Urgent action needed by the Netherlands to protect civic space against SLAPPs and other forms of legal intimidation - Article

OBCT joins media freedom organisations in urging the Netherlands to adopt regulatory measures against SLAPPs

Republika Srpska, the criminalisation of defamation and the squeeze on media freedom - Article

The parliament of Republika Srpska approved in the first instance a bill to amend the criminal code which reintroduces the crime of defamation. Now sixty days of public debate and then back to the assembly. A dangerous step backwards for freedom of expression 

By Arman Fazlić

Originally published by OBCT, also available in ITA and BHS

Spain: a new law against fact-checking - Article

An analysis by Javier Luque, IPI Head of Digital Communications, for Media Freedom Rapid Response: polarization and attempts by far-right party to smear fact-checkers and journalists corner press freedom in the country

Poland: new plans to limit foreign-owned media - Article

The governing Law and Justice (PiS) party announces the will to pass the new law before the end of its term in 2023. This is a new threat to media freedom coming from legislation within the EU, and the platform Mapping Media Freedom keeps track of it, too

ARTICLE 19 comments on new Italian regulation on ‘hate speech’ - Reports

Some improvements, but also lack of compliance with the international framework: a mixed judgment by ARTICLE 19 welcomes the new AGCOM Regulation in Italy, while hate speech remains a great concern in the country

Report on the implementation of the Action Plan Against Disinformation - Reports

Stating that “the fight against disinformation must continue”, in this report the European Commission checks the progress achieved by the Action Plan against Disinformation, explaining how it helped deter attacks, expose fake news, and encourage journalists and national authorities before the European Election 2019

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

Disinformation and propaganda – impact on the functioning of the rule of law in the EU and its Member States - Reports

This study, commissioned by the  European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs and requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil  Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, assesses the  impact of disinformation and strategic political propaganda disseminated through online social media sites

Protecting the right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights - Manuals

A handbook to assist judges, prosecutors, lawyers and human rights’ defenders in ensuring that all cases involving freedom of expression (FoE) are handled in conformity with states’ obligations under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as developed by the Strasbourg Court

Serbia: Indicators on the level of media freedom and journalists’ safety - Reports

Supported by European Union, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia has produced a report which intends to measure the level of media freedom throughout three main indicators