The partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) express serious concern over the €10 million euro lawsuit launched against Italian news magazine L’Espresso by a former Vatican Cardinal over its reporting on his alleged involvement in a corruption scandal involving the use of Holy See funds
The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association and the Free Media Help Line strongly condemn the threats made by Adnan Čakalović, senior expert associate of the Sector for Refugees and Displaced Persons at the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, to Zinaida Đelilović, journalist of the online magazine Žurnal
There are two main discourses about Syrian refugees in Turkey's media: they are depicted either as "guests to help" - thus implicating moral superiority over Europe - or as a "threat", highlighting their otherness from the country's socio-cultural identity. Either way, disinformation is everywhere
After receiving death threats, editor-in-chief of Nezavisne novine Sandra Gojković-Arbutina is worried that the state will again fail to identify and sanction the perpetrator
A swirl of new acts and strategies has been announced in the last couple of weeks by the European Commission, including the European Democracy Action Plan, the Digital Markets Act, and the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy. If we ask the right questions about foreign interference, these are all part of the answer
In recent years, Russia has been increasingly present in the West's hearts, minds, and debates, including in cultural production. Here we talk about three famous television series that brought the theme of Russian interference in the political life of Western countries onto the small screen
With the growing concerns about disinformation activities by Russia and China, the EU and - to varying degress - individual countries have shown increasing interest and initiative in the area of propaganda and strategic communication
A video conceived and directed by Désirée Klain, representative of the journalists association Articolo21 for the region Campania, with the collaboration to the script by Paola Rosà of OBCT. It is meant as a tool of understanding, dissemination, awareness raising
In Italy, similarly to other European countries, there is basically no structured initiative aimed at increasing the cybersecurity of the key actors of our democratic system. New measures are needed that do not entail increasing dependence on a small number of tech companies: cybersecurity in politics cannot exist independently of politics
The international anti-SLAPP coalition invested time and funds to draft a model directive that would help tackle the issue of vexatious lawsuits: now this paper will be presented to EU institutions and stakeholders, and could serve as a pattern for the promised EU initiatives against SLAPPs
For the platform Mapping Media Freedom, the Italian journalist Nello Scavo recalls his story and accuses the Italian government of non answering too many questions: "the silence that comes from unanswered questions was intended to discredit the work of journalists"
As the list gets longer of European journalists and activists targeted by vexatious lawsuits, institutions deliver concrete commitments for legislative actions and interventions that OBCT has also solicited in the last, intense year of transnational advocacy
Since the fighting with Armenia began in late September, Azerbaijan's government has severely restricted, when not completely blocked, Internet access. Pro-government media outlets have been spared from the restrictions
The partner organisations of the Council of Europe Platform for the promotion of journalism and the safety of journalists express their urgent and deep concern about the ongoing risks of injury and harm to media workers reporting on the armed conflict inside Nagorno Karabakh, and condemn any arbitrary restrictions imposed by state authorities engaged in the conflict because they represent undue interference in the ability of journalists to perform their important role of informing the public through free and independent reporting
19 international media freedom organisations and journalists associations renew their call against impunity in Malta. Here the full text of the call published by the Media Freedom Rapid Response
MFRR partners and media freedom organisations condemn the verdict and the entire proceedings. Beyond the violation of Martinovic’s human rights, his prosecution and conviction contribute to a chilling effect on media freedom in Montenegro
We believe it is abundantly clear that the number and nature of the spurious defamation lawsuits against Necenzurirano are not aimed at achieving justice, but instead at silencing the outlet by forcing its journalists to fight time-consuming and costly legal battles, draining them financially and discouraging them from further reporting
Upon leaving the hearing, Italian journalist Nello Scavo and Maltese blogger Manuel Delia were insulted by a crowd of people in support of Gafà. ECPMF condemns the insults, recalling that verbal threats from high-profile individuals can lead to acts of violence and send a message of impunity
In order to understand the needs of media workers all over Europe, OBCT is launching a survey inviting to answer to a few questions: journalists, stakeholders and media outlets have the possibility to describe what they are suffering in terms of intimidations and threats
Together with the Media Freedom Rapid Response, OBCT signs a letter to the Greek authorities undermining press freedom and threatening the public’s right to know by restricting access for media workers to sites where refugees and asylum seekers are held following the fire that destroyed the Moria camp
OBCT signed the declaration of solidarity with Umweltinstitut Muenchen, the German environmentalists hit with legal SLAPP case in Bolzano together with Austrian author over criticism of massive pesticide use
In Bosnia and Herzegovina there are thousands of anonymous portals that pollute the web with disinformation. It is difficult to find solutions, except for media literacy. A comment
Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and press and media freedom organisations raise concerns about three journalists who are accused of spying in Montenegro
Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and freedom of expression organisations call on the Maltese and Italian governments to ensure a robust, thorough and transparent investigation into Neville Gafà for threats made against journalist, Nello Scavo
The data from the first four months of monitoring by the MFRR consortium confirm a concerning landscape for the safety of journalists and the state of media freedom, both in EU member countries and in countries as Serbia and Turkey
Turkey is currently the largest prison for journalists in the world, with over 80 media workers in detention. Not content with that, the Turkish parliament has now passed a law that gives the government more control over social networks. An analysis of the situation of the Turkish media
The Media Freedom Rapid Response, a EU-funded project that OBCT participates in, offers tangible and frontline support to journalists and media workers in EU member states and candidate countries who are at risk due to their work. This includes support for legal defence and opinion, emergency support such as covering travel, psychological support and family costs, offering residencies in Germany and Italy, and delivering and supporting training across the continent
