Centre for Freedom of the Media - Stakeholders

The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) is a research and advocacy centre based at the Department of Journalism Studies of the University of Sheffield. It focuses on media freedom issues worldwide employing a variety of perspectives and tools. Besides traditional academic and educational activities, the Centre is active in the information and advocacy field, monitoring the state of media freedom and sharing best practice and resources for journalists. It seeks to counter threats to journalism safety and freedom in many different countries, and it promotes positive changes to laws, policy and practice concerning them.

Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Western Balkans - Stakeholders

The Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Western Balkans is a network of journalists' associations and media trade unions established in January 2016. The Platform has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and functions as an early warning and prevention mechanism, monitoring attacks against journalists. It provides an accessible way to report violations and to search through six regional centers' databases of attacks.

Participating organizations are: BH Novinari for Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatian Association of Journalists (HND) for Croatia, Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Trade Union of Media of Montenegro, NUNS for Serbia and ZNM for Macedonia. 

International News Safety Institute - Stakeholders

International News Safety Institute was founded in 2003 to provide safety advice and training to journalists to ensure safe working conditions also when covering conflict, civil unrest, corruption, or natural and man-made disasters. INSI counts as its members some of the world’s leading news organisations, such as Reuters, CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, ABC, NBC and the Guardian. 

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - Stakeholders

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal. CPJ ensures the free flow of news and commentary by taking action wherever journalists are attacked, imprisoned, killed, kidnapped, threatened, censored, or harassed.

CPJ’s work is based on its research, which provides a global snapshot of obstructions to a free press worldwide. CPJ’s research staff documents hundreds of attacks on the press each year. CPJ denounces press freedom violations, meets with heads of state and high-ranking officials, spearheads or advises on diplomatic efforts, and works with other organizations to ensure that justice prevails when journalists are imprisoned or killed. CPJ also provides practical support to journalists and media support staff working around the world through up-to-date safety and security information and rapid response assistance.

International Press Institute (IPI) - Stakeholders

The International Press Institute (IPI) is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists. The institute is dedicated to the furtherance and safeguarding of press freedom, the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, the promotion of the free flow of news and information, and the improvement of the practices of journalism. 

IPI works by:

• conducting direct advocacy with governments
• raising awareness on violations of media freedom through news coverage, research and analysis
• leading programmes and campaigns to further change
• offering platforms for cooperation, networking and skills exchange among our members
• promoting high-quality, independent journalism through the development of best practices at the global level
• providing opportunities for dialogue among diverse journalistic communities, in line with IPI’s founding principles

IPI runs a project called OnTheLine, that aims at promoting online journalists’ safety and countering threats against press freedom and freedom of expression in the digital sphere.

Independent Communication Network Bianet - Stakeholders

The Independent Communication Network (BIA/Bianet) is the centrepiece of the IPS Communication Foundation. Bianet is an ongoing project trying to strenghten the independent media in Turkey. The center publishes periodic reports on the situation of media freedom and safety of journalists in the country in Turkish and English.

Council of Europe - Stakeholders

The Council of Europe (CoE) is Europe's leading human rights organization seated in Strasbourg (France). The Convention on Human Rights, signed by all 47 CoE member states, is an international treaty designed to ensure the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The European Court of Human Rights, a CoE organ, ensures the implementation of the treaty. The CoE work is organized through committees working on more specific topics within the vast field of Human rights, while the commissioner for Human Rights is an impartial institution established by the Council of Europe in 1999.

The Committee of experts on protection of journalism and safety of journalists (MSI-JO) is an inter-governmental committee operating within the Council of Europe. The MSI-JO mandate is to work on the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists and other media actors, taking account of the implementation of the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists. official website

 The Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media focuses on issues relating to culture, science, education, youth, sport and media in Europe. It has tree sub-commitees among which the Sub-Committee on Media and Information Society. official website

The Commissioner for Human Rights is an impartial and non-judicial institution established by the Council of Europe in order to to promote awareness of and respect for human rights in the 47 member states. His/Her main activities include country visits, conducting studies and giving advice on systematic human rights work, as well as rising awareness of topics related to human rights. official website

Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) - Stakeholders

Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) is a think tank launched in 2000 and based in Trento (Italy). It focuses on South-East Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus. Over time, OBCT expanded its scope and now reports on the socio-political and cultural developments of six EU member states, of seven countries taking part in the EU Enlargement process, and much of post-communist Europe, which is included in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). 

In 2014, OBCT led the project Safety Net for European Journalists and since 2015 it is part of the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF ).