MFRR raises concerns over increasing meddling in independence of Czech public broadcaster - Article

The partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) express their serious concern over the latest efforts by the ruling ANO party and its allies to further politicise the oversight body of the Czech public broadcaster.

We are worried that the slow-motion yet obvious efforts to stack the Council of the Czech TV (ČT Council) are ultimately aimed at the erosion of the public television’s independence and politically-motivated realignment of its news and opinion programming

Turkey: a letter of concern ahead of the visit of EU leaders - Article

Ahead of their visit to Turkey, we joined several ngos and human rights groups in asking the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission to highlight the country's domestic human rights situation, in particular threats to journalists and media outlets

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

Belarus: leaders of journalists’ organisations in Europe call on heads of governments to take action - Article

Leaders of 50 journalists’ unions and associations in 34 European countries today called on their governments to intensify pressure and take action in the face of constant violations of human rights and press freedom in Belarus. In a joint letter, they urge their head of government to demand from the Belarusian authorities the immediate release of the 12 imprisoned journalists and the withdrawal of administrative and criminal proceedings against Belarusian journalists

Czech Republic: concern over independence of public service media - Article

The MFRR partners have sent a letter to the members of the Czech Parliament regarding the politicisation of the Council of the Czech TV (Česká Televize, CT)

Solidarity with the Swedish media outlet Realtid ahead of the first hearing in their UK defamation case - Article

Twenty-four organisations express their solidarity with the Swedish business and finance publication, Realtid, its editor, and the two journalists being sued for defamation in London. Realtid are due before the High Court tomorrow for a two-day remote hearing that will decide whether England and Wales is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case to be heard

Media4Democracy - Stakeholders

Media4Democracy is an EU-funded Technical Assistance Facility strengthening the European Union Delegations’ ability to implement the EU Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline.

Its mission is to support the EU Delegations’ broad and coherent implementation of the EU Guidelines on Freedom of Expression and to help them to identify, design and implement appropriate near-, medium- and long-term actions.

Media4Democracy is based in Brussels and provides advocacy support and capacity building services to all EU Delegations (EUDs) worldwide, as well as customised technical support to individual EU Delegations.

Letter: Increasing Concerns for Media Freedom in Slovenia - Article

We co-signed a letter to the Commission and to the media working group of the European Parliament

Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) - Stakeholders

The Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) is a watchdog that safeguards the human rights of everyone in the European Union.

The team is made up of experts in human rights and communications.

Liberties works closely with a network of members in Brussels and across 18 EU countries and is registered as a non-governmental organisation in Berlin with a presence in Brussels.

Here the description ot its methods:

First, we use advocacy. This means we use our expertise to explain to people working in the EU institutions and national governments why and how they should uphold human rights.

Second, we help our members litigate. That means we give our members expertise on EU law to use in court cases, and we help our members take cases simultaneously in different EU countries.

Third, we use public mobilisation. We talk directly to you, the public, about the problems we’re working on so you can spread the word and help us put pressure on the EU and national governments to solve them.