Logo del progetto Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR)

 

Press and media freedoms are increasingly at risk. After its first edition (March 2020-March 2021), the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has been confirmed for the third year, this time covering a period of 18 months, from May 2022 till November 2023: it monitors violations in all EU Member States and Candidate Countries and documents them on the Mapping Media Freedom platform. 

Furthermore, the MFRR provides practical and direct support to journalists and media workers who are at risk due to their work through emergency funds, legal aid, training, and shelter programmes. MFRR partners also carry out advocacy missions and awareness-raising campaigns to secure a wider engagement in European civil society with issues related to press and media freedom.

Within the project, OBCT makes further use of its Resource Centre on Media Freedom to support evidence-informed policymaking and advocacy, and supports QCode Mag in managing the programme Journalists-in-Residence Milan.


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OBCT news on media and journalism

Georgia: Press freedom partners condemn assault on journalists during demonstrations in Tbilisi

| 3/12/2024

International community must pressure Georgia to end violent attacks on media

INTERVIEW Albania, media trapped in a triangle of pressure

Serena Epis | 22/11/2024

Journalists across Europe are often subjected to subtle forms of pressure and intimidation, including vexatious lawsuits frequently initiated by influential politicians or businesspeople. Blerjana Bino, Executive Director of SCiDEV and Researcher at the SafeJournalists Network, provides insight into the situation in the country

INTERVIEW Serbian journalism, stronger EU support is needed

Serena EpisSava Mirković | 13/11/2024

Amid a systematic erosion of editorial independence by the government, stronger international support is needed to uphold media freedom in the country. An interview with Igor Božić, news director of the independent N1 TV

Bosnia Herzegovina: urgent call for stronger protection for journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac

redazione | 7/11/2024

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners together with the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) firmly call for thorough and swift investigations into numerous threats against Nataša Miljanović Zubac, journalist for the Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS)

Attacks on journalists during Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections receive condemnation

redazione | 6/11/2024

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organizations strongly condemn the four cases of violence and intimidation against Bulgarian journalists covering the parliamentary elections held on October 27

INTERVIEW Fact-Checking in Albania: Confronting Disinformation and Intimidation

Luisa ChiodiSukanya Sengupta | 6/11/2024

The disconnect between the younger generation and traditional media, the struggles to hold public institutions accountable, and the urgent need for a syndicate to protect journalists’ rights. These are just some of the challenges that the media sector has to face in Albania. An interview

Intimidated, attacked and barred from entering the country: press freedom organizations urge for protection of journalists’ rights in Georgia

| 31/10/2024

International community must place effective pressure on Georgia to uphold press freedom and secure a safe environment for journalists

MEDIA Addressing Key Challenges to Media Freedom in Albania and Serbia

Serena EpisSukanya Sengupta | 30/10/2024

To contribute to the European Commission’s Rule of Law monitoring, OBCT, in partnership with SCiDEV and IJAS, produced two Shadow Reports outlining the challenges and gaps in media freedom in Albania and Serbia. The main findings were presented during a webinar

ANALYSIS SLAPP in Croatia, a plague

Zagreb | Giovanni Vale | 21/10/2024

Over a thousand lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2023 against journalists and media outlets, nearly half of which are SLAPPs, or strategic lawsuits against public participation. These are frivolous lawsuits that aim to silence freedom of expression

Tribute to Daphne Caruana Galizia and all courageous journalists threatened for their work

| 16/10/2024

On 16 October at 12 pm in front of the Residence Palais, seven years after the tragic death of the Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Media Freedom Rapid Response, journalists and representatives of media freedom community will come together to commemorate her brilliant work and dedication

Serbian judge’s lawsuits set to chill press freedom

| 15/10/2024

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) expresses grave concern regarding the legal threats facing the Serbian investigative news organization KRIK and its journalists. These abusive legal actions include demands for imprisonment and bans from journalism. We stand with the journalists on trial, and urge Serbia to implement anti-SLAPP safeguards to protect independent media

Ukraine: MFRR and partners mourn death and demand justice for Victoria Roshchyna

| 14/10/2024

Ukrainian journalist died in unclear circumstances in Russian custody

INTERVIEW Islands of integrity: the struggle of independent media in Albania

Luisa ChiodiSukanya Sengupta | 14/10/2024

Lufti Dervishi, a founding member of the Albanian Center for Quality Journalism, emphasises the challenges that Albanian journalism faces today. The media are entangled in corruption, self-censorship, and state-sponsored disinformation. However, not everything is negative, and there is still reason for hope

Media Freedom in the Western Balkans: Challenges in the Framework of EU Enlargement

As political interference and threats to journalists grow, the EU's new legislative measures, including the anti-SLAPP directive and the European Media Freedom Act, aim to safeguard press freedom in member and candidate countries. A recent webinar highlighted the struggle for media independence in Albania and Serbia amid their EU accession efforts

 

Albania: Smear campaigns against independent media and civil society organizations must stop

| 8/10/2024

SafeJournalists Network and organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) strongly condemn the attacks on the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) and the think tank - Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) that has issued a shadow report on media freedom in Albania, as well as on researcher Blerjana Bino

Croatia: Major challenges ahead to improve media freedom

| 25/9/2024

The international media freedom mission to Croatia has highlighted several significant concerns regarding media law reform, transparency of state advertising, and the safety of journalists including SLAPPs. While some promising initiatives have been noted, the path is still long ahead for Croatia to ensure a free and independent media landscape

As part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response project, OBCT organised on 17 October 2023 an international conference aimed at unpacking the nexus between rule of law, media and democracy.
Here you can find all the materials and video recordings of the event

Events:

SLAPPs against the media in Europe: is the EU response sufficient and what remains to be done?

