Greece: Letter to Grigoris Dimitriadis, SLAPP Politician of the Year - Article

In this letter to the former general secretary of Greek Prime Minister's office, MFRR partners express concern about defamation claims filed against investigative journalists and media outlets

Democratic Values in the Digital Age Series: Strengthening Media Pluralism and Freedoms - Article

Media freedom and media pluralism are essential to our democracies and are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. How can we safeguard media freedom and pluralism in the current digital environment? A conference organised by UCD Centre for Digital Policy

Call for Italian political forces to take a stand against SLAPPs, a ‘slap’ in the face of freedom of information - Article

The right of citizens to be informed about matters of public interest and of journalists to write freely about them cannot and must not be hindered by SLAPPs. Civil society's appeal to the future parliament to promote measures to contrast strategic lawsuits

Turkey: Twenty journalists including TGS leadership blacklisted by police - Article

The partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) expressed solidarity with the twenty journalists blacklisted by the Turkish General Directorate of Security (EGM) for their writing and joined the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) in denouncing an apparent attempt to intimidate independent journalists and trade unionists

Fažana Media Fest 2022 - Article

Organised by the investigative journalism center CIN-IJC, the fourth edition of the Fažana Media Fest will be an opportunity to explore the role of women in the media

European Anti-SLAPP Conference 2022 - Article

On 20 October 2022, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) will host the first ever European Anti-SLAPP Conference. The event is organised under the patronage of the European Parliament, with the support of the Council of Europe, and funded by the Open Society Foundations

Hungary: Media freedom groups welcome EU court referral over Klubrádió frequency - Article

Move by EU Commission is belated but important signal it will use legal toolbox to defend independent media

Albania: Letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama from international press freedom organisations - Article

OBCT signed a letter addressed to Albanian PM Edi Rama in protest against a decision to ban journalists from attending press conferences after they asked challenging questions. Such an arbitrary restriction seriously affects the ability of the press to carry out its watchdog role. Albanian translation is available below

Greece: MFRR partners welcome acquittal of journalists in Novartis criminal case - Article

Criminal case points to far deeper issues for press freedom in Greece

Temporary Relocations. A toolkit - Article

This summary of issues, open questions, recommendations, and suggestions on how to implement a residency programme for journalists under pressure is the result of OBCT research consulting existing literature and conducting several interviews with managers and beneficiaries. This 10-page document goes through the main aspects of the implementation of a journalists-in-residence programme, highlighting 19 issues that are considered to be the most problematic and interesting at the same time. The toolkit is also accessible as a pdf.

Curated by Paola Rosà, May 2022