Protect the Protest. Stopping SLAPP. Defending Dissent - Support Centres

A task force of nonprofit organizations that have long dealt with SLAPP threats (threats coming from strategic lawsuits against public participation).

The organizations of "Protect the Protest" have combined their expertise and collective power to protect the free speech of public interest advocates in the United States.

They declare: "An attack on one is now an attack on all".

The task force includes experienced lawyers, journalists, communications professionals, and activists, in order to stand together as one to expose courtroom bullying, and protect the right to boldly speak the truth.

The approach is threefold:

● Building Resilience to SLAPPs - providing resources and training for civil society organizations, community leaders, journalists, and the broader public on how to best protect themselves from SLAPPs and what to do if they’re targeted. This includes a network of attorneys to defend those facing SLAPPs, especially individuals and small organizations with extremely limited resources.

● Exposing SLAPPs and Those Who File Them - drawing on their own organizations’ campaigning, communications, and legal expertise to support public interest advocates and watchdogs targeted by SLAPPs. This includes campaigning against the biggest SLAPP offenders, as well as legal defense where resources allow.

● Campaigning on Strategic Issues - When a specific SLAPP poses a broader threat to civil society or to democracy, they mobilize their collective resources to protect the rights to free speech and peaceful protest. Likewise, when opportunities arise to advance anti-SLAPP policies or laws, we engage in close collaboration with other stakeholders.

Turkey's Journalists in the Dock. Judicial Silencing of the Fourth Estate. Joint International Press Freedom Mission to Turkey - Reports

The mission, consisting of representatives of International Press Institute (IPI), ARTICLE 19, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), PEN International, Norwegian PEN, Reporters without Borders (RSF), and European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), reports that the press freedom environment in the country has not improved since the lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018

Pay Attention: Legal Issues and Your Media Company - Training

An online course about legal risks run by media outlets and news organization: mistakes happen and legal issues are constantly part of the journalism process

Freedom on the Net 2019 - The crisis of social media - Reports

Freedom on the Net is an annual study of Internet freedom in 65 countries around the world, covering 87% of the world’s Internet users. It tracks improvement and decline in Internet freedom conditions each year.

Taking Control? Internet Censorship and Surveillance in Russia - Reports

A report by Reporters without Borders based on about 30 interviews with journalists, activists, lawyers and human rights defenders. It traces the development from the first bans on content in 2012 to Autumn 2019

What Can Be Done? Digital Media Policy Options for Strengthening European Democracy - Reports

This report identifies some policy options able to create an environment that is more conducive to independent professional journalism, demonstrating what democratic digital media policy could look like with freedom, funding, and a future

Data Voids. Where Missing Data Can Easily Be Exploited - Reports

The assumption that for any given query there is some relevant content is not true. When there is little content available, the most relevant content is low-quality or problematic, or both. The paper shows how manipulators expose users to problematic content by exploiting search engine results

Fact-finding mission to Czech Republic, 7th-8th October 2019 - Reports

From the very difficult position of local media to the Prime Minister's links to the outlets he used to own, the Czech Republic's issues in the field of freedom of expression are very evident, and the delegation has clear recommendations to give

The Global Disinformation Order: 2019 Global Inventory of Organised Social Media Manipulation - Reports

The report highlights the findings from the three-year project on monitoring organised social media manipulation campaigns around the globe. One of the key discoveries is the increase by 150% in social media manipulation campaigns over the last two years

2019 World Press Freedom Index - Monitoring tool

Only 24% of the 180 countries and territories considered are classified as “good” (coloured white on the Press Freedom Map) or “fairly good” (yellow), as opposed to 26% last year. These are the main findings of this year’s Index by Reporters Without Borders