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…

On 29 November 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled in favour of paid annual leave for self-employed and bogus self-employed workers. Now, anyone who has been bogus self-employed can demand additional payment for annual leave. Article 7 of Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 4 November, 2003, provides 4 weeks of paid annual leave for every worker, and the European Court has said that this must not be thwarted by employers. The case came to the European Court after a British case in which Mr King, retiring after 13 years of employment, sought to recover payment…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with the Italian NGO Ossigeno per l’Informazione, called on the Maltese authorities, on Wednesday, to identify and prosecute the masterminds behind journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia‘s murder. The reporter was killed on 16 October 2017 by a powerful car bomb in Bidnija town, near her family home. Following the arrest of at least 10 suspects on Monday 4 December, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, together with Vincent Muscat, were finally charged with the criminal use of explosives, being involved in organised crime, and criminal conspiracy during a hearing which took place on 5 December. The charged…

PEN International, PEN Belgium/Flanders, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Article 19, the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Global Editors Network (GEN), Index on Censorship, the International Press Institute (IPI), American PEN, Danish PEN, English PEN, Norwegian PEN, Wales PEN Cymru, Reporters without Borders (RSF), and the South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO), welcome the opportunity to deliver this statement :  Working collectively, both jointly and separately, we have an established body of work on freedom of expression in Turkey, in part predating the…

Turkey: How the EU Can Support Press Freedom ? was the subject of discussion at the European Parliament on 6 December 2017, where three journalists from Turkey spoke about press freedom in the country and how the European Union can help to tackle the situation. The event was organised by the International Press Institute (IPI) in partnership with the European Foundation for Democracy (EFD) and supported by the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul. As more and more journalists are being imprisoned, the support is needed and it has been clearly voiced by the Greek Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Progressive…

“Democracy, journalism and literacy in the era of post-truth” was the topic of a discussion at the European Parliament on 5 December 2017, held by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), Media Literacy for Citizenship (EAVI), and Italian MEPs Barbara Spinelli and Curzio Maltese. Barbara Spinelli, the rapporteur of an own-initiative report on media freedom, referred in her analysis to the unprecedented level of self-censorship among journalists referring to the  Council of Europe study”Journalist under pressure” . He report will among other deal with this, the urgent need for whistleblowers’ protection and how to tackle the effects…

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) just released the outcomes of its “Ukraine’s Journalists Physical Safety Index”. The situation remains worrying in the country: from January to November, NUJU registered 85 physical attacks against journalists. In 14 cases (16%), journalists were attacked by public officials, including members of the Parliament. In 8 cases, journalists were attacked by policemen or members of the State Guard. The president of NUJU, Sergiy Tomilenko, raised the issue of increasing violence during a seminar organised by the The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Odessa, on 29 November. Tomilenko…

On 29 November 2017, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) met with UK Labour MEP Rory Palmer, shadow rapporteur for the European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee’s Opinion on a Draft Report on gender equality in the media sector in the EU. Pamela Morinière presented the EFJ perspective on gender equality in the media and introduced the latest IFJ survey results on violence against women journalists.  Rory Palmer framed the discussion around 6 main issues including the representation of women in media structures, especially in leading positions; work-life balance; working conditions and equal pay; workplace harassment; and attacks against women journalists, notably…

The European Association of Viewers’ Interests (EAVI) and MyStory project have announced their ‘Media (Literacy) and Refugees’ event, taking place on 5 December 2017 at L42 Rue de la Loi. EAVI is a non-profit international organisation, working across Europe to promote media literacy. In the morning, a series of roundtable discussions will look at the way media shapes citizens’ perceptions of migrants and refugees. The discussions will highlight the success of grassroots organisations and their media initiatives, and touch on media literacy, journalism, civil society and fake news. The project Media Against Hate will be presented at this occasion. Registration here.…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has expressed grave concern over the recent adoption of a new law that would allow the state to have more control and scrutiny over foreign media and journalists in Russia. On 25 November 2017, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a new law which will allow authorities to classify foreign journalists and media outlets as “foreign agents”. In practice, the law means that Russia now has the power to force foreign journalists and media to register themselves as “foreign agents”, to submit their content to scrutiny and to reveal their funding sources. Failure to comply…

On 16 November 2017, the Belarus Association of Journalists (BAJ) in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), organised a one-day meeting in Minsk focusing on “The Perspectives and challenges for freelance journalism in Belarus and Europe”.  Around 40 journalists, including media lawyers, EFJ/IFJ affiliates and the EU Delegation to Belarus, discussed how to best put the desperate issue of freelance journalism at the heart of local and national authorities in Belarus and the European Union. Renate Schroeder from the EFJ, Michael Hirschler from the German Journalists’ Association (DJV), and other colleagues from the EFJ’s Freelance Expert Group (FREG)…

The “Manifesto of Venice”, a manifesto for gender equality and correct information, will be launched on the World Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, on 25 November 2017. Signed by 800 journalists, including directors of national newspapers in Italy, the manifesto will be launched by the EFJ affiliate in Italy, the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI) Equal Opportunities Committee (CPO). It is a result of their collaboration with the CPO of Unione Sindacale Giornalisti Rai and Giornaliste Unite Libere Autonome (GiULiA), following a proposal by the Veneto Journalists’ Union. “We, journalist signatories of the Manifesto of Venice, are…

The News Impact Summit returns to Brussels on 4 December 2017, with the theme of “A Year is a Long Time in Politics”. Organised by the European Journalism Centre with help from the Google News Lab, the day of speakers, workshops and discussion will look back on the relationship between media and politics this year. The event will focus on how the global political upheaval shaped the way journalists covered the news, as well as how evolving journalism practices changed the face of politics. Editors, reporters, technologists and researchers from International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Euronews, First Draft, Berliner…

The latest EFJ newsletter, EFJ Focus, is available here EDITORIAL: Lack of leaders standing up for media freedom in Western Balkans The EU- Western Balkans Media Days that recently took place in Tirana, Albania, proved the importance of having a very firm focus on press freedom in the region where journalists are often caught in cross-fire. Firstly, journalists in the region are often attacked, harassed and even imprisoned. In particular, female journalists are exposed to harassments and threats. Impunity for crimes against journalists remains as a common practice. Governments have the duty to support media and journalists. Swift actions should be taken whenever there is a…

A recent study explored ‘Temporary contracts, precarious employment, employees’ fundamental rights and EU employment law‘, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Petitions. The findings have implications for journalists, as atypical and precarious employment has been tied to media industries and digitisation. The study emphasises that precarious employment is a fundamental rights issue of enormous weight and significance within the EU’s normative order. Some groups, such as women and younger workers, are more affected by precarious employment. Self-employment, which affects many freelancers and journalists, is discussed in…

Pavlo Sharoyko, a Ukrainian Radio correspondent (Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine), was arrested in Minsk, Belarus, on 25 October 2017 by the Belarusian KGB. Sharoyko is only being allowed representation provided by Belarusian authorities, says Sergiy Tomilenko, head of Ukraine’s National Union of Journalists (NUJU). Sharoyko’s colleagues have said that the journalist was working on stories related to the search for Pavlo Hryb, a Ukrainian citizen who disappeared in Belarus after being arrested and was later found to have been sent to Russia. Sharoyko also investigated cases involving Russia’s Ukrainian political prisoners, and reported on military exercises taking place in…