The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Democracy Alive Summit organised by the European Movement International on 6 November 2024. That very morning, it was announced that Donald Trump, a champion of spreading disinformation, had been re-elected President of the United States of America for four years. The panellists shared their thoughts on the consequences of this news for our European democracies and discussed the current challenges to democracy. EFJ Director Renate Schroeder participated in a panel discussion about “Media Freedom in Europe: Challenges and Threat”. She reiterated the essential role of journalism in safeguarding democracy and the main…

No journalist should be indifferent to the election of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. His relationship with journalism and his approach to the exercise of power will have global consequences. More than ever before, in Europe, and everywhere else in the world, the profession must stand firmly in defense of a robust press that can report the facts freely and hold power to account safely. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates join all those committed to defending journalism as a cornerstone of democracy. Donald J. Trump has called for journalists to…

Turkey is set to introduce a controversial new law aimed at combating so-called “foreign influence agents”, sparking concern among journalists and civil society groups that it could be used to suppress dissent. The bill targets individuals allegedly working “against the security of the state or its political interests” at the behest of foreign entities. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) criticises the vague wording of the legislation, which would give the authorities greater power to crack down on any criticism of the government. The proposed law is part of a broader judicial package tabled by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice…

On 31 October 2024, Giorgos Androutsos, a Greek journalist for the newspaper “Rizospastis”, was violently attacked and arrested by police while covering protests by seasonal firefighters in front of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. The journalist was released from custody on 1 November. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) together with their Greek affiliates – the Union of Journalists of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH), the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Union (PFJU) – strongly condemn the police violence on journalist Androutsos as well as his arbitrary arrest, and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in calling for thorough and swift investigations into numerous threats against Nataša Miljanović Zubac, a journalist for the Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS). Since the arson attack on her car in 2022, Zubac has been targeted by at least seven criminal acts, all unpunished. The MFRR partners and SJN also urge the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior and the Trebinje District Prosecutor’s Office to increase police protection to prevent further threats to the life of the journalist. The safety measures…

In advance of COP29, the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined 16 international human rights organisations in calling on EU leaders to draw urgent attention to and raise directly with the government of Azerbaijan the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.  Azerbaijan has a record of human rights abuse that has seriously worsened over the last two years with the government targeting the remaining vestiges of independent media and civil society including human rights defenders. Among the methods the government uses are politically motivated arrests and prosecutions on…