The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined more than 30 global press freedom groups and news organizations in a letter to Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, calling for Evan Gershkovich’s immediate release. Ambassador Anatoly I. Antonov Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United States 2650 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Via email: rusembusa@mid.ru March 30, 2023 Dear Ambassador Antonov, We, the undersigned news organizations and nongovernmental press freedom organizations, write to express our deep concern regarding your government’s detention of journalist Evan Gershkovich and the unfounded espionage charges leveled against him. Gershkovich, who works…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and their affiliates in Russia, JMWU, and in the United States, NewsGuild-CWA, call on Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich, detained on Thursday in Yekaterinburg. He could face up to 20 years in prison as the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) says he was “collecting classified information”. Gershkovich is the first reporter for a US news outlet to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the cold war. On 30 March, the FSB stated that it had…

On 13 September 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that: “We need to better shield ourselves from malign interference. This is why we will present a Defence of Democracy package. It will bring covert foreign influence and shady funding to light. We will not allow any autocracy’s Trojan horses to attack our democracies from within.” The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined 45 organisations based in Europe and active in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, in issuing recommendations for an ambitious Defence of Democracy package, for a wide view of how…

Legal intimidation and SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are attempts to intimidate and silence public watchdogs through lengthy and expensive litigation proceedings by starting meritless lawsuits. These threats mostly target civil society actors participating in public debates, including human rights advocates, whistle-blowers, climate activists and even academics more broadly. Under the pretext of seeking justice or protecting their rights, those who start these actions only seek to drain them from their resources (time and money) and force them to self-censor. These abusive tactics have become a very effective way to repress dissent and limit the public’s access to truthful…

Today, 27 March 2023, security guard Pal Kola, 60, was shot dead by unknown assailants on the premises of the leading national TV station Top Channel, where he was stationed in a booth outside the building​​. The heinous attack took place around one o’clock in the morning. State police have since established a dedicated investigative team and are working closely with the Prosecutor’s Office to actively pursue the perpetrators. A car suspected to have been used in the crime was found burned out a few kilometres away from the crime, together with two Kalashnikov rifles. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the…

Is there a story in your local town, somewhere in Europe, that you think is worth sharing with the rest of the world? If the answer is yes, but you lack resources, we may have the solution for you: a grant to support local investigative journalists and/or local news media outlets from several European countries who want to do investigative reporting at the local level in resonance with the European level. Why local? In every nook and cranny of the world, there are many stories waiting to be told. This grant programme aims to tackle the shortage of local journalists and…

The article was originally published here. The concept of news deserts was initially developed by US scholars and policymakers to explain the crisis of traditional news media and the vanishing of local news outlets as a consequence of the digital transformation and the 2008 global economic crisis. In an attempt to provide a definition for this concept, some authors have focused on digital accessibility by measuring the availability of broadband and wireless technology in local communities. A second group have focused on linguistic and cultural barriers that leave ethnic communities marginalized and disenfranchised, whereas a third group have concentrated on the quality…

Cliquez ici pour le français Kliknite ovdje za hrvatski Clicca qui per l’italiano Klicken Sie hier für Deutsch Clique aqui para Português The new grant programme Local Media for Democracy is launched today; a pilot media funding scheme that will inject €1.200.000 financial support to local, regional and community media who are struggling to serve the public interest in the so-called “news deserts” areas in Europe. These news desert areas can be a geographic or administrative area, or a social community, where it is difficult or impossible to access reliable, diverse and independent local, regional and community media. In other…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Media Freedom Rapid Response partners in expressing concern over the recent developments in Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the government has introduced amendments to the Criminal Code that would re-criminalise defamation. In the discussions around the proposal, entity President Milorad Dodik accused journalists of lying, using strong derogatory language. Ahead of the session on 21 March, the undersigned partners urge members of the Republika Srpska National Assembly to reject the amendments. On 31 October 2022, President Dodik published a thread on Twitter calling for the Minister of Justice…

The MFRR Summit 2023 edition will take place online from the 29 – 31 March. The conference, “Press Freedom On The Line”, will focus on safety, media capture, the rule of law, and SLAPPs, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR)’s main campaigns areas. A large range of panel discussions, live interviews, and keynote speeches with journalists, media freedom experts, policy-makers, and other stakeholders all working to defend press freedom will take place during these two days. Read the full program here. Day 1 (29 March) With an opening word by Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and…

Today Minsk City Court sentenced the editor-in-chief of the TUT.by portal, Marina Zolotova, and general director Lyudmila Chekina to 12 years behind bars. TUT.by is the country’s largest independent news site, which was forced to shutter after historic demonstrations against Alexander Lukashenko. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) in condemning another shameful verdict. We demand their immediate release. The women faced a raft of charges including tax evasion and “incitement to hatred”. Due to the extreme secrecy of the proceedings, it was not known until the end what conditions were required…

This article was written by Belarusian journalists The well-known Belarusian journalist and public figure Pavel Mazheika was arrested on August 30, 2022. He was kidnapped just on the street near his house. The security forces detained him very brutally: they put a bag over his head and beat him. Not because he is a dangerous terrorist who poses a threat even with his hands behind his back in handcuffs. But because he is a journalist, and the violence of the security forces and torture in prison have become commonplace today in Belarus. Now Pavel is behind bars in the pre-trial…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today 16 March 2023 joined media freedom organisations in writing to the Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela urging his government to implement recommendations from the recent public consultation into draft media laws and to strengthen the planned legislation in line with international standards. Read the full letter below Dear Prime Minister Robert Abela, The undersigned international press freedom and journalists organisations are today writing to urge your government to follow up on the recent public consultation into media law reforms by implementing changes which will significantly strengthen the draft legislation. As the monthly memorial…

Today, 16 March 2023, marks 18 months since the adoption by the European Commission of its Recommendation to the Member States on ensuring the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and other media professionals in the European Union. The European Commission is due to perform an evaluation based on key performance indicators, to take stock of the progress achieved by the Member States. In this context, the partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) call on the European Commission and the Member States to develop comprehensive and regular reporting mechanisms that involve all key stakeholders to effectively measure and…

Following the start of the retrial last week at the Court of Appeal for the 1999 murder of Serbian editor and publisher Slavko Ćuruvija, the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) today renew our call for justice for his killing to finally be secured. The pending ruling – which will either confirm or dismiss the previous guilty verdicts handed down to four state security agents for carrying out and planning his assassination – will be the most consequential for media freedom and journalism in Serbia’s modern history. Coming nearly 24 years after…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) support the campaign #IcazəliMediaIstəmirik (#WeDoNotWantLicensedMedia) launched in February 2023 by a group of independent journalists in Azerbaijan. Journalists are calling on the government to repeal the new media law and remove the requirement for registration with the Media Registry, as it gives the State too much control over the media. On 30 January 2023, 37 Azerbaijani journalists and media experts published a statement according to which the Azerbaijan’s Media Development Agency refused to include veteran media outlets in the Media Register and issued ‘warnings’ to dozens of media outlets and journalists. United…