News

Media freedom under electoral siege: money, law, and silence between the lines

25/11/2025

When it comes to Macedonian media, Brussels notes “limited progress,” the OSCE warns of unequal access to the media space, and the civil sector speaks of a system of soft censorship and quiet dependence on state funding

By Metamorphosis Foundation

Women journalists in Montenegro, dealing with endless criminal proceedings

24/11/2025

Twenty-three-year-old Ivana Vlaović has been working as a journalist for four years, Olivera Lakić for nearly three decades. The two women have never worked together, and they probably have not even met during their field reports. What they have in common, however, is the time they spent in the courtrooms of the Podgorica High Court

By Danijela Lasica

European Democracy Shield: Bolstering independent media at the core of democratic resilience

18/11/2025

In the face of rising digital manipulation, shrinking civic space and collapsing media business models, the European Democracy Shield offers an important opportunity to ensure safety of journalists and media viability, among other things, but only if turned into concrete action. This is what MFRR aims to follow

EU Enlargement Package: Assessments must now translate into meaningful media freedom action

13/11/2025

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today welcomes the publication of the 2025 EU Enlargement Package and highlights key media freedom developments and concerns that should shape negotiations with candidate countries moving forward

Letter of concern over the dismissal of journalist Gabriele Nunziati

12/11/2025

The undersigned MFRR partners sent a letter to the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova to express their shared concern and dismay over the dismissal of journalist Gabriele Nunziati

Impunity Day: MFRR renews urgent call for justice for murdered journalists around Europe

03/11/2025

To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) honours the memory of those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of truth and demands justice for the crimes committed against them

Report: Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform

31/10/2025

The partner organisations of the Council of Europe's Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response have released the media freedom report on Bulgaria following a three-day fact-finding mission that took place from 24 to 26 September

Media freedom, a prerequisite for EU enlargement

24/10/2025

To advance in their European integration path, Western Balkan candidate countries must ensure media freedom and pluralism. For Montenegro and North Macedonia, this means moving beyond formal commitments and demonstrating through concrete actions that democratic reforms are more than words on paper

Montenegro: public service hostage to cronyism

22/10/2025

Following the recent conviction for abuse of office of the President and three members of the Radio and Television of Montenegro (RTCG) Council, controversy continues over the appointment of Boris Raonić as director of the Montenegrin public broadcaster

Car bomb attack on investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci rings alarm for media freedom in Italy

17/10/2025

OBCT joins the undersigned journalists and media freedom organisations in strongly condemning the car bomb attack on one of Italy’s leading investigative journalist and his family. We welcome the opening of an investigation by the Anti-Mafia Investigation Division and call for an urgent assessment of the effectiveness of the protective measures applied to the journalist