22 Apr 2023 | Incontro | Perugia

The objective of the panel co-organized by ARTICLE 19 Europe and OBC Transeuropa, as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response Mechanism, is to highlight the phenomenon of SLAPPs at the national level and unpack the anti-SLAPP developments at the European level

MFRR Summit 2023: Press Freedom on the Line

29 Mar 2023 - 31 Mar 2023 | Summit | Online

Reflecting the MFRR’s core campaign areas, the online conference will host in-depth discussions on journalist safety, media capture, the rule of law, and SLAPPs. Hosted on Zoom for interactive participation, and simultaneously livestreamed on the MFRR YouTube channel, the summit will feature a range of panel discussions, live interviews, and keynote speeches with journalists, media freedom experts, policy-makers, and other stakeholders all working to defend press freedom in Europe

MFRR Summit 2022 - Boosting Press Freedom

22 Mar 2022 - 24 Mar 2022 | Conferenza | Online

La conferenza annuale del progetto Media Freedom Rapid Response, una tre giorni online aperta dalla vicepresidente della Commissione Europea e da un discorso di Roberto Saviano

MFRR Summit

17 Mar 2021 - 20 Mar 2021 | online

(Conferenza finale del primo anno di Media Freedom Rapid Response, con giornalisti, esperti, rappresentanti della Commissione Europea. Quattro giorni di eventi e dibattiti)

Media freedom is in jeopardy but there is no democracy in Europe without a free press in Europe

Between 17th and 20th March, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), which monitors and tracks media freedom violations, will bring together leading journalists from over 13 countries and representatives of press freedom organisations, unions and journalist bodies to discuss key threats and trends that underpin threats to media freedom across Europe

Chi ha paura dei giornalisti? Il report MFRR Italia

11 May 2022 | online | online

In occasione della pubblicazione del report sulla Missione Italia, il consorzio MFRR propone un momento di discussione sugli esiti della tre giorni di ricognizione tenuta dalla delegazione agli inizi di aprile

MFRR in Focus: Europe

4 Oct 2021 | WEBINAR | online

In questo appuntamento online, che avrà cadenza bimestrale, i partner del consorzio Media Freedom Rapid Response presentano le questioni più urgenti che minacciano il giornalismo in Europa, negli Stati membri e nei paesi candidati

MFRR in Focus 6

24 May 2022 | online

Per l'appuntamento mensile con il webinar di MFRR, OBCT ha realizzato un'intervista a una videomaker freelance di GVpress: Cristina Pantaleoni, incontrata a Roma durante la missione Italia di MFRR, racconta le difficoltà dei videogiornalisti durante gli scontri con manifestanti e polizia

MFRR in Focus 5

15 Mar 2022 | Webinar | Online

Il quinto episodio del webinar mensile di MFRR si concentra sulle questioni di genere nel giornalismo, dedicando una puntata alle donne, a una settimana dalla Giornata Internazionale dell'8 marzo / The 5th edition of the MFRR monthly webinar focuses on women journalists, a week after International Women's Day

Dossier

OBC Transeuropa -as member of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium- conducted a research on the needs of European journalists and the gaps in support mechanisms. From verbal harassment against media operators to groundless legal charges, what can be done to tackle these issues

2021

Authors: Maria Francesca Rita, Sofia Verza, Luisa Chiodi

Language: English

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Other OBCT projects on media freedom

The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) aims to protect press freedom and to promote transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union, the Enlargement and the Eastern Partnership countries. In 2018, the project enters its fourth year of activity thanks to the renewed support by the European Commission.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) brings together different European entities working in support of media freedom - the Media Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig , initiator of the ECPMF based in Leipzig; the two monitoring centres Oxygen for Information  (Rome) and South East Europe Media Organisation  (Vienna); Journalismfund.eu (Brussels); and the Institute of European Media Law  (Saarbrücken).

Press freedom and freedom of expression have a crucial role for the functioning of democratic societies. Despite this, in Europe journalists are threatened, censured or intimidated and this affects the citizens' right to information. OBC, together with SEEMO , Ossigeno Informazione , Professor Eugenia Siapera  (Dublin City University) and a broad network of media partners in 11 European countries, devoted a year to studying the challenges to press freedom and the needs of journalists in Italy, South East Europe and Turkey. The project "Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Network Support for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe" is co-financed by the European Union. 

 

 

 

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) started in March 2020 as a one-year pilot project co-funded by the European Commission.