European Federation of Journalists

Media Freedom Rapid Response

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is a partner of Media Freedom Rapid Response project (MFRR) aiming to promote an independent, pluralistic media landscape, to safeguard media workers, especially harassed female media workers and to protect the rights of journalists. The RRM helps to mitigate the consequences of the recently observed deterioration of media freedom in several European Union, Member States and Candidate Countries.

Overall Objective

The overall objective of this project is to provide practical support for journalists to improve media freedom in Europe.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) is designed to detect, answer and prevent violations of press and media freedom. It consists of three layers: monitoring, categorisation, responses.

Specific objectives

1. Mapping Media Freedom (MMF) in Europe (EU & Candidate Countries): Media violations are on the rise especially under the current coronavirus crisis. One of the key components of the project is to monitor and document a wide range of media violations conducted by any actors, whether individuals, state actors or business, so that actions can be taken rapidly to address the violations.

2. Practical supports: Based on the media violations reported, the project offers a wide range of immediate to long-term, practical support ranging from legal help, safety advice and training, safe house for journalists, advocacy and mission, and online resources. You could find more information about the legal support here and more details about safe house for journalists here.

3. Advocacy & Trial Monitoring: Joint media advocacy will also be carried out by the project including joint statements, national missions (in Czech Republic, Hungry, Spain, Serbia), roundtable advocacy meetings with EU policy-makers. The EFJ will involve the relevant national members when carrying out such national missions. Trial Monitoring especially for Turkey, Malta (for the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia) and Slovakia (for the case of Ján Kuciak) will be carried out and participated by the project partners to help find justice for journalists who are put in jails or murdered.

Anyone can submit and report a media violation to the MMF platform online.

Actions

Serbia: One year of unpunished attacks on journalist Dinko Gruhonjić, culture of impunity must end

The members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium and partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform are deeply concerned about the ongoing year-long persecution campaign against journalist Dinko Gruhonjić, programme Director of the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV) and Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. Fifteen attacks against Dinko Gruhonjić have been documented on the MFRR platform since 14 March 2024, when a manipulated video was released falsely portraying him as a political opponent. The majority of these attacks (80%) were threatening…

Albania: TikTok ban threatens freedom of expression ahead of general elections

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the Safe Journalists Network (SJN) and the undersigned media freedom and civil society organisations in expressing serious concern regarding the Albanian Council of Ministers’ decision on March 6, 2025, to suspend nationwide access to the TikTok platform for 12 months. While we acknowledge the government’s stated intention to protect children from harmful content and safeguard personal data, we strongly underline that such protective measures must fully respect fundamental human rights, particularly freedom of expression, access to information, and due process. Freedom of Expression and Proportionality We emphasize that a total platform ban represents an…

Georgia: Independent journalism and media pluralism on the brink

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned press freedom, journalists, and freedom of expression organisations in expressing deep concern over the new wave of repressive legislation, increasing threats to journalists’ safety, and the broader decline of media freedom in Georgia. We urge the international community, especially the European Union (EU), to address the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and support Georgia’s embattled independent media sector. On 24 February 2025, the Georgian Dream ruling party and its satellite party People’s Power introduced amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, strengthening the censorship powers of the broadcast regulator and restricting “foreign powers” from funding broadcasters…

Interview with Slovenian journalist Anuška Delić: “Oštro is now an easy target for accusations of censorship on Meta’s platforms”

Oštro, Centre for Investigative Journalism in the Adriatic region, has been the target of an unprecedented smear campaign for several weeks since Meta’s announcement to stop its fact-checking programme in the United States. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) interviewed its founder, Anuška Delić, an award-winning investigative journalist. Delić reflects on the toxic climate in which she and her team of journalists have to work. Could you tell us about Oštro and its mission? Anuška Delić: Oštro nurtures investigative and data journalism. I established it in Slovenia, and in 2021 Oštro founded a namesake sister organisation in Zagreb, Croatia. Oštro’s…

MFRR and SJN condemn adoption of foreign agent legislation in Bosnia’s entity Republika Srpska

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and SafeJournalists Network (SJN) strongly condemn the adoption of legislation in the Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina which will establish a “special registry” of NGOs, many of which are independent media. Viewed as retaliation against government critics, this law raises concerns about its potential use in labeling independent media and civil society organisations as foreign agents. Our coalition has long opposed the adoption of such legislation in Republika Srpska and now calls for the approved law to be immediately rescinded and for the international community to forcefully oppose the law. On 27 February, Republika Srpska…

Serbia: MFRR and SJN urgently call to stop targeting and intimidating journalists

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) join partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in strongly condemning the escalating and systematic attacks on journalists and NGOs in Serbia, where violence, obstruction, and intimidation are being tolerated and perpetrated at the highest levels of government.  In the aftermath of the deadly collapse of the roof of the Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024, journalists have come under unacceptable pressure while covering the tragic story and the subsequent protests. The majority of incidents logged on the Mapping Media Freedom platform are instances of…