The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has today expressed growing concerns over recent announcements by the newly elected government to introduce a new law on public media in the coming months with the aim to exert more control on public service broadcasting media and to “repolonise” print media. Following the newly elected conservative government (“Right and Justice” (PiS) in Poland in October, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has given Culture Minister, Mr Piotr Glinski, the responsibility on media policy. In a recent interview given by Mr Glinski, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, he announced that a new media law…

UPDATE Following the protest of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Association of Slovenian Journalists, Transparency International Slovenia and Access Info Europe, the Slovenian coalition parties decided today to remove the problematic amendment to Article 24 of the new Freedom of Information Act from the legislative procedure. The group has welcomed the decision. “We are pleased that the coalition parties have taken the views of journalists, editors and non-governmental organisations and agreed that the amendment would directly infringe media freedom, freedom of information and possibilities of effective monitoring of the public and private sectors,” welcomed the group.     The European…

The video broadcasted on 8 September around the world has surprised many people especially journalists. The Hungarian journalist, Petra László, was videotaped for tripping a migrant, who tried to escape the police in the Serbian-Hungarian border. A few months earlier, Der Spiegel’s journalists have adopted a totally opposite approach, publishing a welcoming message to refugees on their front page. The migration-refugee crisis raises the question of journalist’s commitment and responsibility. How to cover this touchy subject? How to interview migrants? How to be objective while showing empathy and respect? How to counter stereotypes? The answers to these questions are not easy. While there are bad practices which may show…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) will organise a four-day workshop on “Project Management for Trade Union Representatives” from 23 to 26 February 2016 in Zagreb, Croatia. The workshop is hosted by the EFJ member, the Croatia Journalists’ Association. The workshop targets at project officers or managers at your union and association who implement projects funded by the EU with the overall aim to improve their skills and capacities in project managements and developing projects for the future to carry out their programmes. Aims : – To provide an introduction to projects…

Professor Katrin Nyman-Metcalf, and journalists Rita Chinyoka and Nadezhda Azhgikhina discuss feeding terror, hate speech, and the responsibilities of mainstream media, at the World Forum for Democracy. After the panel discussion, openDemocracy’s editor-in-chief Mary Fitzgerald sat down with veteran Russian journalist Nadezhda Azhgikhina to talk propaganda, activism and the prospects for Russia’s beleaguered regional media.  Nadezhda Azhgikhina is the Vice-President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).  Mary Fitzgerald: Nadezhda, thank you so much for joining us. In your speech to the assembly you emphasised the difference between media and journalism, and talked about the traditional principles of journalism. Is…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF) will hold a lunch time debate at the Brussels Press Club on Tuesday, 15 December at 13:00 to discuss recent developments on press freedom in Turkey and reactions from EU institutions. Speakers include: Jean-Paul Marthoz, Committee to Protect Journlaists Europe Mehmet Koksal, European Federation of Journalists Johann Bihr, Reporters sans frontières  Marthoz will review the recent positions taken by the EU in relation to Turkey while Koksal will review the recent positions taken by Turkey and the press in…

Full EFJ joint statement with European authors’ group on EU copyright reform plans The European Commission has today published a proposal for the review of the current EU copyright law detailing its action plans for the coming years in the area of copyright and authors’ rights related issues. The (pictured from the left to right) EU Commissioner of Digital Economy and Society Gunther Oettinger, Vice – President of Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip and EU Commissioner of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourova adress a joint press conference on the subject of a Creating Digital Single Market at the EU headquarters in…

In the framework of the two-year project “Rights and Jobs in Journalism”, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with its affiliate, the Slovene Association of Journalists, will organise a workshop “Collective bargaining and freelancers : collective bargaining for all” in Ljubljana, 17-18 March. This upcoming workshop will focus on the need to better protect freelance journalists through collective agreements. while the need of cooperation between freelances and employed journalists continues to grow, best practice from affiliates about common campaigns/activities between staff and freelances shall be show-cased. REGISTRATION Please submit your registration form online before 29 January 2016. Your participation will be confirmed by the…

