The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are this week taking part in an emergency mission in Turkey in solidarity with journalists, media workers and the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) facing more repression than ever due to the forthcoming elections of November 1. “More than ever after the horrifying bombing on October 10 in Ankara killing more than 100 people and on the eve of the new elections, the international community needs to show strong and effective support to journalists and unionists fighting to defend freedom of expression against brutal censorship, violences, insults, repression, threats of…

Journalism seems to be no longer an attractive profession. At least, this seems to be the conclusion suggested by the survey “Evolution and changes in the journalism professions” carried out by the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the evaluation and prevention of occupational risks office Technologia. The study has analysed the evolution of journalism in France since 2010 and revealed that 34% of journalists respondents said they would quite the profession. The study is the follow-up of a first research “Actual journalists’ work, quality of information and democracy” launched in 2011 by the above organisations. The latest study showed three…

Journalists from across the Balkans and Eastern Europe met in Belgrade (Serbia) on 10-11 October 2015 to discuss the status of journalism in the region and the campaign for freedom of association to enable journalists to freely organise in unions. They discussed the struggles facing journalists, the precariousness of their employment, the low salaries and poor contracts the hostility of employers to journalists unions and the pervading climate of insecurity and fear. This is a struggle not just for improved conditions for journalists, but for a healthy and vibrant journalists sector that can play its democratic role in serving the…

”Two weeks ago I would have been much more pessimistic when it comes to ‘Social Europe’, but it seems that the European Commission led by President Jean-Claude Juncker  is working on a package, which has a strong social dimension, something the EU has lacked dramatically in recent years,” said Thomas Händel (GUE/NGL, Germany), Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. Philippe Leruth, Chair of the EFJ Labour Rights Expert Group and EFJ Director Renate Schroeder had a open discussion with the German MEP Händel covering themes such as the increasingly precarious working conditions in the  media and journalism…

In view of the ongoing trilogue negotiations, informal tripartite meetings attended by representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on reaching  the proposal for an EU directive “on the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure”, journalists’ and media organisations express their great concern regarding a potential damaging impact on press freedom. The following letter has been sent to the rapporteur, shadow-rapporteurs, members of the European Parliament Legal Committee, the Permanent representatives of the EU member states (COREPER) and relevant  contacts in the European Commission. Trade Secret versus…

The wave of labour organising is increasing in US media companies. On Tuesday, digital journalists at Al Jazeera America voted to organise with the NewsGuild of New York, an IFJ affiliate, in an election prompted after the network failed to recognise the union. In recent months, editorial staff at Gawker, Salon, ThinkProgress and Vice Media have become members of the Writers Guild of America. Staff of Guardian US joined the NewsGuild, so as Al Jazeera America. Journalists at the Huffington Post have also held discussions about unionising. “Staff claim is the same everywhere,” noted Ricardo Gutiérrez, General secretary of the EFJ. “Journalists…

How do you imagine journalism in 2025? What if social media becomes the primary source of information and media worldwide? Will the public continue to pay for content? How will robot journalism develop?  Will printed newspaper still exist? A recent Dutch Journalism Fund (DJF) study mapped out four scenarios of the future of journalism. See you in ten years. The Dutch study “What’s New(s)?  Scenarios for the future of journalism” showed four scenarios of the Dutch journalism in 2025. The trends mapped out in the study was based on interviews with journalists, publishers, philosophers, chief editors, scientists, technology experts and managers…

Journalists and media workers in Turkey, Hungary and the Balkans are facing increased hostility as they do their jobs, according to a survey of the verified incidents reported to Index on Censorship-EFJ-RSF’s Mapping Media Freedom project. Since May 2014, Mapping Media Freedom project has been documenting media violations throughout the European Union, including candidate and neighbouring countries. The project is an interactive platform that allows the reporting, mapping and monitoring of threats to media freedom. Mapping Media Freedom is run in partnership with the European Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, and is partially funded by the European Commission. The…

The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was greeted with honour at the Brussels Royal Palace this Monday morning. After the warm welcome of the Belgian King and Queen and the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, Mr Erdoğan was pleased to receive accolades from the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the European Council President, Donald Tusk. All of those who welcomed him to Brussels should know that they gratify one of the worst censor of press freedom in Europe. In only two days, the International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) submitted five serious violations of press freedom…

The 13th Congress of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) was held from 30 September to 2 October at the House of Mutuality in Paris. Five hundred delegates attended, discussed and voted some reports on the future of European workder and trade unions in the 39 countries covered by the ETUC. The delegation of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) consisting of three journalists Paco Audije (FAPE, FeSP), Patrick Kamenka (SNJ-CGT) and Jean-François Cullafroz (CFDT-Journalistes). But the Swedish delegation with fifteen members included an EFJ member, Jonas Nordling, president of the Union of Swedish Journalists (Svenska Journalistförbundet). Luca Visentini, the…

Journalists’ unions in the Czech Republic should improve their recruitment policy. That’s one of the main conclusions of the EFJ-OSNPM survey on journalists’ working conditions in the Czech Republic. In the framework of the EFJ/IFJ Regional Development Fund, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Union of Journalists and Media Workers of the Czech Republic (OSNPM) and the Austrian union GPA-djp organised a survey to investigate the working conditions of Czech journalists and media workers. The online survey was launched on 19 May 2015. Around 2,500 journalists and media workers were invited to participate to the survey. Ricardo Gutiérrez, EFJ…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has written to Michel Platini, President of the the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) calling for an immediate investigation of the ban imposed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) on journalists and photographers working for the Croatian daily Index.hr. On 24 September, the HNS issued a ban on journalists from Index.hr preventing them from covering any events and press conferences. The journalists are also banned from attending football matches of the national football team and covering press conferences as well as entering HNS premises. Only yesterday  journalists of Index.hr portal  were physically restrained…

The European Trade Union Congress (ETUC) in its 13th Congress in Paris on 29 September – 2 October, with the presence of over 700 trade union delegates, have unaminously voted a motion tabled by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on Solidarity with Turkish and Kurdish journalists suffering repression. The EFJ welcomes the adoption of the motion and thanks for the support and solidarity expressed by the trade union delegates at the ETUC Congress. The motion reads: For freedom of speech. In recent years journalists, trade unionists and press collaborators in Turkey – a European Union candidate country – have…

    LITHUANIAN JOURNALISTS’ UNION Address  Journalist’s HouseJogailos str. 11, LT-01116 Vilnius, Lithuania Chairman  Dainius Radzevičius Phone  +37061263838, +370 5 2122805 Email  info@lzs.lt ; pirmininkas@lzs.lt Contact Person  Dainius Radzevičius Website  www.lzs.lt Membership status                  To be officially endorsed

EDITORIAL BY MOGENS BLICHER BJERREGARD, EFJ PRESIDENT The EFJ newsletter, EFJ Focus, is available in English, French and German. Online harassment, abuse or threat targeting at female journalists was on top of the agenda at an expert meeting organised by Dunja Mijatović, Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) on 17 September in Vienna. Experts including media professionals, organisation leaders and government representatives spoke out against online harassment and violence faced by female journalists. The meeting was also a wake-up call that it is time for the journalist community to tackle the problem.…

A new report “Balancing act: press freedom at risk as EU struggles to match actions with values” published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) was launched at the Press Club-Europe in Brussels on 29 September. Jean-Paul Marthoz, CPJ’s EU correspondent and author of the report, said at a press conference that “the future of the EU’s global influence will largely determined by its credibility and consistency by following a press freedom diplomacy based on principles and free of double standards.” The report examines EU policies and institutions, finding that while they maintain an outward commitment to press freedom, in many cases…