The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) fully supports the appeal made to the French authorities by more than 180 foreign correspondents of the French media. The EFJ joins its affiliates in France, SNJ, SNJ-CGT and CFDT-Journalistes, in calling on the authorities and employers to take concrete action in favour of these journalists. Here is their appeal: On the occasion of the official launch of the “Etats généraux de l’information” on 3 October in France, more than 180 current and former foreign reporters and correspondents based abroad are calling on the French authorities to address the deterioration in our working conditions.…

A tribute to the 73 journalists (*) who lost their lives during the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine. That’s how Sergiy Tomilenko, the president of NUJU, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, referred to the photo exhibition Ukraine: journalists in war zones which opened at the Ukrainian Civil Society Hub in Brussels on 17 October. The opening of the display was put on in collaboration with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The exhibition will be open every day till the 23 October. “Let’s honor the fallen journalists with a few…

On the sixth anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, we, the undersigned organizations, renew our calls for Maltese authorities to bring to justice all those responsible for her killing and to implement in full the recommendations of the public inquiry into her assassination.  Caruana Galizia, who rose to prominence through her anti-corruption investigations and blogs, was killed by a car bomb in Malta on October 16, 2017. Three men have been convicted for the journalist’s murder and three other suspects await trial.  After pressure from the Caruana Galizia family and civil society, a public inquiry…

Lithuanian radio station, Radio FM99, a partner of the EFJ-led Local Media 4 Democracy (LM4D) project, published a story about a development plan that would destroy the historical heritage of Alytus. The story gained traction and the Prosecutors’ Office opened an investigation into the plan. All of this was funded by the LM4D and the radio benefited from the mentorship by the project. We talk to Vilija Ramanauskiene, journalist at Radio FM99, to find out more. Radio FM99 is a legacy radio outlet in South Lithuania and one of the first commercial radio stations in independent Lithuania. This year, it…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins international media freedom, free expression, and journalist organisations in expressing shock over criminal conviction of the Italian writer and journalist. The undersigned international media freedom, free expression, and journalist organisations express shock over yesterday’s criminal conviction of writer and journalist Roberto Saviano, in a case brought by current Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, and we convey our full solidarity with him. On 12 October 2023, the Criminal Court of Rome convicted Saviano of criminal defamation. The case was initiated by Meloni in November 2021, prior to her assuming the current role of Prime Minister.…

Partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will travel to Banja Luka and Sarajevo from 22 to 25 October 2023 to assess the current state of play for media freedom in the country and start a dialogue with the authorities, less than a year after the European Union decided to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate status. The delegation will consist of representatives of the MFRR partners, including ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Osservatorio Balcani…

Ali Kişmir, the President of the Cyprus Turkish Journalists’ Union (Basin-Sen), an affiliate of the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ), will stand trial on 6 October for an article published in 2020. Kişmir faces a ten-year prison sentence for “insulting and mocking” the security forces. The federations call for the charges against him to be dropped and urge the authorities to safeguard freedom of expression which is a cornerstone of democracy. In an opinion article published in 2020, the journalist described the state of his country’s politics as a “brothel”. Three years later, he will be tried for…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) invite you to the opening of the photo exhibition ‘Ukraine: Journalists in war zones’, which will be held on 17 October at the Ukrainian Civil Society Hub in Brussels.  The exhibition aims to draw the attention of the international community to the work of journalists during the war, their working conditions and the actions of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine in support of the Ukrainian and international media on the front line. The event will also mark the crucial international journalistic solidarity…

The undersigned international media freedom and journalists’ organisations, including the International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ), are extremely concerned by Latvian government proposals to ban the broadcast of Russian language content on Latvian public service media. On 28 September, the Latvian parliament approved the “National Security Concept”, a government-backed policy planning document. It states that all “content created by public media must only be in Latvian and languages belonging to the European cultural space” from 1 January 2026. The move would essentially prohibit Latvian TV and Latvian Radio from continuing to produce content in Russian. Currently, Latvian TV and…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners organised a mission in Poland to assess the challenges that Polish media face ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled on 15 October 2023. The main findings and a set of recommendations are included in a newly published report. This report explores how media capture and the widespread use of vexatious lawsuits have been used to create a hostile climate for independent journalism that weakens media’s ability to contribute to free and fair elections. Key findings include: The public media have been fully converted into a propaganda arm of the ruling party. The National…

At the plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament (EP) adopted yesterday, with an overwhelming majority, (448 votes in favour, 102 votes against and 75 abstentions) its position on the European Media Freedom Act. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) appreciates the European Parliament’s continued commitment to preserving and promoting media freedom in an ever more hostile and fragile media environment. Many essential changes have been made since the legislative process began, but concerns about spying on journalists remain. “After a year of advocacy in close cooperation with other media freedom, civil society and digital rights organisations, we are happy to have…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today in raising the alarm about two draft media laws brought forward by the Serbian government for their lack of compliance with international freedom of expression standards. If passed they would represent a regressive step with wide-ranging implications for media freedom and pluralism. As the public debate on the legislation continues, the MFRR calls on the Serbian government to withdraw the problematic changes added into the latest drafts and ensure compliance with the country’s previously agreed Media Strategy. The latest draft versions of the…

A consortium of seven European organisations, including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), is proud to announce that it has been awarded a substantial grant from the European Commission to organise the European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy. The festival marks a significant departure from previous initiatives in the field, promising to bring fresh perspectives and insights to the forefront of media discourse. The inaugural edition will take place in Florence in March 2024. Coordinated by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), the festival sets out to become the go-to platform for dialogue and exchange, connecting journalistic…

After a joint mission to Athens, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and seven international organisations today call on the Government and Prime Minister to show political courage and urgently take specific measures aimed at improving the climate for independent journalism and salvaging press freedom: Greek journalism is under sustained threat from the impact of the surveillance scandal “Predatorgate”, the unresolved killing of a reporter, abusive legal action and economic and political pressures. Although Europe has been shaken by the revelations about the targeting of Greek media professionals with spyware and the 2021 killing of veteran crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz,…

From the 16th to the 20th of September 2023, member of the EFJ Steering Committee Anna Del Freo travelled to Ukraine. She accepted the invitation of Sergiy Tomilenko, another member of the EFJ Steering Committee and president of the National Union of Journalist of Ukraine (NUJU). She went to the country, invaded by Russia, together with Anteas Alessandria, an Italian association of volunteers that already promoted several projects to help Ukraine’s population. Thanks to the support of the association, Anna Del Freo was able to visit her colleagues, who live and work in a country at war. She also conveyed…

As the European Parliament gets set to vote on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) next week, 80 civil society and journalists’ associations and unions, including the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ), are calling on Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to ensure meaningful protection for journalists in the regulation by including a total ban on spyware. On 3 October, the plenary of the European Parliament will vote on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). This regulation will create the first European legal framework to protect journalists and media service providers from intrusive surveillance technologies. 80 media, journalists, and…