The trial against the President of the Cyprus Turkish Journalists’ Union, Ali Kişmir, is set to begin in Northern Cyprus on 26 November 2024. Kişmir is accused of allegedly “targeting the Security Forces Command and insulting the moral personality of the institution” in an opinion article published on social media four years ago. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ/IFJ) call once again on the authorities of Northern Cyprus to withdraw charges against him. Ali Kişmir is prosecuted for an opinion article published in 2020, in which he allegedly “insulted” the Turkish Cypriot security forces, leading to accusations of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today, in calling for more ambitious media reforms as it published its report “Depoliticizing Poland’s Media Landscape: Assessing the Progress of Media Reform in 2024”. The report is based on the media freedom mission to Poland, 16-17 September, where MFRR members met with a range of government and media stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing media and media reform progress since the 2023 elections.  Key mission findings include: The media freedom situation in Poland has improved substantially with improved independence of public media, a drop in vexatious…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned press freedom groups in condemning the ongoing, abusive legal action by Grigoris Dimitriadis against the journalists who exposed Greece’s Predator spyware scandal. Greek institutions must enact strong legal protections for journalists against the growing trend of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, aimed at silencing critical reporting. Investigative journalists from Reporters United, newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn), and their colleagues – including Nikolas Leontopoulos, Thodoris Chondrogiannos, Christoforos Kasdaglis, and Dimitris Terzis – find themselves entrenched in an unacceptable legal harassment saga. Repeated Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) have been filed against them by…

On 25-26 November, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, will conduct a solidarity and fact-finding mission to Slovakia to assess the state of press freedom in the country amid a scaling back of democratic freedoms. The mission will be led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and joined by ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). As the environment for freedom of expression, media pluralism and independent journalism becomes increasingly hostile, the delegation will meet with leading media organizations, press freedom advocates, and political leaders to discuss…

What does AI mean for the future of journalism and media viability? In its latest brief, UNESCO explored the key challenges of AI  for journalism and the industry and included a series of recommendations for an ethical AI. We talked to the author, Dr. Anya Schiffrin, director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialisation at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and a senior lecturer. For Schiffrin, the media must collectively defend their interests in order to survive in the age of AI. What is the impact of AI on media business models? Anya Schiffrin: The Large…

19 November 2024 marks 1000 days since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Marking this grim milestone, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response partners in remembering those journalists who have lost their lives reporting on Russia’s war of aggression. We also express our solidarity with those who continue to risk their lives to bring us critical news and information on this invasion. Since 24 February 2022, 13 journalists have been killed while reporting on Russia’s full-scale invasion–highlighting the risks and dangers faced by Ukrainian and international journalists covering…

IFRRO, the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations, has written an open letter to Google to express concerns regarding its recent announcement to restrict content from European-based press publishers as part of an “experiment”. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) backs IFRRO’s letter and urges Google to reconsider its decision as a sign of respect for rightsholders and transparency obligations. This decision follows a request from press publishers for greater transparency on the traffic that their press publications receive via Google News in particular. Instead of responding to this request for transparency, Google has decided to close access to press…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners in strongly condemning the verbal and physical attack on Ana Raičković, editor of the daily “Pobjeda”, as well as the attack on her family members. The MFRR partners welcome the swift reaction of the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office (ODT), which identified and detained four suspects on charges of “violent behaviour”.The consortium calls on the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable without delay, following the Criminal Code, which prescribes higher penalties for attacks on journalists.  On 11 November, journalist Raičković was in a fast…

On 8 November 2024, Article 3 of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) on the right to access to a plurality of editorially independent media content came into force in the European Union. For the first time in EU law, Member States have a positive obligation to protect this right “for the benefit of free and democratic discourse“. In practical terms, all Member States must ensure that framework conditions are in place to guarantee European citizens access to editorially independent information. As the EMFA is a regulation, its first Article to be implemented is now “enforceable”, even in the absence…

The Czech government’s new bill to increase TV and radio licence fees from 2025 aims to strengthen public service media funding and independence, say the International and European Federations of Journalists. The Federations join their affiliate, the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic, in calling for support for the bill as the public broadcaster struggles to operate effectively. Proposed by the government in June, the Bill provides for an increase in television and radio fees, as well as an automatic increase in line with inflation in subsequent years. In addition to TV and radio users, households with internet devices…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Democracy Alive Summit organised by the European Movement International on 6 November 2024. That very morning, it was announced that Donald Trump, a champion of spreading disinformation, had been re-elected President of the United States of America for four years. The panellists shared their thoughts on the consequences of this news for our European democracies and discussed the current challenges to democracy. EFJ Director Renate Schroeder participated in a panel discussion about “Media Freedom in Europe: Challenges and Threat”. She reiterated the essential role of journalism in safeguarding democracy and the main…

No journalist should be indifferent to the election of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. His relationship with journalism and his approach to the exercise of power will have global consequences. More than ever before, in Europe, and everywhere else in the world, the profession must stand firmly in defense of a robust press that can report the facts freely and hold power to account safely. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates join all those committed to defending journalism as a cornerstone of democracy. Donald J. Trump has called for journalists to…

Turkey is set to introduce a controversial new law aimed at combating so-called “foreign influence agents”, sparking concern among journalists and civil society groups that it could be used to suppress dissent. The bill targets individuals allegedly working “against the security of the state or its political interests” at the behest of foreign entities. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) criticises the vague wording of the legislation, which would give the authorities greater power to crack down on any criticism of the government. The proposed law is part of a broader judicial package tabled by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice…

On 31 October 2024, Giorgos Androutsos, a Greek journalist for the newspaper “Rizospastis”, was violently attacked and arrested by police while covering protests by seasonal firefighters in front of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. The journalist was released from custody on 1 November. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) together with their Greek affiliates – the Union of Journalists of Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN), the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH), the Panhellenic Federation of Journalists’ Union (PFJU) – strongly condemn the police violence on journalist Androutsos as well as his arbitrary arrest, and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in calling for thorough and swift investigations into numerous threats against Nataša Miljanović Zubac, a journalist for the Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS). Since the arson attack on her car in 2022, Zubac has been targeted by at least seven criminal acts, all unpunished. The MFRR partners and SJN also urge the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior and the Trebinje District Prosecutor’s Office to increase police protection to prevent further threats to the life of the journalist. The safety measures…

In advance of COP29, the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined 16 international human rights organisations in calling on EU leaders to draw urgent attention to and raise directly with the government of Azerbaijan the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.  Azerbaijan has a record of human rights abuse that has seriously worsened over the last two years with the government targeting the remaining vestiges of independent media and civil society including human rights defenders. Among the methods the government uses are politically motivated arrests and prosecutions on…