Ukraine: MFRR partners highlight ongoing press freedom issues - Article

MFRR partners today highlight ongoing press freedom concerns in Ukraine, over two years following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While Ukraine was at first quick to unite in the face of armed aggression, setting aside internal conflicts and arguments, the climate of trust between officials and independent media seems to have seriously deteriorated, two years on

WPFD 2024: Media freedom groups sound the alarm over press freedom in Europe - Article

On WPFD, OBCT joins MFRR partners in drawing the attention to the more than 1,000 media freedom violations recorded in past year 

Bulgaria Minister urged to drop defamation lawsuit - Article

Media Freedom organizations call on Bulgarian Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov to withdraw charges against two investigative journalists of the Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (BIRD)

Georgia: MFRR partners strongly condemn new attempts to introduce a law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” - Article

The move comes one year after mass protests forced the government to withdraw a similar initiative

Independence of Slovakia’s leading TV news channel must be protected - Article

OBCT joins the undersigned members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in expressing concern about the actions of the Slovak government towards Slovakia’s leading commercial broadcaster, TV Markíza, aimed at silencing its critical journalism. We call on Markíza’s owners, the Central European Media Enterprises (CME), to resist the pressure and guarantee the editorial independence of the newsroom

CoE’s Recommendation represents a significant milestone in the fight against SLAPPs - Article

CASE welcomes the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on SLAPPs, approved by the Committee of Ministers today - Friday, 5 April. The Recommendation is comprehensive and, if genuinely implemented, could significantly limit the damage caused by SLAPPs

Liberties Media Freedom Report 2024 - Reports

The Media Freedom Report 2024 is the third annual report on media freedom in the European Union (EU) produced by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties). It discusses relevant legislative and regulatory action at EU and national level during 2023 and maps the main trends and developments in media freedom in 19 EU Member States. It also sets forth a list of recommendations to the EU institutions to improve the media landscape in Europe and better protect media freedom and pluralism across the Union. This report features a new chapter dedicated to the European Media Freedom Act – landmark legislation that has myriad implications for media freedom and pluralism in the EU.

North Macedonia, media and public funds - Article

In view of the upcoming political and presidential elections, the Macedonian government has reintroduced forms of public funding for the media. However, the country's media organisations argue that the move may aggravate the influence of political interests on news outlets

By Aleksandar Samardjiev 

Originally published by OBCT, also available in ITA

Call for withdrawal of Slovakia’s repressive broadcast law - Article

Slovak government attempts to take over the public broadcaster

Journalists and media freedom groups call for the urgent withdrawal of a proposed legislation allowing political control over public-service media in Slovakia. The bill threatens independent information, especially before the June European Parliament elections, contradicting the recently voted EU's Media Freedom Act

LETTER TO EU - Press freedom organisations call for urgent EU action to prevent political take-over of Slovak public media - Article

OBCT joins international journalists’ and media freedom organisations in expressing its concern to EU leaders over Slovak new public broadcaster's law