Türkiye: Big tech should protect free speech and resist state censorship - Article

Ahead of Türkiye’s municipal elections on 31 March 2024, 22 rights groups and journalists’ organisations jointly call on social media platforms to uphold the free expression rights of their users and resist state censorship. They should also fully disclose all government requests to restrict accounts or content, and be transparent about informal government pressure to restrict content on their platforms.

Croatia, journalists on the streets - Article

Hundreds of journalists took to the streets in Zagreb against the Plenković government's amendments to the Criminal Code, which limit the right to report. According to the Association of Croatian Journalists, the prime minister wants to silence investigations into his government's corruption

By Giovanni Vale 

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

Trudeau against Facebook: social media, copyright, and information - Article

In protest against the new Canadian law that requires social media to pay news organisations every time a user shares a link, Facebook has blocked access to news portals, earning the condemnation of Prime Minister Trudeau. In Europe, meanwhile, new regulations are on their way on the removal of content, advertising, and disinformation

By Paola Rosà

Originally published by OBCT in ENG and ITA

Spain: Fine against photographer underscores urgent need for reform of Gag Law - Article

Media freedom organisations urge the Spanish government to undertake a reform of the controversial Ley Mordaza in line with international human rights standards

MFRR Fast Response Mission Report: Montenegro - Reports

Media Freedom in Montenegro: Uncertain optimism or optimistic uncertainty. A report authored by European Centre for Press and Media Freedom with contributions from Renate Schroeder of European Federation of Journalists and Luka Zanoni of Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Rush to pass ‘fake news’ laws during Covid-19 intensifying global media freedom challenges - Legal Resources

17 states passed some form of regulation targeting disinformation during pandemic, handing autocrats new censorship tools. An overview by IPI

EU must act on Hungary media market distortion - Article

A coalition of 16 press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists‘ organisations have urged EU Competition Commissioner Margarethe Vestager to act on complaints that the Hungarian government has violated EU state aid rules to undermine media pluralism

Albania, the controversial media law - Legal Resources

Concerns persist over the approval of the new package of amendments aimed at modifying two important laws on the Albanian media, the so-called "anti-defamation package"

Monitoring of the 2019 European Parliament election campaign in the main news programme of Polish public TV - Reports

Polish public TV fails to respect the rules of pluralism, impartiality, balance, and independence of content: this is the outcome of the monitoring of the main news programme “Wiadomości” in the two weeks before European elections

Summer School: Journalism in the Era of Algorithms and AI - Opportunities

20 scholarships are offered to outstanding journalists from COE countries for the 7th edition of the CPMF’s Summer School