In an open letter, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and other press freedom and journalists’ organisations ask the parliament and the president to reject the government-approved cut in RTVS’s funding by 30%. The drastic drop as well as the poorly justified plan to divide the public broadcaster into separate radio and television companies risk undermining the media’s independence, running contrary to the European standards and threatening media freedom in Slovakia. Open letter to: President of the Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová Members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Dear…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) strongly condemns the request by seven governments to legalise spying on journalists through the EU Media Freedom Act. The EFJ calls on the European Parliament and the European Commission to reject this illiberal and repressive request. The negotiations on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) are coming to an end. On Friday 15 December, the last trilogue will only deal with Article 4 of EMFA and the deployment of spyware against journalists. In the meantime, Investigate Europe, Disclose and Follow The Money revealed documents, showing that some governments (France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden,…

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) records that 94 journalists and media workers, including 9 women, have been killed in 2023. Since 7 October, more than one journalist a day has lost their lives during the war in Gaza, a scale and pace of loss of media professionals’ lives without precedent. Publishing ahead of International Human Rights Day, on the 10th December, the IFJ insists that far greater action is required from the international community to safeguard journalists’ lives and hold to account their attackers. This year, like 2022, was marked by the deaths of journalists in war. In 2023 …

An envelope containing a bullet was sent to Italian journalist Emilio Orlando, whose investigations on the Roman mafia had already made him the target of threats. The letter was delivered to the Roman Trade Union of Journalists (Sindacato dei Cronisti Romani, SCR), a local branch of the FNSI. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliate the FNSI in expressing solidarity with the reporter. In the envelope, discovered on 28 November, the police found a 357 Magnum calibre bullet and a note: “This (bullet) is one of the six that we will stick in the head of the bast***…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins other partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today to alert the European Union about the chilling impact that the Hungarian ruling party’s proposed Sovereignty Protection Act will have on what remains of the country’s embattled independent media community. Our organisations stress that while media are not named directly within the text of the draft bill, the intentionally vague language and broad scope for application of the proposed law would effectively open the door to state-sponsored pressure on those media which receive foreign funding and produce journalism critical of the government. The…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its president Maja Sever are proud to partner on the Belmarsh Tribunal on Julian Assange at the National Press Club in Washington DC, next Saturday, 9 December. The extradition case against Julian Assange, who is a member of 20 European journalists’ organisations, is now entering its final phase and the international pressure for his freedom is mounting. From Presidents and Prime Ministers to Nobel Peace Prize winners, the international community is crying out against the injustice of Assange’s prosecution and its implication for press freedom worldwide. On 2 October 2020, Progressive International launched…

As the negotiations on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) are drawing to a close, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today co-signed a letter to the policymakers calling for international standards to be respected on the protection of journalistic sources (Article 4). Considered a basic condition for press freedom by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the protection of sources risks being weakened by EU Member States. The signatories are deeply concerned about the chilling effect that could ensue if the final text maintains the paragraph to the national security responsibilities of Member States and sets conditions for…

The results of a survey from the  National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), “Frontline Local Media Report”, shed light on the difficulties encountered by print local media outlets in the country since February 2022. The report aims to help media outlets in need to restart their journalistic work for public interest. A total of 30 local newspapers were surveyed about their journalistic work in times of Russian occupation and the restart of newsroom work after the liberation of the occupied territories.  The survey found that the average length of forced stoppage due to the Russian occupation was six months. …

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the French unions le Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ), the CFDT-Journalistes, and dozens of journalists and media outlets in bringing its support to TV5MONDE journalist Mohamed Kaci. The journalist was summoned by his management to justify a question he asked during an interview, however, the meeting only took place after a public statement was issued. The EFJ deplores the fact that the journalist was not supported by his management but instead publicly denigrated and, as a result, exposed him on social media.  Soutien ! https://t.co/v73nT1bPPM — Emma Audrey (@emma_audrey_fr) November 28, 2023 On…

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, on 25 November 2023, the Gender and Diversity Expert Group (GENDEG) of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) reminds all media workers and media organisations that violence is not part of the job. Female journalists are heavily affected by physical, psychological and sexual violence as part of their work. Surveys carried out between 2018 and 2023 in the following European countries reveal that:  In Belgium, 4 out of 10 female journalists experienced harassment in newsrooms; In Spain, 88% of the female media workers reported having suffered situations of…

Audience research methods was the topic of the two workshops organised by the Local Media for Democracy (LM4D) project, as part of a series of workshops developed for this project. Journalists from the first round of grantees of the LM4D Media Funding Scheme attended the two online meetings on the subject.   Understanding audiences in the modern and ever-changing digital environment is crucial not only for developing content and distribution strategies, but also for developing innovative products and business models.  “LM4D offers a capacity building program to assist local media in achieving their project objectives and strengthening their long-term sustainability. The…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is organising a networking event on sustainable journalism for local communities in Zagreb, Croatia, on 4-5 December 2023, as part of its Local Cross-Border Journalism (CBLocal) project, with its partners: Journalismfund Europe, Transitions and Stockholm School of Economics (SSE Riga). The exchange event will focus on sustainable funding models and the event outcome is an action plan with recommendations for local and European policymakers, media managers and professional representative organisations of journalists. It will not only provide networking opportunities for the media professionals and stakeholders to exchange ideas and good practices, but will also highlight…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins other organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) today in expressing shared dismay at a recent defamation verdict by a judge in North Macedonia which recommends shutting down one of the country’s leading investigative media outlets and expects this damaging ruling to be swiftly overturned on appeal. Our organisations warn that this ruling – and the alarming recommendation by the judge – represent a clear violation of international standards, a fundamental failure of the recognition of public interest of the journalism in question, and an attack on…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the Swedish Union of Journalists Svenska Journalistförbundet today to call on the Turkish government to retract its demand to close the online investigation media outlet Nordic Monitor. We believe that the Turkish government is applying pressure on its Swedish counterpart by requesting the country’s NATO delegations to close the website, whose articles are sometimes critical of the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to Nordic Monitor, the confidential request was revealed unintentionally by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar on 25 October, during deliberately prolonged deliberations between the two countries, to review Ankara’s…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its Belarusian affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), were guests at the 2nd Council of Europe workshop dedicated to Belarusian journalists in exile, on 20-21 November, in Warsaw. The event provided an opportunity to highlight the unwillingness of Big Tech, and even its complicity with the repression of the Belarusian regime. The EFJ calls on Tech Giants to stop supporting the Belarusian dictatorship and to protect media freedom wherever it is threatened. The event was organised by the Council of Europe and the Justice For Journalists Foundation. It was attended by around…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to call on Azerbaijani authorities to release Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli, chief editor Sevinj Vagifgizi and Hasanli’s assistant, Mahammad Kekalov. The EFJ believes that the two journalists and Kekalov are the victims of police manipulation to prevent them from continuing to investigate the corruption of those in power in Azerbaijan. On 21 November 2023, the Khatai District Court in Baku ordered that Hasanli, Vaqifqizi and Kekalov be remanded in custody for four months. If found guilty of “conspiring to bring money into the country unlawfully”, the…