Albania: Press freedom groups call for a fair trial in defamation lawsuit by former top prosecutor against Isa Myzyraj - Article

The defamation case filed against journalist Isa Myzyraj by a former Tirana's prosecutor raises our concerns. MFRR and media freedom organisations call for a fair trial in which the importance of free speech and public interest reporting is appropriately considered

Serbia: REM’s awarding of TV licences underscores media pluralism and media diversity failure - Article

The decision made by the Serbia’s Regulatory Body for Electronic Media to award four national FTA TV licences to pro-government outlets perpetuates a deeply unbalanced commercial broadcast media market and is another example of the authority’s failure to protect media diversity and pluralism in Serbia

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

Maja Sever, the first woman to lead the EFJ - Article

Quickly resolving the economic issue relating to journalists, fighting harder against SLAPPs or gag complaints, using the rule of law to improve media conditions. These are the keywords of Maja Sever, the first woman to lead the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

by Giovanni Vale

Third regional conference on countering disinformation in the Western Balkans - HTML5 video

Following the first and second Regional Disinformation Conference in 2020 and 2021, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is organizing Third Regional Conference on countering disinformation in the Western Balkans on 1 June 2022 in Sarajevo in hybrid mode

Albania: Investigations needed over intimidation of journalists reporting on prosecutor’s vetting - Article

Together with other media freedom and journalists’ organisations, we sent a letter to the Albanian Commissioner for the Right to Access to Information and Personal Data Protection to express our serious concern over the recent private data breaches and intimidation of at least two journalists

»Feindbild Journalist« 6 – Hate on the Doorstep - Reports

From 01 January 2015 to 01 March 2022, ECPMF has recorded 287 assaults against media professionals. Assaults include punching, kicking, pushing, and spitting, as well as assault with weapons. ECPMF is a non-profit organisation based in Leipzig that campaigns for press freedom throughout Europe

Local Media Survival Guide 2022 - Reports

How journalism is innovating to find sustainable ways to serve local communities around the world and fight against misinformation. In this IPI report, the first deep look at innovation in news media serving local communities outside the U.S. and Western Europe, after talking to many of the journalists and media builders that are on the front-line of this struggle in the regions of Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe

Hungarian Capital in Foreign Media. Three Strategic Models of Influencing the Neighbourhood - Reports

The International Press Institute (IPI) published a new report written by regional media experts and investigative journalists on the investment of Hungarian capital in foreign media and the implications for the spread of Viktor Orbán’s “illiberal” model of media control

Women in newsrooms: perspectives on equity, diversity and resilience - Reports

Looking at the Western Balkans, this report highlights the trends, opportunities and obstacles, identified through the sharing of experiences and perspectives by women working in the media, to paint a more nuanced and complex picture of women’s role in newsrooms, news-making and regional societies more broadly