The December 14th crackdown on anti-government media and other opponents in Turkey, in which more than two dozen people were arrested, sparked a wave of criticism from international bodies and watchdogs, as well as fresh concerns about the state of press freedom and the rule of law in the country

A recent court ruling banning media coverage of an ongoing parliamentary investigation into corruption allegations against four former Turkish cabinet ministers has been met with indignation by local news outlets and has drawn criticism by several international organizations

A study recently presented at the European Parliament focuses on the media situation in Southeast Europe. It introduces a new concept: that of integrity

Hundreds of journalists have been killed around the world in the past decade, with nine out of ten cases going unpunished, the UN and independent press freedom groups said in statements marking the first-ever International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2nd

Journalists should speak up about the problems they face in their work, as there are problems everywhere in Europe. An interview with Oliver Vujović, SEEMO Secretary General

Croatian journalist Zrinka Vrabec Mojzeš spoke at the Skopje Media Forum about the dangerous relations among politics, media and media owners in the region, and advocated the need for a European-level legislation on media. Interview

Media concentration and lack of ownership transparency are a major obstacle to media pluralism and freedom in Bulgaria. According to media law expert Nelly Ognyanova, neither of these obstacles can be removed without political will. Interview

Ljubica Grozdanovska Dimishkovska, author of international report critical of the country's level of democracy, was criticised for her analysis, with pro-government media seeing it as serving the interests of the opposition as well as those of Greece

Italy and fellow EU members Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Slovenia, as well as EU candidates Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are among the 180 states included in Reporters Without Borders (RWB) annual survey of press freedom in the world. Only three of them have improved their standings