The risks that journalists faced covering the war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine remained the most pressing concern related to the safety of journalists in Europe in 2024, according to the annual report of the partner organisations to the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. The report, entitled “Europe Press Freedom Report 2024: Confronting Political Pressure, Disinformation and the Erosion of Media Independence”, also identifies as serious threats the digital surveillance of journalists and its risks to source confidentiality, the transnational repression of journalists – notably, from Russia and Belarus -,…

By Maja Sever, EFJ President Something remarkable happened at the Voices Festival in Zagreb. Young journalists took over the microphones, cameras, social media, and stage, proving that a new generation is emerging – one that knows what it wants and how to achieve it. They were not just there to cover events; they were creating them, analysing them, raising important issues, and asking the right questions without hesitation. Over the three days of the festival, they filmed, debated, listened, and shared their experiences. Their passion for journalism did not remain just theoretical – they demonstrated what engaged and responsible reporting…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) join partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in strongly condemning the escalating and systematic attacks on journalists and NGOs in Serbia, where violence, obstruction, and intimidation are being tolerated and perpetrated at the highest levels of government.  In the aftermath of the deadly collapse of the roof of the Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024, journalists have come under unacceptable pressure while covering the tragic story and the subsequent protests. The majority of incidents logged on the Mapping Media Freedom platform are instances of…

Voices Festival 2025, held in Zagreb from 27 February to 1 March, was a time for celebration and reflection but also an opportunity to express solidarity with journalists deprived of their freedom in Belarus or forced to live in exile. The film “Under the Gray Sky,” directed by Mara Tamkovich, was screened on 28 February. The movie depicts the story of Belarusian journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova, who were imprisoned for reporting on protests in Minsk’s Square of Changes in 2020. Following the screening, director Mara Tamkovich met the audience and answered questions about the realities of working in…

European social partners in the audiovisual sector published their Framework of Actions on diversity and inclusion, on 26 February 2025. The document puts forward recommendations for actions by employers’ and workers’ organisations, as well as other relevant stakeholders, such as educational institutions. Recommendations are grouped in four chapters that address: the pathways into the sector; inclusive workplaces and work processes; diversity on screen; and monitoring processes. The list of suggested actions is not exhaustive but a guiding framework to be adapted and adjusted depending on each organisation, its size, its mission, and the territories it operates in. All sector organisations are however invited to take some action…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned international media freedom and journalist groups today in raising concerns over a planned “political neutrality” audit recently approved by the supervisory body of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) and warn that the measure could negatively affect editorial independence at the public broadcaster. Our organisations jointly question the need for such an action by the LRT Council Committee and warn that rather than improve political neutrality it could instead lead to self-censorship by journalists and management at the broadcaster. As press freedom organisations working at the EU level, we note…

The European and the International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) join their Ukrainian affiliates, in condemning the killing of Ukrainian journalist Tetiana Kulyk, a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), by a Russian drone attack in the Kyiv region on 26 February 2025.  Two days after the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, journalist Tetyana Kulyk of the Ukrinform news agency and her husband, Pavlo Ivanchov, were killed in their home by a Russian drone, in the Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast. According to Ukrinform, rescuers found the two dead bodies while extinguishing the…

Azerbaijan is continuing its repression by arresting more journalists and creating an environment in which media that are not aligned with the government cannot operate untroubled. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) condemn the latest moves by the Azerbaijani authorities to further control the information space, and call for the immediate release of the detained journalists. The last few weeks have seen yet another level of repression by the Azerbaijani authorities with the detention of several journalists and the closure of the BBC News office in Baku. On 21 February, a court sentenced journalist Nurlan Gahramanli (known as…

In a one-day workshop organised by the VOICES partners, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and delivered by the award-winning media literacy organisation Lie Detectors on 27 February, Croatian journalists working with public and commercial media will learn how to teach children aged 10-15 basic fact-checking methods in an interactive format. The journalists will then be ready to deliver free 90-minute training sessions in local schools. “In times of unprecedented disinformation campaigns in particular via social networks, it is crucial to explain the complex and hard work of journalists and their public interest role to school kids.…

Outdated media laws, compromised public media independence, SLAPPs, as well as mounting economic, political, and physical pressures are undermining journalism and media freedom in Croatia, as outlined in the latest Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) report. Media freedom in Croatia is marred by institutional and legal challenges that successive governments have failed to address, exacerbating the erosion of media pluralism, hostility against journalists, and precarious working conditions. This environment fosters censorship and restricts access to vital public information. The outdated Media Act is ill-suited to tackle the challenges of today’s digitalised media landscape, while overly broad criminal provisions on defamation…

On 24 February 2025, Ukraine marks three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While the current scale of Russian attacks against journalists cannot be compared to that at the start of the war, they remain worryingly high and persistent. Over the past two years, Ukraine has seen fewer cases of journalists killed coming under fire while reporting in Ukraine, however the number of media workers wounded while covering the war remains high. In 2024, the media community reported two more losses: Victoria Roshchyna, a freelance journalist who died in Russian captivity, in which she had been held since 2023,…

Journalists Ercüment Akdeniz, Elif Akgül, Yıldız Tar and Ender İmrek were detained in police raids on 18 February, as part of an operation that resulted in the detention of around 50 individuals. The International and the European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) joined their Turkish affiliates, DİSK Basın-İş Sendikası and Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikasi (TGS), in condemning the detentions and urging the authorities to stop prosecuting journalists. Led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the operation was part of an investigation into the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK), an umbrella organisation for left-wing and pro-Kurdish groups, on terrorism-related offences. The detentions spanned ten provinces…

On the seventh anniversary of the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, the European Federaton of Journalists (EFJ) and the partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) mark the date with the publication of a new report examining ongoing threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists. MFRR partners take this opportunity to remember Ján and Martina, renew our call for full justice over their brutal killing, and call on Slovak authorities to ensure that the mastermind behind the assassination is ultimately prosecuted and convicted. Until all those involved in the February…

Media freedom in Slovakia is facing a deep crisis, serving as a critical test case for the European Union’s commitment to safeguarding media freedom and democratic values, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partner organisations warn today in a new report. The MFRR report – which can be downloaded here – concludes that since the re-election of populist leader Robert Fico and the formation of a new government in October 2023, the environment for freedom of expression, media pluralism and independent journalism has become increasingly hostile. Journalists have been subjected to legal harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns and verbal abuse. Meanwhile, the…

In response to the US government’s offensive against journalists and journalism, the EFJ President Maja Sever today issued a message of solidarity with American journalists’ unions. “We cannot remain passive in the face of the attacks on our colleagues,” said Maja Sever. “This offensive also has an impact in Europe. We must join forces against the enemies of journalism and press freedom.” These are tough times for American journalists, faced with the angry hostility of the Trump administration and its allies in the Big Tech sector. This new balance of power is not without effect in Europe, where authoritarian or…

On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) call on its affiliates across Europe to support a campaign launched by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) to maintain the network of Journalists’ Solidarity Centers operational in 2025. The NUJU, with IFJ, EFJ and UNESCO support, established six Journalists’ Solidarity Centers in Ukraine: five offices – in Lviv (with a presence in Chernivtsi), Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, as well as the headquarters in Kyiv. The Centers, established in 2022 through the IFJ/EFJ special Safety…