of two exiled journalists. On 20 May, a TV…

Amid the forthcoming EU elections, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) was prompted to organise an urgent advocacy mission to Italy on May 16-17 to address some recent developments related to press and media freedom. Such concerns included unprecedented political interference in the public service media, legal harassment of dissenting journalists by government members, and the potential acquisition of AGI news agency by MP Antonio Angelucci. Italy’s current state of media freedom raises significant concerns. The worrying trend of political interference and legal harassment undermines democratic principles and threatens the independence and pluralism essential for a free press. During its visit to Rome,…

The new coalition agreement, made public on 16 May 2024, led by the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), includes an increase in value-added tax (VAT) for print and online media from 9% to 21%. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), joined its affiliate, the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ), in denouncing a “poison pill” that will put the media market under pressure and severely impact media pluralism in the country. This measure is part of a broader reform of the Dutch public broadcaster, Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), which includes a structural transfer of 100 million euros starting in 2026.  More…