News

Open letter: alarm over political pressure against Novosti

05/12/2025

Open letter to Croatian Prime Minister Plenković: MFRR raises alarm over unlawful political pressure against weekly Novosti

Lithuania: Media freedom groups raise alarm as political pressure campaign on LRT widens

04/12/2025

Proposed legal amendments to the law governing Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT risk weakening its editorial independence and disrupting its sustainable financing, the undersigned partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) warn today

Ukraine: Peace plan must ensure accountability for crimes against journalists

04/12/2025

As negotiations continue over a peace plan to end the Russian war on Ukraine, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and partner organisations strongly oppose any proposals on granting amnesty for potential war crimes committed in the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion, especially for those against journalists

SLAPP in Montenegro: between hesitant courts and missed reforms

28/11/2025

Strategic lawsuits against public participation remain an under-recognized practice in the country. The ongoing proceedings before the Podgorica court, initiated by Andrej Vučić, brother of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, against the daily newspaper Vijesti, could set an important precedent for establishing judicial practices in handling SLAPPs

By Olivera Nikolic and Massimo Moratty

Instagram hacked for the Macedonian media outlet Sloboden Pechat

26/11/2025

The attack, which has been ongoing for more than a week, is extremely sophisticated, multi-layered, and continues to evolve. The aim, as Sloboden Pechat told Meta.mk, is to make the outlet less visible, with the attackers causing a so-called shadow ban. According to cybersecurity experts, there is no real protection against such attacks

By Antonija Janevska

7th International press freedom mission to Türkiye concludes

26/11/2025

A mission delegation composed of eight international press freedom, free expression and human rights organisations has concluded a joint press freedom mission to Türkiye. The delegation met with journalists, civil society, political party representatives, MPs, the judicial branch, regulatory bodies, and foreign diplomatic missions to discuss Türkiye’s rapidly deteriorating media freedom environment

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