Addressing Key Challenges to Media Freedom in Albania and Serbia - Article

To contribute to the European Commission’s Rule of Law monitoring, OBCT, in partnership with SCiDEV and IJAS, produced two Shadow Reports outlining the challenges and gaps in media freedom in Albania and Serbia. The main findings were presented during a webinar

By Serena Epis, Sukanya Sengupta

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

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

Media freedom groups alarmed by escalating death threats against journalist Murat Ağırel - Article

Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) and undersigned press freedom and freedom of expression groups strongly condemn the ongoing and intensifying threats against prominent Turkish journalist Murat Ağırel.

MFRR Monitoring Report: January - June 2024 - Article

In the first six months of 2024, the Media Freedom Rapid Response recorded 756 media freedom alerts across Europe 

Turkey: Press freedom and freedom of expression groups condemn court decision upholding prison sentence for journalist Bülent Mumay - Article

The undersigned freedom of the press and expression organizations denounce the decision by Turkish appeals court to uphold the 20-month prison sentence against renowned journalist Bülent Mumay

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

Albania: freedom of the press crushed by the weight of politics - Article

Almost non-existent professional ethics, capture of the media by politics and financial unsustainability are just some of the main issues that make the Albanian media landscape particularly alarming. An interview

By Luisa Chiodi

Originally published on OBCT , also available in ITA

Serbia: media independence is an exception rather than the rule - Article

Increasing political and financial pressure threatens the independence and editorial autonomy of many media outlets in Serbia. We interviewed Irina Milutinović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade and co-author of the Country Report on Serbia of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2023

By Serena Epis

Originally published on OBCT , also available in ITA

Media freedom groups call on Slovakia’s Parliament to reject public broadcasting bill - Article

Critics warn: proposed law could seriously undermine the independence of public media. Journalists and media freedom groups are urging Slovakia’s MPs to reject the proposed public service broadcasting bill scheduled for parliamentary review this week. Despite recent amendments to the bill, the new structure would lead to the politicization of the broadcaster in breach of the European Media Freedom Act.