The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has decided it will no longer post content on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, from 20 January 2025, when Donald J. Trump will officially become the 47th President of the United States. Like many European media outlets (The Guardian, Dagens Nyheter, La Vanguardia, Ouest-France, Sud-Ouest, etc.) and journalists’ organisations, such as the German Journalists’ Association (DJV), the EFJ considers that it can no longer ethically participate in a social network that its owner has transformed into a machine of disinformation and propaganda. In the aftermath of the American elections, the EFJ noted the…

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, on 25 November 2024, the Gender and Diversity Expert Group (GENDEG) of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls for urgent action to prevent and stop violence against women journalists, both offline and online. Across Europe, women journalists face unacceptable harassment, threats, and physical, psychological, and sexual attacks in their workplace and on the job. To address this issue effectively, we must first remedy the lack of comprehensive data on gender-based violence in journalism. “It is our responsibility, as unions, to work together to prevent and create awareness on…

The trial against the President of the Cyprus Turkish Journalists’ Union, Ali Kişmir, is set to begin in Northern Cyprus on 26 November 2024. Kişmir is accused of allegedly “targeting the Security Forces Command and insulting the moral personality of the institution” in an opinion article published on social media four years ago. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) call once again on the authorities of Northern Cyprus to withdraw charges against him. Ali Kişmir is prosecuted for an opinion article published in 2020, in which he allegedly “insulted” the Turkish Cypriot security forces, leading to accusations of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today, in calling for more ambitious media reforms as it published its report “Depoliticizing Poland’s Media Landscape: Assessing the Progress of Media Reform in 2024”. The report is based on the media freedom mission to Poland, 16-17 September, where MFRR members met with a range of government and media stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing media and media reform progress since the 2023 elections.  Key mission findings include: The media freedom situation in Poland has improved substantially with improved independence of public media, a drop in vexatious…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned press freedom groups in condemning the ongoing, abusive legal action by Grigoris Dimitriadis against the journalists who exposed Greece’s Predator spyware scandal. Greek institutions must enact strong legal protections for journalists against the growing trend of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, aimed at silencing critical reporting. Investigative journalists from Reporters United, newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn), and their colleagues – including Nikolas Leontopoulos, Thodoris Chondrogiannos, Christoforos Kasdaglis, and Dimitris Terzis – find themselves entrenched in an unacceptable legal harassment saga. Repeated Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have been filed against them by…

On 25-26 November, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, will conduct a solidarity and fact-finding mission to Slovakia to assess the state of press freedom in the country amid a scaling back of democratic freedoms. The mission will be led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and joined by ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). As the environment for freedom of expression, media pluralism and independent journalism becomes increasingly hostile, the delegation will meet with leading media organizations, press freedom advocates, and political leaders to discuss…