The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) organised on 18-19 September 2023, together with the Austrian journalist’s union GPA, a meeting with its Expert Group members. Around 40 journalists and trade unionists from 25 European countries discussed in Vienna the challenges and opportunities posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism, and its implications for ethics, jobs and authors’ rights. “AI in journalism doesn’t mean AI does journalism.” This is the approach taken by the Austrian news agency APA, which some of the EFJ Expert Group members visited. APA has been using automated processes since 2019 for elections, then for coverage of…

In the run-up to the European Parliament’s vote on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), scheduled on 3 October 2023, 500 journalists have signed the letter below calling on MEPs to introduce an absolute ban on the deployment of spyware against journalists. Dear honorable Members of the European Parliament, Ahead of the upcoming vote of the draft report on the proposed European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), journalists in Europe are urging you to introduce an absolute ban on the surveillance of journalists through spyware in this text.  Some of us, and many of our colleagues across Europe and the world, have…

Ariane Lavrilleux, the French journalist who in November 2021 revealed the Egyptian government’s complicity in “arbitrary executions”, was taken into police custody at 6 am on Tuesday 19 September. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns this brutal violation of media freedom and the fundamental democratic principle of protecting sources. At six o’clock on Tuesday morning, police officers from the French Directorate-General for Internal Security (DGSI), accompanied by a judge, searched the home of journalist Ariane Lavrilleux, who works for the investigative media Disclose. She was then taken into custody “as part of an investigation into the compromise of national…

As the European Parliament debates the reform of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins ARTICLE 19 and 17 other civil society organisations call on MEPs to support amendments mandating the right of public access to Court’s documents and documents related to its judicial proceedings. The current EU standards on access to information do not provide full transparency of the CJEU decision making, with the Decision concerning public access to documents held by the CJEU explicitly excluding access to court documents. The CJEU is increasingly required to rule on matters of a constitutional…

The first mentorship workshop was held for the successful candidates of the Local Media for Democracy project this week. Within the project, 17 media outlets across Europe received funding and the opportunity to technically develop their media and projects to help mitigate news deserts in their regions.  The first online workshop, organised by the International Media Support (IMS), took place on 7 September. The IMS advisors Iryna Vidavana and Clare Cook led the workshop for the 12 successful applicants from around the EU. This first webinar was centred around the  common element for all projects to focus on – defining…

One month has passed since 24 journalists from the Russian news agency Sputnik in Istanbul and Ankara were dismissed. As members of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), they were ready to go on strike to demand better working conditions, after negotiations on a new collective agreement failed. The strike, which has been going on for 30 days, continues. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) reiterate their solidarity with the Turkish journalists and urge Sputnik to respect labour law and provide their employees with decent working conditions. Since the beginning of the strike on 17 August 2023, Sputnik…

At the conclusion of their press freedom mission to Warsaw from 11-13 September, partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) declared that the media and journalists in Poland are facing unprecedented challenges including legal threats, financial precarity, political pressure, regulatory capture and growing polarisation. The delegation, comprised of representatives of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and International Press Institute (IPI), met with editors, journalists, regulators, civil society groups, lawyers, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Ministry of…

To mark International Day of Solidarity with Journalists, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) awarded the Free Word contest for independent journalists of Belarus. The awards ceremony took place on 8 September 2023 in Vilnius, Lithuania, with the support of the Lithuanian Journalists Union (LŽS). Nine journalists received awards in four categories: informative, analytical, artistic and journalistic, as well as investigative. This annual celebration was a beacon of hope amidst the challenges faced by Belarusian journalists. In her “key-note speech on challenges of independent journalism under dictatorship, during the war and in exile, EFJ Director Renate Schroeder said: “The situation in…

The undersigned international media freedom and journalists’ organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), today call on the government of Malta to publish without further delay the report by the Committee of Experts on Media, the body tasked with advising the Government on implementing the recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. We also urge the government to launch a broad public consultation process on the draft legislation it intends to propose before presenting this legislation in parliament. It is of concern that despite having received the Committee’s report on 24 July 2023 the…

The Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court handed travel bans to Faruk Eren, President of the DİSK Basın-İş Union, and editor of the Gerçek Gündem news portal Furkan Karabay on 7 September 2023. The European and International Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) join their affiliate the Turkish Press and Printing Employees Union (DİSK BASIN-İŞ) in condemning these actions against journalists that infringe their rights and damage media freedom. Constitutional Court member Judge İrfan Fidan filed a complaint against the two journalists regarding an article published in the Gerçek Gündem news portal. The article reflected on the many controversies surrounding the 2021 appointment of Fidan…

Journalists and media outlets are adapting their practices to integrate more and more automated processes into their workflows. As the challenge posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) on journalism is immense, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the international committee to develop a charter aimed at regulating the use of AI in media, an initiative launched by Reporters without Borders (RSF). First results are expected before the end of the year 2023. “We certainly share the same urgency of the journalists, organisations, academics and other media stakeholders to react to the opportunities and risks posed by AI technologies. While algorithms…

On September 4, Aleksandr Lukashenko‘s regime ordered the country’s embassies to stop issuing passports to citizens living abroad. A measure that will directly impact Belarusian journalists in exile and citizens who fled repression. The European and the International Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) join its affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in condemning the latest repressive action by the regime to crush free speech and political opposition. The Federations amplify their calls to immediately release the 33 imprisoned journalists in the country. Belarusian citizens who fled the country, including journalists and media workers in exile, are facing increased restrictions by…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned journalists, press freedom organisations, and unions, in denouncing the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against journalists in Ukraine and calling for immediate action to hold the perpetrators accountable. Deliberately targeting journalists, shelling their facilities, and engaging in arbitrary detentions and torture clearly violate international humanitarian law and press freedom. We urge authorities to take decisive steps to address these grave violations and provide increased support for front-line reporters.  We are alarmed at the continued targeting of media workers in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The recent missile attack in Pokrovsk is…

Members of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) Steering Committee sent messages of solidarity to their colleague and friend Larysa Shchyrakova, sentenced on 31 August to 3,5 years in jail in Belarus.  “Imprisonment, torture, police brutality… those are the methods of a frightened dictator who is afraid of these brave women and men journalists who do their job and fight for the truth. To all the journalists in Belarus – we will not forsake you and we will fight for your right to work and live in freedom,” said EFJ President Maja Sever in reaction to the imprisonment of Shchyrakova,…

Partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will travel to Warsaw on 11-13 September 2023 to conduct an international press freedom mission ahead of the country’s upcoming general election on 15 October. The MFRR mission will be joined by representatives of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the International Press Institute (IPI), ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU). Mogens Blicher Bjerregård will join the mission on behalf of the EFJ. The delegation will assess the current state of play for media freedom and pluralism and identify the…

The Polish opposition party Civil Platform (Platforma Obywatelska, PO) used deepfake techniques in a video imitating the voice of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on the 24th of August, the video shows a highly controversial use of the artificial intelligence segment called generative AI. With the election campaign in full swing, the PO and its leader Donald Tusk have entered a new stage of political battles: they have used AI software to mimic the Prime Minister’s voice “reading” texts he had written. Even if the sentences were Morawiecki’s, they were taken out…