Suppressing Stories: How legal threats and challenges impact investigative journalism - Article

An online event organized by the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), Index on Censorship and the Justice for Journalists Foundation: Tuesday 4 May from 5 to 6.30 pm

ENI's abuse of SLAPPs: a letter to the European Commission - Article

Together with several ngos, we co-signed a letter to the European Commission highlighting the need for the upcoming European Commission’s initiative on SLAPPs to include a legislative proposal for an anti-SLAPP Directive that will protect all watchdogs from SLAPPs and legal intimidation tactics, currently used extensively by fossil fuel companies in Europe. On this occasion, the attention goes to the use of SLAPPs by the partly government-owned Italian oil company Eni Spa (“Eni”), who is suing the Italian paper Il Fatto Quotidiano for 29 articles on the company's activities.

Wanted! Real action for media freedom in Europe - Reports

Annual Report 2021 by the partner organisations to the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists

Romania: concern about abusive legal action by former bishop against journalists and outlets - Article

The undersigned civil society organisations are concerned about the legal action taken by a former bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church against The Centre for Investigative Media (CIM), Dela0.ro and three journalists, in relation to their reporting on alleged sexual abuse. We consider the proceedings have many of the characteristics of a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and hope the courts will deal with them swiftly with due respect for European human rights law and standards

Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists in Serbia - Reports

ARTICLE 19 published its report of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) international advocacy mission to Serbia that took place virtually from 29 January to 2 February 2021 in partnership with MFRR members and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS). The Center for Human Rights – American Bar Association and the South East Europe Media Organisation also joined the mission

Media Freedom Rapid Response concerned about attacks and threats to journalists reporting on agro-business in Brittany - Article

On Earth Day 2021, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) is concerned about repeated attacks, threats and intimidation of journalists and media workers reporting on the agro-food industry in Brittany. These attacks, legal threats, harassment and intimidation must end and we call on all relevant public authorities to take the necessary measures to enable critical reporting on this issue

Thematic factsheet: SLAPP in Italy, a democratic emergency - Article

by Paola Rosà

A limited selection of cases from an ocean of lawsuits. A paper sent to the INI rapporteurs of the Draft Report on the strengthening democracy and media freedom and pluralism in the EU: the undue use of actions under civil and criminal law to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society

Country factsheet: Croatia - Article

A picture made of mixed colours and political interference: this is the landscape in Croatia under the lens of media freedom according to several monitoring tools

Against SLAPPs at every level - Article

The new site is online and the CASE, Coalition against Slapps in Europe is calling for help to endorse some initiatives

MFRR condemns defamation lawsuit against Gazeta Wyborcza Editor-in-Chief by Polish Justice Minister - Article

The partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today strongly condemn the civil defamation lawsuit launched against the editor-in-chief of Poland’s biggest daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza by the serving Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro