France: Three journalists summoned by security agency over suspected violation of national defence secrecy - Article

OBCT joins its MFRR partners in expressing its concern regarding the questioning of French journalists from Disclose and Radio France 

Latvia: Media regulator urged not to revoke Dozhd license pending court review - Article

Together with our MFRR partners, we express concern over the decision to revoke the broadcast license of the independent TV station Dozhd: independent Russian journalism should be provided a safe refuge in Europe

Whistleblowing in Italy: a conference - Article

Whistleblowing is a phenomenon that touches different worlds: from psychology to the media, from trade unions to civil society, from the role of the individual to the political responsibilities of the state. OBCT will participate in a panel of the conference dedicated to SLAPPs

Italy: Newspaper Domani sued for defamation by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - Article

At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing in the proceedings for aggravated defamation initiated by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against Emiliano Fittipaldi and Stefano Feltri, respectively correspondent and editor of the daily national newspaper “Domani”, we call on Prime Minister Meloni to withdraw the defamation lawsuit and to initiate a reform process targeting defamation laws in the country

Against SLAPPs, the first European conference - Article

The first European conference for the fight against SLAPPs, also known as gag or reckless complaints, was held in Strasbourg on 20 October, organised by the European Center for Press and Media Freedom and the Coalition against SLAPP in Europe. The report of the event

by Sielke Kelner

25th Anniversary of the Mandate of the OSCE Representative on Freedom on the Media – Can there be security without media freedom? - Reports

“Can there be security without media freedom?'' is a report published by the office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom on the Media. The scope of this document is to analyse the impact of technology on the media ecosystem and the challenges to overcome. The report formulates a list of recommendations directed to strengthening media freedom, human rights, democracy, and security in the years to come

Netherlands: Press freedom groups concerned about video with hostile rhetoric by Dutch politician against political reporter - Article

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and its partners express today their concerns about hostile rhetoric used against an independent journalist by Dutch political party Forum for Democracy (FvD). Such problematic language creates an intimidating climate for public interest journalism, normalises both online and physical targeting of the press, and can lead to self-censorship amongst the journalistic community. We urge the FvD to put an end to its dangerous smear campaign against independent media

Turkey: International delegation condemns passage of disinformation law and calls for protection of journalists ahead of 2023 elections - Article

This week, seven media freedom, journalism, and human rights organisations met with key stakeholders in Turkey to discuss Turkey’s media freedom crisis

Greece: Full scale of surveillance on journalists must be unearthed - Article

MFRR partners back calls for the testing of mobile devices belonging to journalists in Greece who suspect they may have been targets of surveillance. The recent scandals require full transparency and accountability, and have underscored deepening concerns about the erosion of media freedom under the New Democracy government

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