The Finnish freelance association, which is part of the Union of Journalists in Finland (Suomen Journalistiliitto) on 9 November with more than 200 freelancers participating. The meeting will discuss new opportunities in the media including non-tradition media for freelances?  What is the future for the journalist profession? How to make work-related  changes? How to confront new challenges and find new solutions?  FREE10 seminar in December! The Finnish freelance journalists’ association celebrates its 10th anniversary at this event FREE10 Seminar Centre Lume, Sampo Hall in Helsinki 12.9.2015. The European Federation of Journalists and its Freelance Expert Group wish happy birthday and…

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announced to replace the Minister of Defense, Bratislav Gasic, following an offensive remark he made on a female journalists  from  B92 Television during a conference on 6 December. Gasic sparked outrage after a journalist from B92 Television knelt down in front of him to avoid being in the way of cameras as he spoke to a group of reporters during a visit to a factory on Sunday. He commented: “I like these female journalists who kneel down so easily.” The EFJ affiates (UNS, NUNS and SINOS) in Serbia immediately reacted to Gasic’s remark and called for him to…

“It is a chronicle death of Turkish media” proclaimed by Yavuz Baydar, a journalist and columnist. Özgür Düşünce outlining the dramatic deterioration of media freedom when it comes to safety, freedom, legal restrictions and the judiciary during a panel organised by the Bussels-based European Policy Centre on 3 December. The almost complete seizure of what is left of independent media has increased prior to the November elections. Also Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT has not given any space to the opposition, which had not been the case in the June 27 elections, he said. Cengiz Çandar, journalist and columnist for Radikal and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Danish Journalists’ Union (DJ) have strongly condemned Turkish border police for the assault of Danish journalist Nagieb Khaja on 2 December while crossing the border into Syria to cover the refugee crisis. The EFJ member in Denmark, DJ, has immediately written to the Ambassador of Turkey in Denmark protesting the attack on Khaja.  Following the demand of the organisations to investigate the assault, the Turkish authority has responded today that they have started an investigation into Khaja’s case. Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, the EFJ President said, “We have witnessed Turkey’s disregard for the…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) have today joined their affiliate, the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ), in condemning the decision of the Russian government to add the Glasnost Defense Foundation (GDF), a Russian media non-governmental organisation, to the Justice Ministry’s list of so-called “foreign agents” last 19 November following an unscheduled inspection. The labelling of GDF follows a 2012 law which requires Russian-based NGOs that receive funding from abroad and engage in “political activity” to register as “foreign agents”. Under this law, organisations added to the list – around 100 groups, according to the OSCE…

A debate on the revision of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the independence of media regulatory authorities will be hosted by the European Parliament by MEP Sabine Verheyen on 7 December. The aim of the meeting is to provide MEPs and other stakeholders with an overview of the key challenges to be addressed in the revision. The European Commission recently conducted a public consultation (closed 30 September 2015) and is currently preparing revisions to the Directive which will then be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The meeting will include contributions from Lorena Boix Alonso, Head of Unit,…

Update : Please sign the petition to free journalists in jail At a press conference held today (01/12/2015) in Istanbul, Reporters without Borders (RSF) together with the International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ), the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS), Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN­IFRA), World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) and the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) launched the following international appeal for the release of Cumhuriyet journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül :  International appeal – First as prime minister and now as president,…

On 19 November, the EFJ organised its biannual Freelance Experts’ Group (FREG) meeting, in which participants from 8 European countries discussed EFJ activities, national developments regarding freelance activities and ideas for the  future working programme to be adopted by next year’s EFJ General Meeting. Below is a snap shot of the main topics debated by the participants. EFJ issues & activities Results of the survey “Mapping Freelance Journalists” : Please click HERE for more information. The Rights and Jobs in Journalism EFJ project debriefing : The Dublin Freelance conference on atypical workers, which was organised in September 2015 by the National union of…