News

Media Freedom Rapid Response concerned about attacks and threats to journalists reporting on agro-business in Brittany

22/04/2021

On Earth Day 2021, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) is concerned about repeated attacks, threats and intimidation of journalists and media workers reporting on the agro-food industry in Brittany. These attacks, legal threats, harassment and intimidation must end and we call on all relevant public authorities to take the necessary measures to enable critical reporting on this issue

Demanding justice for Lyra McKee and safety for Northern Ireland journalists

18/04/2021

MFRR calls for justice for Lyra McKee

Greece: demanding swift investigations on the murder of a journalist

12/04/2021

Giorgos Karaivaz was murdered on Friday 9 April in front of his house. The MFRR demands a robust response

Italy: wiretapping of journalists reporting on migration must be investigated

12/04/2021

The Media Freedom Rapid Response and partner organisations welcome the launch of an investigation into the wiretapping of journalists and their sources in Sicily. However, a robust, swift and systematic investigation will be essential for rebuilding trust and ensuring that all journalists, sources and legal professionals in Italy are protected

Open Letter to Croatian Minister of Justice to free whistleblower Jonathan Taylor

09/04/2021

Arrested last July, the British lawyer is still in Croatia at risk of extradiction to Monaco. The MFRR partners and several ngos ask Croatia to protect him

MFRR raises concerns over increasing meddling in independence of Czech public broadcaster

02/04/2021

The partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) express their serious concern over the latest efforts by the ruling ANO party and its allies to further politicise the oversight body of the Czech public broadcaster.

We are worried that the slow-motion yet obvious efforts to stack the Council of the Czech TV (ČT Council) are ultimately aimed at the erosion of the public television’s independence and politically-motivated realignment of its news and opinion programming

Turkey: a letter of concern ahead of the visit of EU leaders

02/04/2021

Ahead of their visit to Turkey, we joined several ngos and human rights groups in asking the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission to highlight the country's domestic human rights situation, in particular threats to journalists and media outlets

Montenegro: Jovo Martinović's appeal rejected

31/03/2021

OBCT joined leading international press freedom and journalists’ organisations in condemning the continued judicial persecution of Montenegrin investigative journalist, Jovo Martinović after his appeal was rejected

Thematic factsheet: SLAPP in Italy, a democratic emergency

31/03/2021

by Paola Rosà

A limited selection of cases from an ocean of lawsuits. A paper sent to the INI rapporteurs of the Draft Report on the strengthening democracy and media freedom and pluralism in the EU: the undue use of actions under civil and criminal law to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society

Country factsheet: Croatia

31/03/2021

A picture made of mixed colours and political interference: this is the landscape in Croatia under the lens of media freedom according to several monitoring tools