A new study by the Freelance Group of the Danish Union of Journalists (DJ) has revealed the extent to which freelance journalists and photographers are at the backbone of the country’s leading media outlets, while at the same time facing a stark imbalance in pay, protections, and working conditions compared to their permanently employed counterparts. The survey, based on responses from 310 freelancers in seven leading media outlets, conducted by media researchers Lise Møller Schilder, Nina Trige Andersen, and Freja Dam, presents compelling evidence: Denmark’s media sector is structurally reliant on freelance labour. In several major news organisations, freelancers contribute…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned civil society, human rights, journalist and media support organisations in calling on the European Commission to strengthen the rule of law dialogue, improve the impact of the Rule of Law Report’s recommendations and take decisive action against systematic human rights violations in EU Member States. In 2025, the European Commission will publish its sixth annual Rule of Law Report – the first after the new Commission took office. The European Commission President, Ursula Von der Leyen – in her political guidelines and in the mission letter to the Commissioner for Democracy,…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Russian affiliate, the Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union (JMWU), in condemning the five-and-a-half year prison sentences handed down yesterday against the Russian journalists Antonina Kravtsova (also known as Antonina Favorskaya), Artyom Kriger, Konstantin Gabov and Sergei Karelin for their “participation in an extremist organization,” following a trial behind closed doors. The EFJ and IFJ urge the Russian authorities to immediately release these four journalists. On 15 April, Moscow’s Nagatinsky district court sentenced four journalists, Antonina Kravtsova (Favorskaya), Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin and Artem Kriger, to five and a half years in…

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) has released a report uncovering the growing threat of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) targeting Ukrainian journalists and media outlets. The study, based on 36 documented cases, reveals a disturbing pattern of judicial harassment aimed at silencing investigative journalism and critical reporting. According to NUJU’s research, the average SLAPP case in Ukraine drags on for 813 days – more than two years of legal uncertainty, psychological stress, and financial burden for the journalists involved. These lawsuits, often filed by politicians and businesspeople, do not aim to win in court but to…

Who I am For the past 26 years, I have been working as a freelance journalist in the areas of science/education and foreign affairs for the public service television station ARD / Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian Television).This includes a variety of EU-related topics as well as European projects such as with TV channel ARTE in collaboration with French and Polish colleagues. Many years I worked on documentaries and news related on topics in Eastern Europe, and I travelled and filmed in nearly each Eastern Europe Country, so I am familiar with the political and social situation there.  My educational background is…

Who I am I am the President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, an independent organization supporting journalists and media workers. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, I have worked with colleagues to transform NUJU’s operations to meet wartime challenges. Our key initiatives include establishing a network of Journalist Solidarity Centers and creating a support program for frontline newspapers, ensuring continued access to reliable information in the most vulnerable regions. I have previous experience serving on the EFJ Steering Committee for two terms and am a Permanent Representative of NUJU at the Commission on Journalistic Ethics. I’ve led projects with…

Who I am I am a 52-year-old journalist from Barcelona, mother of two, with extensive experience in journalism, mainly as a freelancer in corporate communication, as well as in local politics management. A committed feminist and gender expert, I have led and participated in women journalists’ networks at all levels. As current Vice-General Secretary of the Federación de Sindicatos de Periodistas (FeSP), representing it at the European and International forums, EFJ GENDEG chair, and former board member and Equality responsible by the Catalan Journalists Union, I have worked for equality and journalists’ rights across Spain and Europe. Why I am…

Who I am I am a journalist based in Prishtina, Kosovo, and have been working as a political reporter for 20 years. I spent 15 years at the national private television station Kohavision, where I created and hosted the nightly current affairs show Interaktiv, and served as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and later for two years as Editor-in-Chief of the station. From mid-2020 to the end of 2022, I worked at the private TV station Kanal10 in similar roles. I was first elected Chairperson of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo in July 2021 and re-elected for a second term in July…

Who I am I am a freelance journalist based in Thessaloniki, Greece. I mainly work with foreign Media, and I also run the website humanstories.gr. I am also a member of the board of the Journalists Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH). I started as a sports journalist working for TV and the daily newspaper of a powerful Greek Media outlet that collapsed in 2015, and I found myself unemployed. Instead of just waiting for a job offer, I decided to start producing stories about migration, a topic that at the time took a very sensitive and difficult turn in…

Who I am My name is Renske Heddema. I’ve been a journalist reporting from Switzerland for Dutch and Belgian media since 1996. Working as a freelance correspondent far from the newsroom, always available to a wide range of publishers and broadcasters, I felt isolated. Joining NVJ was like finding an anchor. I served on the NVJ board from 2016 and was its president from 2020 to 2023. Before moving abroad, I worked as a journalist in the Netherlands, producing weekly radio programs on arts and literature and writing for various newspapers and magazines. I also served as a media policy…

My priorities for the EFJ One of the most important issues in Europe is the funding of public service broadcasting. This problem is particularly acute in Eastern Europe. In Estonia, public service broadcasting works well, but very painful cuts have had to be made in the last year. Even the relatively wealthy Finnish public service broadcaster YLE has had to make serious cuts. It is very important that the EFJ Steering Committee seeks solutions for developing a sustainable funding model for public service broadcasting. It is equally important that public service and private media find ways to cooperate so that…

Who I am Journaliste depuis près de trente ans, j’ai principalement travaillé pour des médias vénézuéliens, français ou francophones, en radio et presse écrite. Installé depuis 20 ans à Vichy, j’ai travaillé en presse locale, enseigné le journalisme et participé à des projets culturels pour l’accueil des réfugiés. Désormais je suis journaliste pigiste pour la Gazette des communes et Le Courrier des maires, des médias spécialisés dans les politiques publiques locales. Je suis secrétaire général du SNJ-CGT depuis juin 2024, ainsi que négociateur de branche et délégué syndical élu en entreprise. I am professional journalist since nearly thirty years, I…

My priorities for the EFJ Over the past three years, as President of the European Federation of Journalists, I’ve had the honour of working with great, brave people and witnessing incredible solidarity in these difficult and crisis-filled times. Conflicts, the war in Ukraine, rising violence against journalists, attacks on media freedom, lack of trust in journalism, technological change, and ever-present political pressure—it’s hard even to list all the fronts on which journalism is under attack. But what guided us and made sense of it all was the spirit of unity among EFJ members. We reacted, protected our colleagues, empowered our…

Who I am I’m an Istanbul-based journalist for more than 25 years, holding a master’s degree in human rights law. A member of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey since 2006. I was elected as the Istanbul chair of the union in 2019. After serving for a term, I was elected as the General Secretary in 2023. Also teaching reporting and news writing at the university.  Despite being a member of TGS for many years, my dismissal from daily Hürriyet Newspaper, where I had been working for 23 years, marked the beginning of my journey in TGS. The reason I was…

Who I am I’m a professional journalist and I’m 54 years old. I work for one of Italy’s biggest newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, where in the last ten years I’m an investigative data journalist. I have been a journalist since 1991. My first experiences were in crime and court reporting for local and national newspapers. As a correspondent, I covered the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. From 2000 to 2009, I followed events in the Middle East. From 2009 to 2014, I covered Italian and European issues. From 2003 to 2017, I was vice president of the Italian section of Reporters…

Who I am My name is Allan Boye Thulstrup, and I have been part of the EFJ Steering Committee since 2022. After four years as vice president of the Danish Union of Journalists I was recently elected as president of the Union, which is the only union for media workers in Denmark. Before holding elected office, I, among other things, worked as a journalist covering local and national politics. Why I am standing For the past three years in the SC we have worked on several important issues, and I consider the most important result to be our work on…