EFJ President Maja Sever reflects on the attack on her on 1 August in the bay of the island of Tijat in Croatia. The story is quite simple. The inhabitants of the village where I spent my summer holidays, on a small island on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, are revolted by what they describe as the devastation, usurpation and illegal use of the bay of a neighbouring islet. They are fighting to preserve the site through legal means, but the atmosphere has been tense and unpleasant for several years. Only recently has the story made its way to the…

Russian journalist Marina Ovsiannikova was officially charged with “spreading false information” about the army on Wednesday 10 August. She was arrested today and will spend the night in pre-trial detention in Moscow. She faces “up to ten years in prison” under a new article of the Russian Criminal Code, introduced after the start of the war in Ukraine. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemned the judicial harassment of the journalist and demanded her immediate release. Marina Ovsiannikova is famous for interrupting a Russian state TV news programme and has already received two administrative fines for her anti-war stance in…

In Belarus, since the fraudulent presidential election of 9 August 2020, journalists have faced hundreds of arrests and detentions. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Belarusian affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in condemning the indiscriminate repression by the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko. The EFJ and BAJ demand the immediate release of the 30 journalists and media workers currently imprisoned in Belarus. 9 August 2022 is the second anniversary of the most recent presidential election in the Republic of Belarus. Two years ago, instead of recognizing the democratic choice, the authorities overturned it through the use…

This morning, August 3, 2022, the Tagansky District Court of Moscow found the Journalists and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU), an EFJ affiliate in Russia, guilty of allegedly “discrediting the Russian armed forces” (Code of administrative offenses of the Russian Federation). JMWU was ordered to pay the maximum fine of 500,000 rubles (8,000 euros). The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) denounces this illegitimate trial, which only aims to facilitate the dissolution of the union, during a hearing scheduled for September 14. According to the indictment, JMWU was held responsible for the “spreading of ideas related to a negative attitude towards the…

Latvijas Radio vēstīja, Latvia’s public radio station, reported on Monday that Latvia’s intelligence services, Valsts drošības dienesta (VDD) had informed the country’s senior officials about the risks of the increasing activity of Russian journalists and Russian media companies setting up in Latvia. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Russian Journalists and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU) call on the authorities in all European countries not to indiscriminately stigmatise Russian journalists in exile. According to the radio station’s information, since Russia started the war, more than 200 journalists and 23 Russian media outlets have left Russia to settle in Latvia.…

The Reuters Institute, in cooperation with Oxford University, recently published the Digital News Report 2022, which documents the latest trends in the global news industry. After two years of pandemic and the global crisis that began in February with the Russian Federation’s decision to invade Ukraine, consumers around the world seem to be suffering from a news fatigue. Overall, the growing lack of trust in traditional institutions and biases towards news producers and services are significantly changing a market where new models are dynamically evolving. Falling interest in news Compared to the last data collected in 2015, it is clear…

Croatian journalist and President of the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ) Maja Sever was elected President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on 14 June 2022 during the EFJ General Meeting taking place in Izmir, Turkey. Maja Sever succeeds Mogens Blicher Bjerregård from Denmark after three terms of three years each. Mustafa Kuleli (TGS, Turkey) was elected Vice-President. Maja Sever, 50, started her professional career as a war reporter for Croatian public broadcaster HRT in ex-Yugoslavia. She then became a political reporter for different HRT news programs. She is now a senior journalist with more than 20 years of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will hold its General Meeting in Izmir, Turkey on 13-14 June and elect its upcoming Steering Committee for 2022-2025. The candidates are: CANDIDATES FOR THE EFJ PRESIDENCY Mariusz PILIS SDP, Poland View candidate profile and statement     Maja SEVER TUCJ, Croatia View candidate profile and statement         CANDIDATES FOR THE EFJ VICE PRESIDENCY Marta BARCENILLA ESCANO FSC-CCOO, Spain View candidate profile and statement Joachim KREIBICH DJU in VER.DI, Germany View candidate profile and statement (French and English) Mustafa KULELI TGS, Turkey View candidate profile and statement   Mariusz PILIS SDP,…

This article by Renate Schroeder, EFJ Director was originally published on Vecer on 27 May 2022. Have you heard about the dire state of media freedom in Europe or in your country? Does this mean anything to you? Once a year, on World Press Freedom Day (3rd of May) we celebrate journalists’ vital contribution to democracy. We also draw attention to the increasing pressures, threats and attacks they face and call for their protection and support for the freedom, independence and pluralism of the media.   The death of 10 journalists and media workers in Ukraine since the start of the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is pleased to announce that the consortium running the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) – consisting of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), ARTICLE 19 Europe, Free Press Unlimited (FPU), International Press Institute (IPI), Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBC Transeuropa), and the EFJ – has been granted €1.95 million in funding for 18 months from the European Commission to continue its work to defend and support press and media freedom throughout all EU member states, candidate countries, and Ukraine. In 2020 and 2021, the consortium – which also included the Institute…

On 23 April, European Union co-legislators (European Commission, European Parliament and the Council of Ministers – national governments) reached a provisional agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA), a new set of rules for online platforms, search engines, online marketplaces and other significant providers of digital services. The DSA will fully enter into force in the first quarter of 2024, and for very large online platforms already four months after the publication of the final text in the EU official journal. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed this agreement as an indeed overdue set of regulation to nail down…

To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has been awarded the Difference Day Honorary Title for its vital work in Belarus in times of repression. BAJ was established in 1995 as a non-governmental association of media workers with the aim of promoting freedom of expression and independent journalism in Belarus. It brings together more than 1300 journalists and media workers. As part of the crackdown following Lukashenko’s fraudulent election, the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of the association in August 2021, forcing it to cease its activities in the country and relocate…

On World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) on Tuesday 3 May, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has stressed the need for concrete actions from European governments to defend and protect media freedom. 85 journalists are currently in prison in Europe, just for doing their job. And 44 journalists have been killed in Europe since 2015. The EFJ calls on states to fulfil their commitments and obligations to protect journalists and media independence and pluralism. The EFJ also joined the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to combat journalists’ surveillance. Cases of spying on journalists and media workers using sophisticated spyware programs…

The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has been awarded the 2022 UNESCO Guillermo Cano Prize. The Award Ceremony will take place on 2 May in Punta Del Este in Uruguay, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) congratulate their Belarusian member for the well-deserved international recognition of its work for journalists and media freedom in Belarus. The EFJ nominated its affiliate BAJ for the award, together with the IFJ and 46 Unesco ambassadors. An international jury of media professionals eventually awarded the journalists’ association with one of the most prestigious…

On Wednesday 27 April 2022, the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, together with the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) and other partner organisations, launched the 2021 report “Defending Press Freedom in Times of Tension and Conflict” at the Brussels Press Club in Belgium.  The report lists the alerts posted by journalists an press freedom organisations on , provides legislative and political context and identifies the measures needed to improve the effective protection of journalists. Download the report  The report indicates that “red lights are flashing”. In…

The repression of journalists and censorship is intensifying in Russia. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) condemn this wave of massive repression. While the censorship law adopted after the invasion of Ukraine criminalised the exercise of journalism in Russia, new and even more restrictive provisions are being considered. On 6 April 2022, Russian lawmakers proposed new legislation allowing the Prosecutor General’s Office to close media outlets that “disrespect” the country’s government, without a court order. The draft bill proposes to amend Article 57 of the Russian Mass Media Law so that journalists will be liable in case of reproduction…