Update (13 and 23/03/2021) Denis Ivashin is the 10th journalist in jail in Belarus. His address: Prison № 1. 230023, Grodna, st. Kirava, 1, Belarus. Yasep Palubiatka is the 11th journalist behind bars in Belarus. —————————- Nine journalists are behind bars just for doing their job in Belarus. All are victims of the indiscriminate repression launched by the regime of illegitimate President Lukashenko. Some are serving an unjustified harsh sentence. Others are awaiting criminal trials. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the call of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) and invites you to send them a letter of…

The Media4Europe summit, organised on 3 March 2021 by Europe’s Media Lab (Fondation Euractiv), called for greater collaboration between media professionals and media outlets. Publishers, EU policy makers, media and journalists’ representatives, including EFJ President Mogens Blicher Bjerregard, discussed solutions to make the media sector more financially sustainable and close to citizens’ needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that journalists and reliable news information are more necessary than ever. It has also tested the weaknesses and limitations of most of the European media business models. The awareness at the European level is growing: “the health of the news media sector…

The German Journalists Association (DJV) has conducted a survey on the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Freelance journalists in Germany. About one year after the beginning of the crisis, the results show that many freelance journalists face an increasingly precarious situationl due to insufficient support. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its German affiliates in drawing attention to this particularly vulnerable group of journalists and in calling for improved financial mechanisms to address this issue. Between 29 January and 19 February 2021, 1,090 freelance journalists participated in the study. It found that the average annual income of freelancers…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is organising a series of online webinars aiming to improve media reporting on Muslims and Islam. At times, media coverage and representations have too often been discriminatory, exclusive and biased, with many important voices left unheard. The upcoming training attempts to address these issues through ethical and unbiased reporting. There are 30 spots available for journalists from EU and candidate countries or Council of Europe members. The training aims to improve the understanding of Muslims and Islam through unbiased media reporting, connecting with Muslims and religious representatives as well as diversifying the medias’ respective views…

Italy’s largest mafia trial in three decades has begun, following a four-year long investigation into the Calabrian organised crime syndicate ‘Ndrangheta and its alleged affiliates networks, in Italy and abroad. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Italian Federation of Journalists’ unions (FNSI) and the Union of RAI journalists (USIGRai) condemned the decision of judges to ban cameras from their courtroom. Not allowing video recordings of Court proceedings means denying a pillar of the story. It also means preventing the construction of the memory of a historical fact for Italy and Europe. This is what is happening in the “Rinascita…

The repression of journalists continues to intensify in Belarus, in a context of passivity on the part of the international community. On 2 March, at 4 p.m., the Moskovsky District Court of Minsk announced its verdict. It convicted TUT.BY journalist Katerina Borisevich and doctor Artem Sorokin. They are accused of disclosing medical secrets. Katerina Borisevich was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine, Artem Sorokin to two years in prison with a one-year suspension and a fine. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) strongly condemns a court decision that violates press freedom and freedom of access to information.…