Reports and papers

Analyses on specific aspects related to press and media freedom, performed and published by research centres, non-governmental organizations and public bodies

Countering Online Abuse of Female Journalists

Female journalists and bloggers throughout the globe are disproportionally facing gender-related threats, harassment, and intimidation on the Internet compared to their male colleagues. The OSCE addresses this new challenge to freedom of expression and digital rights

read more Media and gender Digital safety Digital rights Safety of journalists

Freedom of Information Guidebook

The guidebook explains how the right to access information is legally protected in Georgia, and on which grounds it can be restricted, providing everyday life examples

read more Georgia Access to information Open data Privacy

Police Violence and Press Freedom in Greece

Police violence was a key topic of IPI’s November 2015 mission to Greece, carried out with the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO). The visit highlighted how police violence against photojournalists is increasingly coupled with impunity. The report by SEEMO and IPI examines this trend.

read more Greece Impunity

Understanding the EU Rule of Law mechanisms

This briefing by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) conveys fundamental information about the “Rule of Law Framework”, the EU assessment mechanism applied for the first time in Poland with regard to the management of state TV and radio broadcasters

read more Poland European policies and legislation Public broadcasting Media Law

Media in Turkey in Last Three Months of 2015: You name the title - BìA October-December 2015 media observation report

The title of Bianet report for the period October-December 2015 provocatively invites the readers to name the title for this issue: indeed, it could be not much different from previous ones appeared in the last 5 years, as the situation is constantly worsening

read more Turkey Censorship Defamation and Libel

The spreading of misinformation online

What is the same and what is different in how conspiracy and scientific news spread online? According to this article, published on PNAS and written by 8 authors based in Italy and the US, for both homogeneity is the primary driver for diffusion, but the cascade dynamics is different.

read more Fake news and disinformation Social media Big data

Promoting Media and Information Literacy in Libraries

The report is an in-depth analysis of librarians’ and public libraries’ role in promoting information and media literacy, written for the CULT Committee of the European Parliament

read more Media literacy European policies and legislation EU Member States


Discourse in danger. Attacks on free expression in Putin's Russia

The report “Discourse in danger. Attacks on free expression in Putin's Russia” illustrates the increasing effort by the Russian government to shape the information space, from the Internet, to children’s literature, to any independent cultural spaces, including theater and academia

read more Russia Freedom of expression Human rights Political pressure Propaganda

Media quality, media trust: a comparative perspective

Trust in the media is important not only for news organizations but also for society at large. Data collected by FÖG in the German language report “Qualität der Medien. Medienvertrauen – eine vergleichende Perspektive” shows the factors shaping media trust

read more Media funding Ethics of journalism Public broadcasting Trust in media