The Finnish freelance association, which is part of the Union of Journalists in Finland (Suomen Journalistiliitto) on 9 November with more than 200 freelancers participating. The meeting will discuss new opportunities in the media including non-tradition media for freelances?  What is the future for the journalist profession? How to make work-related  changes? How to confront new challenges and find new solutions?  FREE10 seminar in December! The Finnish freelance journalists’ association celebrates its 10th anniversary at this event FREE10 Seminar Centre Lume, Sampo Hall in Helsinki 12.9.2015. The European Federation of Journalists and its Freelance Expert Group wish happy birthday and…

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announced to replace the Minister of Defense, Bratislav Gasic, following an offensive remark he made on a female journalists  from  B92 Television during a conference on 6 December. Gasic sparked outrage after a journalist from B92 Television knelt down in front of him to avoid being in the way of cameras as he spoke to a group of reporters during a visit to a factory on Sunday. He commented: “I like these female journalists who kneel down so easily.” The EFJ affiates (UNS, NUNS and SINOS) in Serbia immediately reacted to Gasic’s remark and called for him to…

“It is a chronicle death of Turkish media” proclaimed by Yavuz Baydar, a journalist and columnist. Özgür Düşünce outlining the dramatic deterioration of media freedom when it comes to safety, freedom, legal restrictions and the judiciary during a panel organised by the Bussels-based European Policy Centre on 3 December. The almost complete seizure of what is left of independent media has increased prior to the November elections. Also Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT has not given any space to the opposition, which had not been the case in the June 27 elections, he said. Cengiz Çandar, journalist and columnist for Radikal and…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Danish Journalists’ Union (DJ) have strongly condemned Turkish border police for the assault of Danish journalist Nagieb Khaja on 2 December while crossing the border into Syria to cover the refugee crisis. The EFJ member in Denmark, DJ, has immediately written to the Ambassador of Turkey in Denmark protesting the attack on Khaja.  Following the demand of the organisations to investigate the assault, the Turkish authority has responded today that they have started an investigation into Khaja’s case. Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, the EFJ President said, “We have witnessed Turkey’s disregard for the…

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) have today joined their affiliate, the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ), in condemning the decision of the Russian government to add the Glasnost Defense Foundation (GDF), a Russian media non-governmental organisation, to the Justice Ministry’s list of so-called “foreign agents” last 19 November following an unscheduled inspection. The labelling of GDF follows a 2012 law which requires Russian-based NGOs that receive funding from abroad and engage in “political activity” to register as “foreign agents”. Under this law, organisations added to the list – around 100 groups, according to the OSCE…

A debate on the revision of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the independence of media regulatory authorities will be hosted by the European Parliament by MEP Sabine Verheyen on 7 December. The aim of the meeting is to provide MEPs and other stakeholders with an overview of the key challenges to be addressed in the revision. The European Commission recently conducted a public consultation (closed 30 September 2015) and is currently preparing revisions to the Directive which will then be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The meeting will include contributions from Lorena Boix Alonso, Head of Unit,…