European Federation of Journalists

Stand Up for Journalism

Stand Up for Journalism II – Resilience and Rights in a Changing Media Landscape aims to strengthen the capacity of journalists’ unions and associations to respond to digitalisation, precarious employment, and threats to media freedom, through promoting social dialogue, inclusive labour markets, and access to quality work in the changing media environment.

The project will deliver five thematic workshops in Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, North Macedonia and Portugal and a final conference in Italy. All this alongside national capacity-building programmes in these countries, ad-hoc training for all EFJ members, and a European social media campaign. Topics include youth recruitment and unionism, equal rights, training and upskilling, safety of journalists, union renewal, digital labour rights, and the ethical use of AI in journalism.

It will directly involve over 100 union leaders, trainers, journalists, and media workers from 30+ EFJ member organisations across EU and candidate countries, with indirect benefits for thousands of journalists through improved representation, training access, and advocacy at the national and European levels.

Expected results include stronger union organising strategies, increased participation of young and freelance journalists, improved collective bargaining capacity, and better understanding of digital tools and rights. The project will also promote union-led AI governance and media ethics.

These objectives will be achieved through:

  1. A series of 6 thematic capacity-building workshops targeting journalists’ unions and associations in all EU and candidate countries. The themes of the workshops will focus on the scope of the call but specific to journalism and the media sector: 1) Youth, organising and recruitment, 2) Training and upskilling, 3) Equal rights for all workers, 4) Safety of journalists, 5) Unionism and media freedom, and 6) Labour rights in the digital age
  2. On-demand and tailor-made European expert training/coaching at national level for EFJ’s members, journalist unions from around Europe, as a direct follow-up from the European workshops of “Stand Up for Journalism” project.
  3. A national capacity-building programme in 6 targeted countries representing different regions of Europe (from the affiliated entities) will be implemented.
  4. A final conference, bringing together representatives of journalists’ unions, social partners, policy-makers and experts to highlight the good practices and key findings from the workshops and the research studies.

The first cycle of this project, Stand Up for Journalism I, ran from 2024 – 2026 with partners form France, Belgium, Denmark, Montenegro and Turkey.

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This project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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Stand Up for Journalism: Journalists’ organisations step up youth engagement and mental health actions

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) concluded its Stand Up for Journalism (SUJ) project with a final conference co-organised by the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM) on 26-27 March in Podgorica. Nearly 50 journalists and journalists’ representatives gathered to build on the project’s achievements and look ahead. The conference placed the younger generation at its heart, giving center stage to their voices and perspectives. Young journalists openly discussed their visions for the future of the profession, as well as the challenges they face in today’s working conditions. A particular focus was placed on journalists from the Balkan region,…

Montenegro: “We want the Ekipa magazine to serve as a bridge between journalists”

Ekipa (“crew” in English) is a new digital magazine created by the youth section of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM). After a year of activity and three published issues, the magazine – produced by 12 young journalists and journalism students – aims to give young people a voice. We spoke with Ivana Vlaović, coordinator of TUMM’s Youth Journalists and Freelancers Section, and a news reporter at TV Vijesti, one of the country’s most-watched television stations. Can you tell us about the magazine and the mission behind it? The Ekipa magazine, published by the Trade Union of Media…

Stand Up for Journalism: New report urges recognition of online harassment as a systemic professional risk

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is releasing a new report “Ending the Silence on Online Harassment of Journalists”. Authored by journalist and tech policy advisor Elodie Vialle, the report provides an overview of the widespread phenomenon that is online harassment targeting journalists, whose normalisation makes it harder to address. It documents trends, identifies key challenges, highlights good practices, and offers actionable recommendations for all actors – journalists’ unions and associations, newsrooms, social partners, policy makers, as well as online platforms – to take action to…

SUJ: EFJ workshop discusses future of journalism and workers’ rights in the age of AI

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) on 6-7 November 2025, the fifth Stand Up for Journalism workshop aimed to discuss the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism, addressing youth and unions’ strength in shaping the future of the profession.  The event took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, currently holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Torsten Asbjørn Andersen, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, opened the workshop with his keynote speech on the Copenhagen Declaration that was signed on 4 November on the importance of independent media and culture in Europe (1).  It is expected…

Stand Up for Journalism: New report calls for stronger mental health frameworks in media organisations

Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and The Self-Investigation release a new report entitled “Stronger Minds, Stronger Media: Why protecting journalists’ mental health is essential for journalism’s future”. This research collects good practice examples, provides recommendations to journalists’ representatives, media organisations and helpful resources. The issue of mental health has largely been ignored until recent years in the journalism sector, but more and more studies and evidence show that stress related to a highly competitive work environment, with 24h-news cycle, as well as low pay and job insecurity contribute to mental health problems. It leads to burnout, some leaving…

SUJ: EFJ workshop discusses urgent need to improve journalists’ wellbeing at work

Organised in Namur (Belgium) on 16-17 June 2025, the fourth ‘Stand Up for Journalism’ workshop was dedicated to the mental wellbeing of journalists. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), in partnership with its Belgian affiliate the Association des journalistes professionnels (AJP), gathered 35 union representatives and experts from 13 countries to discuss how to support journalists’ organisations in tackling psychosocial risks that are increasingly affecting journalists, such as burnout. Solutions identified include stronger legislative frameworks, development of in-house programs such as peer support, and trainings, especially for managers. Many studies throughout Europe show that journalists are workers at high risk…