European Federation of Journalists

European Federation of Journalists

Past project

openMedia, investigating press freedom

Title of the project : openMedia, investigating press freedom
Lead Applicant : openDemocracy
Partner organisations : EFJ, Index on censorship, King’s College London

The recently launched openMedia project aims to investigate and expose commercial interference in editorial decisions. The project is run by openDemocracy with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) as a partner alongside the Index on Censorship and King’s College London.

The project believes that there has not been enough of a concerted, ongoing spotlight on the extent and effects of commercial influence over the media, despite the dangerous consequences it poses for press freedom. For now, the project focuses on 47 countries across Europe but also has ambitions to expand.

Despite the recent launch, the project is adamant that it is not a response to the “fake news” hype of the past year or so. Rather, the project responds to scandals of commercial sponsors influencing media content; for example the Daily Telegraph’s suppression of investigations into its advertiser HSBC; and allegations that Buzzfeed deleted articles which advertisers found unfavourable.

According to the project, this power dynamic can suppress investigations of banks, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, fossil fuel giants, energy companies and other big businesses.

In addition, the project recognizes how for many readers, “sponsored content” is difficult to distinguish from genuine news content. The project therefore aims to clarify the commercial interests apparent in media to readers, and as part of the project, King’s College London will develop digital tools to help readers be better informed about news sources.

The findings of the project will be used to campaign for greater transparency and press freedom in news organisations and to empower journalists to advocate for transparency.

In order to do this, openMedia is currently conducting a confidential and anonymous survey of journalists across Europe, asking about their own working practices and experiences of commercial pressure inside newsrooms. The survey is available in English here and in many other languages here.

Actions

European trade unionists backs Turkish and Kurdish journalists in fight for media freedom

The European Trade Union Congress (ETUC) in its 13th Congress in Paris on 29 September – 2 October, with the presence of over 700 trade union delegates, have unaminously voted a motion tabled by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Solidarity with Turkish and Kurdish journalists suffering repression. The EFJ welcomes the adoption of the motion and thanks for the support and solidarity expressed by the trade union delegates at the ETUC Congress. The motion reads: For freedom of speech. In recent years journalists, trade unionists and press collaborators in Turkey – a European Union candidate country – have…

Lithuania

  •    News
  •   30-09-2015

    LITHUANIAN JOURNALISTS’ UNION Address  Journalist’s HouseJogailos str. 11, LT-01116 Vilnius, Lithuania Chairman  Dainius Radzevičius Phone  +37061263838, +370 5 2122805 Email  info@lzs.lt ; pirmininkas@lzs.lt Contact Person  Dainius Radzevičius Website  www.lzs.lt Membership status                  To be officially endorsed

EFJ FOCUS, September 2015

EDITORIAL BY MOGENS BLICHER BJERREGARD, EFJ PRESIDENT The EFJ newsletter, EFJ Focus, is available in English, French and German. Online harassment, abuse or threat targeting at female journalists was on top of the agenda at an expert meeting organised by Dunja Mijatović, Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) on 17 September in Vienna. Experts including media professionals, organisation leaders and government representatives spoke out against online harassment and violence faced by female journalists. The meeting was also a wake-up call that it is time for the journalist community to tackle the problem.…

Press freedom in Europe is in peril, says CPJ report

  •    News
  •   29-09-2015

A new report “Balancing act: press freedom at risk as EU struggles to match actions with values” published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) was launched at the Press Club-Europe in Brussels on 29 September. Jean-Paul Marthoz, CPJ’s EU correspondent and author of the report, said at a press conference that “the future of the EU’s global influence will largely determined by its credibility and consistency by following a press freedom diplomacy based on principles and free of double standards.” The report examines EU policies and institutions, finding that while they maintain an outward commitment to press freedom, in many cases…

Turkey: Kurdish daily attacked and 32 journalists under interrogation

The offices of the Kurdish daily newspaper Azadiya Welat and Kurdish news agency DIHA in Diyabakir (Turkey) have been attacked on 28/09/2015 by police forces and 32 journalists and media workers were taken into custody for interrogation for more than seven hours by the authorities. According to media reports, Turkish police used forces, by breaking several doors, to enter the headquarters of the Kurdish media outlets and publishing houses without a proper warrant issued by the authorities. “The police said they were looking for evidence following recent explosions in the neighbourhoud. Our colleagues have asked them to show a judicial warrant to enter…

A true democracy cannot function without a public broadcaster

Comisiones Obreras (FSC-CCOO), one of the EFJ affiliates in Spain, just launched a campaign in defense of public broadcasting. “Public broadcasting is under attack in Europe. Political and economic decision makers are questioning its credibility and even its existence. People should not forget the function of public broadcasting: to ensure public opinion is based on truthful, plural and independent information.” Here is the video of the FSC-CCOO campaign (subtitled in English):

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