The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) strongly condemns the internal pressure on journalists at Belsat, the Belarusian-language television channel that operates from Poland, following the channel’s restructuring. The channel is a subsidiary of TVP, the Polish public service broadcaster. The transformation of Belsat into the Belarusian editorial office of the “TVP Center for foreign language programs” must be carried out in such a way as to preserve the full independence of the newsroom and its operational capabilities, which have been largely compromised. After the announcement of drastic budget cuts and restructuring that will severely reduce the production capacity and autonomy of the…

A coalition of international press freedom, freedom of expression, and journalists organizations conducted a solidarity and fact-finding mission to Slovakia, on 25-26 November to assess the state of press freedom in the country amid a scaling back of democratic freedoms. The mission was 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). Media freedom in Slovakia faces a growing threat, and urgent action is needed to protect it. The Slovak government – a member of the Media Freedom Coalition – has an…

Ariane Lavrilleux, the French journalist who revealed France’s complicity in state crimes in Egypt in November 2021, is once again facing justice. The journalist, who works for the investigative media Disclose, was summoned on 17 January 2025 for possible indictment for “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret”, the investigative media Disclose announced. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns the judicial harassment of Ariane Lavrilleux and calls for respect for the fundamental democratic principle guaranteeing the protection of journalistic sources. In November 2021, Lavrilleux contributed to an investigation revealing a secret French military operation in Egypt, “Operation Sirli,” aimed at…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate in Georgia, the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists (IAGJ), strongly condemn the police violence and extreme brutality targeting journalists covering the demonstrations in Tbilisi since 28 November. We urge the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Vakhtang Gomelauri, to stop the violence and to identify and prosecute the perpetrators. Thousands of citizens have taken to the streets in downtown Tbilisi for three consecutive nights after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of Georgia’s EU integration process until 2028. Georgian police have used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) and 16 other press freedom and human rights organisations in calling for the immediate release of the seven journalists detained in Turkey on 26 November 2024. Journalists Roza Metina (Jinnews Kurdish Editor and President of the Mesopotamian Women Journalists Association), Ahmet Sümbül (Freelance Journalist), and Ardin Diren (Filmmaker) were detained in Diyarbakır; Erdoğan Alayumat (Freelance Journalist), Bilge Aksu (Freelance Journalist), Tuğçe Yılmaz (Bianet), and Suzan Demir (Gazete Duvar) in Istanbul; Mehmet Uçar (Freelance Journalist) in Batman; and Bilal Seçkin (Freelance Journalist) in Ankara during early morning…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has decided it will no longer post content on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, from 20 January 2025, when Donald J. Trump will officially become the 47th President of the United States. Like many European media outlets (The Guardian, Dagens Nyheter, La Vanguardia, Ouest-France, Sud-Ouest, etc.) and journalists’ organisations, such as the German Journalists’ Association (DJV), the EFJ considers that it can no longer ethically participate in a social network that its owner has transformed into a machine of disinformation and propaganda. In the aftermath of the American elections, the EFJ noted the…

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, on 25 November 2024, the Gender and Diversity Expert Group (GENDEG) of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls for urgent action to prevent and stop violence against women journalists, both offline and online. Across Europe, women journalists face unacceptable harassment, threats, and physical, psychological, and sexual attacks in their workplace and on the job. To address this issue effectively, we must first remedy the lack of comprehensive data on gender-based violence in journalism. “It is our responsibility, as unions, to work together to prevent and create awareness on…

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…