On Wednesday 27 April 2022, the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, together with the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ and IFJ) and other partner organisations, launched the 2021 report “Defending Press Freedom in Times of Tension and Conflict” at the Brussels Press Club in Belgium.  The report lists the alerts posted by journalists an press freedom organisations on , provides legislative and political context and identifies the measures needed to improve the effective protection of journalists. Download the report  The report indicates that “red lights are flashing”. In…

Billionaire Elon Musk reached agreement with the board of Twitter board on 25 April to buy the social network for a deal valued at $44 billion and is set to become the sole owner of the platform. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) have condemned the planned takeover, warning it threatens pluralism, press freedom and creates a playground for disinformation. Elon Musk is the  CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc and aerospace company Space X. He has a long established reputation of criticizing Twitter’s policies of content moderation and has regularly called on Twitter to become a…

On Wednesday 27 April 2022, the Platform to Promote Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists will launch its report “Defending Press Freedom in Times of Tension and Conflict”. The annual report, which is written by the Platform’s Partner Organisations, highlights key areas of law, policy and practices affecting media freedom and safety of journalists in Europe and identifies actions required to improve effective protection of journalists. With the participation of: Sarah Clarke, Head of the Europe and Central Asia team, Article 19 Nicola Frank, Head of Institutional and International Relations, European Broadcasting Union Ricardo Gutiérrez, General Secretary, European Federation…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) have joined 18 organisations in urging UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to reject the US government’s request to extradite WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. These groups, representing press freedom, free expression, and journalists’ organisations, have also requested a meeting with Patel to discuss concerns in the case. The full text of the letter is below. The Rt. Hon Priti Patel Secretary of State for the Home Department 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF 22 April 2022 Dear Home Secretary, We, the undersigned press freedom, free expression and journalists’ organisations are writing to express…

The repression of journalists and censorship is intensifying in Russia. The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) condemn this wave of massive repression. While the censorship law adopted after the invasion of Ukraine criminalised the exercise of journalism in Russia, new and even more restrictive provisions are being considered. On 6 April 2022, Russian lawmakers proposed new legislation allowing the Prosecutor General’s Office to close media outlets that “disrespect” the country’s government, without a court order. The draft bill proposes to amend Article 57 of the Russian Mass Media Law so that journalists will be liable in case of reproduction…

This yearʼs World Book and Copyright Day – celebrated on 23 April – comes at a crucial point in the conflict between authors and the internet giants as unions step up calls to ensure journalists are paid for the use of their work. The International and the European Federations of journalists (IFJ/EFJ) call on governments and civil society to ensure that internet giants do not control information and that journalists receive a fair share of the benefits collected when their works are being used by the tech corporations. The IFJ and EFJ have warned against the ongoing business models of…

The Reuters Institute has published its 10th annual Digital News Report, in cooperation with Oxford University, revealing the latest insights and trends in digital media worldwide. In Europe, findings gathered during the pandemic show that print newspapers are disappearing, while new media and business models have accelerated. The crisis has also shown the value of accurate and reliable information at a time when lives were at stake, even though there was a general decline in interest in news in a number of countries. Overall, the report highlights the urgent need for more diverse and inclusive newsrooms. A growing trust gap Compared to last year, trust…

On 18 March 2022, the Russian military detained journalist, writer and member of our affiliate the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) Yevgeny Bal in his house near Mariupol. The reason for the detention was “compromising” photos of Bal together with the Ukrainian military which were found during the search in his flat. Yevgeny Bal was kept in the cellar for three days, where he was tortured and beaten. After being released on 21 March, he died on 2 April. NUJU said that his death was result of the torture. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls on the…

Two journalists, Roman Nezhyborets and Zoreslav Zamoysky, were found killed in Bucha and Yahidne, following withdrawal of the Russian forces from the region. Roman Nezhyborets’ body was found buried in the northern village of Yahidne, and Zamoysky’s body was found in Bucha, near Kyiv. Nezhyborets worked as a video editor for Dytynets, a privately owned TV broadcaster. Russian forces occupied Yahidne on 5 March. Nezhyborets, who was sheltered with his family in Yahidne, attempted to hide evidence of his work with Dytynets, and called his mother to ask that she notify his friends and colleagues that he should be removed…

On Sunday, together with the government of Kosovo, the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates in Kosovo and Ukraine, AJK, NUJU and IMTUU, welcomed in Pristina Lyudmila Makey, first Ukrainian journalist to be hosted in Kosovo. She was forced to leave her country and will continue her journalistic work from Pristina. This initiative is part of the programme of sheltering Ukrainian journalists in exile launched on 1 March by the Kosovo government. The EFJ calls on other European governments to follow Kosovo’s example. On 17 April, Albin Kurti, the Prime…

Solidarity centers just launched by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), with the support of the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ), and the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine (IMTUU), will help journalists to continue their work during the war in Ukraine. The project was made possible by the IFJ-EFJ appeal for donations. NUJU is launching a network of journalistic solidarity centers to help media workers during the war. These centers are open in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi, in the headquarters of the regional organisations of NUJU. The centers are open to all journalists operating in…

 Download the report  The future of journalism depends on the diversity of talents in the industry, says a new report published by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) entitled “Newsrooms that care: how diversity and inclusion will define the future of journalism”. Diversity_reportAuthored by Alexandra Borchardt, a former journalist and senior research associate at the Reuters Institute, the 10-page paper presents some good practice examples and recommendations for achieving greater diversity and equality in newsrooms in the light of the ongoing digital transformation. “Media organisations and managers should be aware of the fact that making newsrooms more diverse and inclusive…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined nine European and international press freedom and freedom of expression organisations, members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and their partners, have reacted to the harassment of Emilia Șercan, expressing serious concerns about the case and its implications for media freedom in Romania. Today, the ten organisations sent an open letter to the Romanian authorities calling for swift and independent investigations. The letter recalls that the threats and harassment of Șercan are set against a background of recent aggression and undue pressure against journalists and media workers in Romania coming from politicians,…

Today, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) publishes “Towards a safer haven: Advancing safety of journalists amidst rising threats in the Netherlands”. Following interviews with more than twenty local stakeholders, the MFRR concludes that policy and practice around the safety of journalists in the Netherlands in many ways constitutes a best practice example, thanks to its pioneering PersVeilig mechanism. Nevertheless, there remains a need to strengthen several areas to better protect journalists and media workers against the increasingly hostile climate pursuant to intensified societal polarisation and threats emanating from organised crime. The report details the findings and recommendations of the…

The Dorogomilovsky District Court in Moscow today has sentenced four journalists from a student magazine, DOXA, to two years of hard labour. According to the judge, they have called on young people to demonstrate against the Kremlin. They were arrested in April 2021 after a raid on the editorial office. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) denounced the eradication of press freedom in Russia and called for the immediate release of the journalists who were just doing their job. On 14 April 2021, law enforcement officers in Moscow raided the office of the student-run magazine DOXA and the apartments four…

A delegation from the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) met with the leaders of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and their counterparts from Lithuania (LZS), Estonia (EAL) and Ukraine (NUJU) in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 12 April. The main purpose of the visit of the EFJ representatives was to coordinate efforts to protect journalists and media in the region in the context of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and the intensification of repression in Belarus. The EFJ condemns the new criminal proceedings against Belarusian journalists, unjustified and illegal persecution and the arbitrary application of criminal proceedings for alleged treason,…