The right of citizens to be informed about matters of public interest and of journalists to write freely about them cannot and must not be hindered by SLAPPs. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined civil society’s appeal to the future parliament to promote measures to contrast strategic lawsuits. SLAPPs (Strategic lawsuits against public participation) aim at silencing journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and anyone who sheds light on matters of public interest. SLAPPs are a true violation of the right of citizens to be informed and freedom of expression. SLAPPs also pose serious restrictions on democratic participation as they deprive the…

In Belarus, since the fraudulent presidential election of 9 August 2020, journalists have faced hundreds of arrests and detentions. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its Belarusian affiliate, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), in condemning the indiscriminate repression by the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko. The EFJ and BAJ demand the immediate release of the 30 journalists and media workers currently imprisoned in Belarus. 9 August 2022 is the second anniversary of the most recent presidential election in the Republic of Belarus. Two years ago, instead of recognizing the democratic choice, the authorities overturned it through the use…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the publication on Wednesday 13 July of the European Commission’s report on the rule of law. This third annual report highlights the threats to media pluralism and the safety of journalists in EU Member States. The EFJ called on the European Commission to adopt a binding and demanding Media Freedom Act to compel Member States to take action. The third EU Rule of Law report features specific recommendations targeted at individual member states. Sixteen EU countries have been urged to take measures to protect journalists, media freedom and pluralism (see below). The findings…

Media employers have to do more to fulfil their duty of care for journalists’ safety, especially freelance and female journalists who are more vulnerable, concluded in a safety workshop held by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ) in the Hilversum Media Park on 4 and 5 July.  The workshop, attended by more than 40 EFJ members, legal experts, journalists and media representatives, highlighted the increasing dangers to journalists, both physical and online, with little awareness from media employers of these threats and a flagrant lack of resources to ensure their safety. According to…

Croatian journalist and President of the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ) Maja Sever was elected President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on 14 June 2022 during the EFJ General Meeting taking place in Izmir, Turkey. Maja Sever succeeds Mogens Blicher Bjerregård from Denmark after three terms of three years each. Mustafa Kuleli (TGS, Turkey) was elected Vice-President. Maja Sever, 50, started her professional career as a war reporter for Croatian public broadcaster HRT in ex-Yugoslavia. She then became a political reporter for different HRT news programs. She is now a senior journalist with more than 20 years of…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will hold its General Meeting in Izmir, Turkey on 13-14 June and elect its upcoming Steering Committee for 2022-2025. The candidates are: CANDIDATES FOR THE EFJ PRESIDENCY Mariusz PILIS SDP, Poland View candidate profile and statement     Maja SEVER TUCJ, Croatia View candidate profile and statement         CANDIDATES FOR THE EFJ VICE PRESIDENCY Marta BARCENILLA ESCANO FSC-CCOO, Spain View candidate profile and statement Joachim KREIBICH DJU in VER.DI, Germany View candidate profile and statement (French and English) Mustafa KULELI TGS, Turkey View candidate profile and statement   Mariusz PILIS SDP,…

Dominique Pradalié from France, member of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ), was elected President of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on 2 June 2022 at the 31st IFJ Congress in Muscat, Oman. After six years on the IFJ Executive Committee, Dominique Pradalié succeeds Younes Mjahed from Morocco. She was the only candidate. She received 193 votes in favour, 62 against and 11 abstentions. Dominique Pradalié has worked throughout her career in French public broadcasting, from ORTF to France Télévisions, and she has been editor-in-chief of the nightly news on France 2. At the same time as she was…

On 4 and 5 July 2022, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is holding the workshop “How to build a culture of safety in the media? Media safety policy and safety training” at the Museum of Image and Sound in Hilversum, the Netherlands. The two-day workshop aims to share best practices on the culture of safety in media by examining existing media policy and initiatives as well as the safety awareness among unions and journalists. The event will be organised in partnership with the Dutch Journalist Association(NVJ) and the Museum of Image and Sound and funded by the European Commission.  …

Human rights, media freedom and journalists’ organisations issued a statement in condemnation of invasion and attacks on the press in Ukraine and Russia. We, the undersigned organisations, stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, but particularly Ukrainian journalists who now find themselves at the frontlines of a large-scale European war. We unilaterally condemn the violence and aggression that puts thousands of our colleagues all over Ukraine in grave danger. We call on the international community to provide any possible assistance to those who are taking on the brave role of reporting from the war zone that is now Ukraine.…

Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in launching our annual report documenting our organisations’ systematic monitoring of media freedom violations across Europe in 2021. Between January and December 2021, a total of 626 alerts were documented on the Mapping Media Freedom platform across EU Member States, candidate countries and the United Kingdom – ranging from physical attacks to SLAPP lawsuits and online harassment. A total of 1,063 individuals or media entities in 30 countries were subject to one or more press freedom violations, including the murder of three journalists – underscoring the…

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The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), which reunites journalists, press freedom, and other rights groups – including the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) – has been advocating for an EU anti-SLAPP directive for two years. As part of the public consultation launched by the European Commission, the CASE coalition has submitted the following policy paper to inform the upcoming EU initiative. Accessible here, the paper explains what SLAPPs are, provides preliminary and previously unpublished data from CASE research on SLAPPs mapping in Europe and sets out recommendations on what governments and the EU should do tackle the problem. Here…

The undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today express their concern about the increasing number of attacks against journalists across Germany, particularly in the context of anti-vaccine demonstrations. We call for better safety measures and protection as well as thorough investigations of attacks against journalists covering such demonstrations. Moreover, preventative measures are needed to stop such attacks from happening. Finally, we encourage media workers to report press and media freedom violations.  Already in 2020, reported attacks against journalists had more than doubled compared to the previous year. This dramatic increase to 255 aggressions can be attributed to…

The European Parliament adopted by a large majority a report on the use of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) against journalists in the European Union at the plenary session on 11 November 2021. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed an ambitious text which recognises the magnitude of the problem, its detrimental impact on democracy and proposes a comprehensive set of measures to address it. With 444 votes in favour, 48 against, and 75 abstentions, MEPs took a step forward towards better protection of journalists by adopting a report on the increasing use of abusive lawsuits whose aim is…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL) and the European Writers Council (EWC) call on the governments of Europe and the international community to demonstrate firm support for the democracy movement in Belarus and to provide refuge and humanitarian assistance to those fleeing the country. One Year after the rigged elections in Belarus,the country is being overrun with a radical crackdown on free speech and humanitarian organizations by the dictatorial Lukashenko regime. More than 1,500 organizations have been targeted by the “radical cleansing”, 41 are already on trial for state-ordered dissolution, including the…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) are highly concerned by a barrage of attacks and harassment of journalists by protesters at demonstrations across Europe in recent weeks against new government measures taken in light of the Coronavirus-pandemic. They fit a disturbing pattern observed throughout the region of increasing violence, harassment and intimidation of journalists and media workers at COVID-related protests, rooted in growing anti-media sentiment that fuels anger and distrust: In Germany, Jörg Reichel, the regional manager of the German journalists’ union dju in ver.di, was brutally attacked on the margins of an unauthorised…