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…

A new Cooperation agreement was signed on 22 September 2023 between the Croatian Ministry of the Interior, the Croatian Association of Journalists (HND) and the Croatian Journalists’ Union (SNH). Its aim is to provide a safe working environment for journalists, by effectively addressing the potential risks they face in the course of their work. The initiative stems from the implementation of the key EU Recommendation on the safety of journalists issued on 16 September 2021. Signed at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior in Zagreb, the agreement comprises two protocols. The first stipulates that journalists will be guaranteed…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined authors, performers and other creative workers and artists, representing several hundred thousand workers, in urging the European Union institutions to agree on a balanced regulation that not only forwards the advancement of AI technologies but also promotes original human creativity. As the negotiation of the AI Act enters its final “trilogue” stage, the undersigned organisations reiterate their position and insist on the absolute need for a human-centric approach to regulating generative AI in a way that respects fundamental rights. This approach should recognise, secure and enforce the right to control the use…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today joined media organisations in demanding a journalist’s privilege (Article 17) over content moderation, ahead of the vote on the European Media Freedom Act scheduled next week in the European Parliament. Media freedom and journalistic integrity have not only become the plaything of individual governments in the EU in recent years. Also, very large online platforms (VLOPs), that have become key distribution channels for editorial content, are increasingly exerting influence on the media landscape and restricting media freedom and pluralism. Based on their algorithms and content moderation practices, VLOPs decide who gets to read,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) organised on 18-19 September 2023, together with the Austrian journalist’s union GPA, a meeting with its Expert Group members. Around 40 journalists and trade unionists from 25 European countries discussed in Vienna the challenges and opportunities posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism, and its implications for ethics, jobs and authors’ rights. “AI in journalism doesn’t mean AI does journalism.” This is the approach taken by the Austrian news agency APA, which some of the EFJ Expert Group members visited. APA has been using automated processes since 2019 for elections, then for coverage of…

In the run-up to the European Parliament’s vote on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), scheduled on 3 October 2023, 500 journalists have signed the letter below calling on MEPs to introduce an absolute ban on the deployment of spyware against journalists. Dear honorable Members of the European Parliament, Ahead of the upcoming vote of the draft report on the proposed European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), journalists in Europe are urging you to introduce an absolute ban on the surveillance of journalists through spyware in this text.  Some of us, and many of our colleagues across Europe and the world, have…

Ariane Lavrilleux, the French journalist who in November 2021 revealed the Egyptian government’s complicity in “arbitrary executions”, was taken into police custody at 6 am on Tuesday 19 September. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns this brutal violation of media freedom and the fundamental democratic principle of protecting sources. At six o’clock on Tuesday morning, police officers from the French Directorate-General for Internal Security (DGSI), accompanied by a judge, searched the home of journalist Ariane Lavrilleux, who works for the investigative media Disclose. She was then taken into custody “as part of an investigation into the compromise of national…

As the European Parliament debates the reform of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins ARTICLE 19 and 17 other civil society organisations call on MEPs to support amendments mandating the right of public access to Court’s documents and documents related to its judicial proceedings. The current EU standards on access to information do not provide full transparency of the CJEU decision making, with the Decision concerning public access to documents held by the CJEU explicitly excluding access to court documents. The CJEU is increasingly required to rule on matters of a constitutional…

The first mentorship workshop was held for the successful candidates of the Local Media for Democracy project this week. Within the project, 17 media outlets across Europe received funding and the opportunity to technically develop their media and projects to help mitigate news deserts in their regions.  The first online workshop, organised by the International Media Support (IMS), took place on 7 September. The IMS advisors Iryna Vidavana and Clare Cook led the workshop for the 12 successful applicants from around the EU. This first webinar was centred around the  common element for all projects to focus on – defining…

One month has passed since 24 journalists from the Russian news agency Sputnik in Istanbul and Ankara were dismissed. As members of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), they were ready to go on strike to demand better working conditions, after negotiations on a new collective agreement failed. The strike, which has been going on for 30 days, continues. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) reiterate their solidarity with the Turkish journalists and urge Sputnik to respect labour law and provide their employees with decent working conditions. Since the beginning of the strike on 17 August 2023, Sputnik…