Who I am I am a journalist and unionist half and a half, I was born in Palencia (Spain) in 1975. I lived and studied there until 1995 when I moved to Salamanca to study journalism in a Pontificia University in Salamanca (Spain). After that I returned to Palencia to start to work in different positions in Diario Palentino, then move to Toledo, to work on La Tribuna; came back to Castilla y León to work in ICAL regional news agency, where my journalist work is actually. In 2007 I moved to Madrid to work in CCOO to start to…

Today to mark the fourth anniversary of the killing of Greek crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz in April 2021. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned international media freedom and journalist organisations in renewing the call for justice and for ending the ongoing impunity, which continues to cast a dark shadow over the Greek media and press freedom landscape. Karaivaz, a veteran reporter specialised in police and crime issues, was gunned down outside his home in Athens by two men on a moped on 9 April 2021, in what is widely suspected to have been a professional contract killing…

In the face of attacks on European civil society organisations by certain Members of the European Parliament, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins Civil Society Europe and more than 570 other organisations from 40 countries, in denouncing these misleading narratives and calling to defend the vital role of civil society in European decision-making processes. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative. European…

The preliminary investigation into alleged defamation targeting Finnish journalist Ida Erämaa has been closed after the Chief Prosecutor of Southern Finland found that the journalist was partly responsible for the insults and threats she received. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate, the Finnish Union of Journalists (UJF), in criticising the decision and the justifications put forward. The UJF filed a complaint with the Office of the Prosecutor General. In 2023, Ida Erämaa’s column about the right-wing Finns Party (PS) in the tabloid newspaper Iltalehti led to a large-scale online harassment campaign by PS supporters and MPs, whose…

Human creativity and culture are the enablers of innovation, including Artificial Intelligence. Innovation, however, cannot come at the expense of human creativity and culture. When Al systems exploit online creative and cultural content -including press content- to fuel their own services, they unduly profit from human work. AI poses a double societal challenge: protecting both citizens’ fundamental rights and the link between human-made content and the machines that use it. When Generative AI uses journalistic and editorial materials notably to produce, without permission or remuneration, parasitic press-like content at minimal cost and without editorial oversight, everyone loses. We are also…

The third ‘Stand Up for Journalism’ workshop was dedicated to the online safety of journalists and took place in Belgrade, Serbia, on 31 March – 1 April 2025. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) organised this event to support journalists’ organisations in addressing the rising threats journalists face, particularly online harassment and legal protections in the digital age. It was attended by 30 union representatives from 16 countries. One of the key topics was the increasing danger journalists face on social media platforms in Europe, exacerbated by the evolving digital media landscape.…

Read the statement in turkish The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in strongly condemning the arrest of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin on terrorism charges in Turkey and calling for his immediate release. This is the latest incident amidst the ongoing crackdown on press freedom in which dozens of journalists have been arrested and beaten. On 27 March 2025, Joakim Medin, a regular contributor to the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens ETC and member of the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF), was travelling to cover the widespread protests against the recent arrest…

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are being used as a tool to silence journalists, activists, and civil society groups through costly and time-consuming legal battles. The No-SLAPP Alliance, a coalition of around 15 civil society organisations including the German journalists’ union dju in ver.di, calls on the German government to take decisive action against these abusive legal tactics, following a survey conducted in September 2024 with 227 respondents. A study commissioned by the dju in ver.di, the Society for Civil Rights, the Munich Environmental Institute, and the Otto Brenner Foundation, indicates that 60% of those affected are journalists, with…

On 30 March, Turkish authorities officially confirmed the arrest of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin upon his arrival in Türkiye. His detention came shortly after British journalist Mark Lowen from the BBC was arrested and deported from Türkiye on 28 March. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) joined the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the UK and the Swedish Union of Journalists (SJF) in calling on Turkish authorities to immediately release Joakim Medin and all local and foreign journalists who have been detained. BBC journalist Mark Lowen was detained on 26 March and deported after 17 hours in…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) along with partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today raise further alarm about the deepening press freedom crisis in Serbia in the wake of revelations showing evidence of the abuse of advanced Pegasus spyware to target two journalists from leading investigative media platform BIRN. Our organisations warn that the ultimately failed attempt to use military-grade surveillance technology to spy on journalists from the award-winning Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) represents another milestone in the deteriorating situation in Serbia, which requires immediate and strong interventions from the European Union. The confirmation of…

The partner organisation of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will conduct a mission to Serbia between 7-9 April to meet with journalists, media stakeholders and law enforcement authorities amidst a rapidly worsening media freedom crisis. During the three-day visit, the delegation will travel to Belgrade and Novi Sad to meet with journalists, editors, media outlets, journalist associations and civil society groups to gather information about the serious spike in pressure on independent journalism and media freedom by state authorities and government officials. The mission has sought meetings with officials from the State Prosecutor’s Office and the Serbian Police, as…

Anna Prokofieva, a Russian war correspondent for the state-controlled Channel One, was killed and her cameraman Dmitry Volkov was seriously wounded by a landmine explosion on 26 March in the Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn the killing and call for a swift investigation that clarifies the circumstances of the journalist’s death. Prokofieva had been covering the war in Ukraine for state-controlled Channel One since 2023. Channel One’s cameraman Dmitry Volkov, who was injured in the mine explosion, was transferred to a hospital in the Kursk region. This incident follows the killing of three Russian…

On 24 March, Russian state-controlled newspaper Izvestia’s correspondent Alexander Fedorchak was killed in a rocket attack in Ukraine, along with state-controlled Zvezda TV cameraman Andrei Panov and driver Alexander Sirkeli. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EF) call for an investigation into the attack and demand warring parties respect media workers and protect them, especially in conflict zones. The air strike hit the media workers’ car in Luhansk, an eastern Ukrainian region under Russian occupation, where they were covering the news. Three other civilians were also reported killed in the strike. Zvezda correspondent Nikita Goldin was reported to be in critical…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), along with 49 organisations working to support and develop democracy, welcomed the European Commission’s initiative to create a European Democracy Shield as a coordinated effort to support democracy in and around Europe. This initiative is particularly relevant in the current context of global democratic backsliding. With its focus on the information space, election integrity, and civic engagement, the European Democracy Shield  is a natural successor to the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP). EDAP introduced key instruments like the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the Anti-SLAPP Directive, a revamped Code of Practice on Disinformation, and…

From 31 March to 1 April 2025, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will be hosting a workshop entitled “Online Harassment and Protection of Journalists” in Belgrade, Serbia, as part of the Stand up for Journalism (SUJ) project in partnership with the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (IJAS). The workshop will focus on the growing issue of digital threats against journalists and explore strategies to strengthen their protection. It will feature insightful speakers from across Europe, including journalists, media professionals, and safety experts. This workshop is the third in a series of five thematic capacity-building workshops. The first workshop was…

Update (23/03/2025): On Tuesday afternoon, the Turkish courts ordered the arrest of seven of the journalists detained in recent days: Yasin Akgül (AFP), Ali Onur Tosun (Now TV News), Bülent Kılıç (freelance), Zeynep Kuray, Kurtuluş Arı (İBB), Hayri Tunç, Gökhan Kam. —————————– At least eleven journalists were detained in dawn raids in different cities by Turkish police on 24 March 2025. The European and International Federation of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their affiliates in Turkey, TGS, TGC, GCD and DİSK Basın-İş in calling for their immediate release and condemning a new crackdown on journalism. Journalists were detained at 6.00am during a…