News

ECPMF and partners continue Media Freedom Rapid Response

17/05/2021

”A win for journalists and journalism". We are proud to announce that the consortium running the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) was awarded €1.38 million in funding by the European Commission to continue its work in defence of press and media freedom in the European Union member states and candidate countries. The new project period started on 4 May

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MFRR to hold press freedom mission to Slovenia

12/05/2021

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) will hold an online mission to Slovenia at the end of May and beginning of June 2021 to assess growing concerns about the deteriorating climate for press and media freedom over the past year

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Poland: Purge of editors begins at Polska Press

07/05/2021

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today calls on Poland’s state-controlled oil giant PKN Orlen to immediately halt its interference in the newsrooms and editorial independence of Polska Press media and to fully respect the court’s interim decision suspending its purchase of the publisher pending a review

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Media Freedom Rapid Response calls for an ambitious European Media Freedom Act

05/05/2021

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) welcomes the idea of a European Media Freedom Act, advanced by European Commissioners Thierry Breton and Věra Jourová

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Suppressing Stories: How legal threats and challenges impact investigative journalism

04/05/2021

An online event organized by the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), Index on Censorship and the Justice for Journalists Foundation: Tuesday 4 May from 5 to 6.30 pm

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ENI's abuse of SLAPPs: a letter to the European Commission

29/04/2021

Together with several ngos, we co-signed a letter to the European Commission highlighting the need for the upcoming European Commission’s initiative on SLAPPs to include a legislative proposal for an anti-SLAPP Directive that will protect all watchdogs from SLAPPs and legal intimidation tactics, currently used extensively by fossil fuel companies in Europe. On this occasion, the attention goes to the use of SLAPPs by the partly government-owned Italian oil company Eni Spa (“Eni”), who is suing the Italian paper Il Fatto Quotidiano for 29 articles on the company's activities.

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Albania: a letter to the new leaders asking to protect journalists

27/04/2021

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) calls on all state bodies in Albania to ensure journalists, media workers and sources are protected and able to work freely

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Launch of the Report of the CoE's Safety of Journalists Platform

27/04/2021

Ahead of Press Freedom Day on 3 May, the 14 partner organisations to the Council of Europe’s Platform to Promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists will publish their annual report, where they examine the threats to media freedom in Europe. The event on 28 April is organized to launch the report

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Romania: concern about abusive legal action by former bishop against journalists and outlets

26/04/2021

The undersigned civil society organisations are concerned about the legal action taken by a former bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church against The Centre for Investigative Media (CIM), Dela0.ro and three journalists, in relation to their reporting on alleged sexual abuse. We consider the proceedings have many of the characteristics of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and hope the courts will deal with them swiftly with due respect for European human rights law and standards

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World Press Freedom Conference 2021

23/04/2021

The 2021 Global Conference is hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Namibia. It will take place on 29 April - 3 May in Windhoek. The event will be a physical and digital experience combining virtual and in-presence participation

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