European Federation of Journalists

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

EFJ joins call urging the United States to protect press freedom and keep journalists safe after order to gut USAGM

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Open letter: Urgent need to ensure the survival and financial independence of Bosnian public broadcaster BHRT

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Broadcasting Expert Group (BREG) expressed in an open letter its deep concerns about the alarming situation in which the Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) currently finds itself. The public service media, crucial for informing citizens and preserving media pluralism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, have long been facing serious financial difficulties that threaten its survival and daily operation, as well as violate employees’ labour rights. With this letter, the EFJ urges the BiH institutions to take immediate action to ensure the stable funding and functioning of BHRT by: Ensuring a regular and…

Serbia: One year of unpunished attacks on journalist Dinko Gruhonjić, culture of impunity must end

The members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium and partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform are deeply concerned about the ongoing year-long persecution campaign against journalist Dinko Gruhonjić, programme Director of the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV) and Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. Fifteen attacks against Dinko Gruhonjić have been documented on the MFRR platform since 14 March 2024, when a manipulated video was released falsely portraying him as a political opponent. The majority of these attacks (80%) were threatening…