SLAPP in Croatia, a plague - Article

Over a thousand lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2023 against journalists and media outlets, nearly half of which are SLAPPs, or strategic lawsuits against public participation. These are frivolous lawsuits that aim to silence freedom of expression

By Giovanni Vale 

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

Access to Information Day: Blocking of freedom of information requests must be reported - Article

28 September is International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), as announced at the UN in 2015. The right to access information is the foundation of all democratic processes and societies. Any obstacle in this field directly impacts the work of journalists and society’s right to be informed. Documentation of violations targeting this right from a media freedom perspective draws attention to this notion and contributes to transparency and journalistic freedom

By Gürkan Özturan, ECPMF Monitoring Officer

Originally published by MFRR

Croatia: Faktograf journalist Melita Vrsaljko assaulted twice in a week - Article

OBCT and the undersigned organisations express deep concerns about the physical attacks targeting Melita Vrsaljko, a journalist working for the Croatian fact-checking website Faktograf.hr and the Climate Portal

Bosnia and Herzegovina: authorities must urgently break the deadlock facing public broadcasters and solve the financial problems - Article

Following the temporary interruption of the TV and radio programmes of the RTV Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 8 May 2024, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners denounce irresponsible political management, which directly violates citizens’ right to freedom of information.

Three years later: still no justice for murdered Greek journalist - Article

Media freedom advocates reissue call to end impunity on the third anniversary of Giorgos Karaivaz's murder

Press Freedom in Europe: Time to Turn the Tide - Reports

On Tuesday 5 March 2024, the Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists launched its annual report "Press Freedom in Europe: Time to Turn the Tide", written by the Platform’s coalition of fifteen press freedom NGOs and journalists associations. It takes stock of key areas of law, policy and practices affecting media freedom and safety of journalists in Europe and identifies actions required to improve effective protection of journalists.

Türkiye: Big tech should protect free speech and resist state censorship - Article

Ahead of Türkiye’s municipal elections on 31 March 2024, 22 rights groups and journalists’ organisations jointly call on social media platforms to uphold the free expression rights of their users and resist state censorship. They should also fully disclose all government requests to restrict accounts or content, and be transparent about informal government pressure to restrict content on their platforms.

Croatia, journalists on the streets - Article

Hundreds of journalists took to the streets in Zagreb against the Plenković government's amendments to the Criminal Code, which limit the right to report. According to the Association of Croatian Journalists, the prime minister wants to silence investigations into his government's corruption

By Giovanni Vale 

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

Disputes over access - A Study on Journalists’ Practices and Freedom of Information Policies in the Baltics - Reports

Despite their high rankings in the World Press Freedom Index, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania face notable deficiencies in freedom of information. Supported by RSF, Balticada Investigations Studio conducted a study on the challenges that media professionals face when trying to access public data in the region

Turkey: International groups condemn arrest of journalist Tolga Şardan - Article

We call upon the authorities to immediately release Tolga Şardan

Also available in ITA