Free Press Unlimited (FPU) - Support Centres

Free Press Unlimited is a foundation based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which supports local journalists in war zones and conflict areas in over 43 countries. 

The organization offers several support programmes for journalists at risk:

1. Emergency support: Journalists and media organisations in distress can apply for emergency support from Reporters Respond. Through this fund, Free Press Unlimited enables them to resume their work as quickly as possible when faced with obstruction, vandalism, or intimidations. More info here .
2. Legal support: With the Legal Defense Fund, Free Press Unlimited provides financial support to journalists and media organisations worldwide, giving support to journalists who face prosecution or imprisonment and who are unable to afford a lawyer or trial costs. More info here .
3. Safety trainings & tools: In collaboration with international partners, Free Press Unlimited supports (media) organisations and media workers with safety training. More info here .
4. Advocacy: Independent media and press freedom cannot exist if safety for journalists isn’t guaranteed. Therefore, Free Press Unlimited actively lobbies for a safe work environment for journalists. An environment which enables them to work free of fear and danger. More info here .

ProtectDefenders.eu - Support Centres

Launched in 2015, ProtectDefenders.eu is the European Union Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) mechanism which supports individuals and local actors who strive to promote and defend human rights worldwide. The mechanism is implemented by a Consortium of twelve international organisations active in the field of Human Rights.

Its services comprise:

• Emergency support for HRDs at risk 
• Support to local HRD organisations
• Temporary relocation of HRDs at risk
• Training and information to HRDs at risk
• Monitoring and advocacy

HOTLINE: +353 (0) 1 21 00 489

Digital Freedom Fund (DFF) - Support Centres

The Digital Freedom Fund supports Europe’s digital rights litigators – NGOs, pro bono lawyers and sometimes regular litigators – enabling them to become more effective in their work. They do this in a number of ways:

- through grants to support the legal, advocacy, research, and other costs involved in litigation;

- through facilitating digital rights actors’ access to pro-bono legal support.

DFF is supported by Open Society Foundations, Adessium Foundation, Omidyar Network, Renewable Freedom Foundation and the Democracy and Media Foundation.

E-mail: grants@digitalfreedomfund.org

Journalismfund.eu - Support Centres

Journalismfund.eu is an international NGO seated in Belgium and operating Europe - wide. Beside providing financial support to staff or freelance journalists for conducting research for an investigative journalism project, Journalismfund.eu provides advocacy support to staff and freelance journalists, editors, media outlets as well as civic bloggers.

Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) - Support Centres

Media Defence (also known as MLDI) provides legal defence to independent media, journalists and bloggers around the world who are under threat for their reporting. MLDI does this by administering an emergency defence fund, helping journalists, bloggers and independent media pay legal fees, and provides legal expertise to the lawyer(s) defending a case. 

MLDI also engages in strategic litigation to challenge repressive laws and expand the space for media freedom. Through this, it seeks to advance respect for international law and norms on the right to freedom of expression. MLDI submits cases to domestic courts and international tribunals and intervenes in cases already under way, as well as supporting national lawyers to do the same.

In countries where the threat of legal action is high and constant, MLDI provides financial support and legal expertise to national organisations that provide legal defence services to journalists.

MLDI also runs training and networking programmes for lawyers in the fields of media law and human rights. 

E-mail: info@mediadefence.org

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - Support Centres

CPJ provides support to frontline journalists, and work to ensure that all journalists, including freelancers and media support workers, are aware of safety and security issues before entering a conflict zone. CPJ works to prevent deaths, detentions, kidnappings, and other dangers through information sharing and practical guidance. It also provides on-the-ground advocacy and rapid response support to journalists who are injured, imprisoned, or forced to flee because of their work.

CPJ Journalist Assistance program dispenses emergency grants to journalists in distress worldwide through CPJ’s Gene Roberts Emergency Fund (not available for organizations, media outlets, or media projects). More information and resources here.

CPJ is a founding member of the ACOS Alliance, which stands for ‘A Culture of Safety’ and promotes the Freelance Journalist Safety Principles which news organizations and press groups have signed. More information and resources here.

CPJ is also a member of the Journalists in Distress (JID) network, a group of 18 international organizations that provide direct assistance to journalists and media workers whose lives or careers are threatened because of their work. Each organization has its own mandate and criteria for emergency assistance; the network does not engage in joint advocacy. More information here. 

CPJ’s four-part Safety Kit provides journalists and newsrooms with basic safety information on physical, digital and psychological safety resources and tools.

E-mail: emergencies@cpj.org.

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) - Support Centres

ECPMF offers several support programmes for journalists at risk.

- Journalists-in-Residence programme: The ECPMF’s Journalists-in-Residence (JiR) programme offers temporary shelter for journalists facing harassment and intimidation as a direct result of their work. Journalists get the chance to rest and recuperate in a safe and discreet place, and also to continue their investigative work at their own pace and use their time in Leipzig for networking and finding solidarity. The JiR programme lasts for either three or up to six months, and includes a rent-free furnished apartment in Leipzig, as well as a monthly stipend to cover basic living costs. It also covers travel and visa expenses, health insurance, psychological counselling, and journalism-related training sessions on topics like digital security, mobile reporting and social media management. More info here .

- Legal support: ECPMF offers and coordinates legal support on matters related to free speech for individuals and organisations working in countries located geographically in Europe. More info here .

- Helpdesk: he Helpdesk is ECPMF central tool for responding to the individual needs of journalists at risk and under threat. ECPMF supports media professionals across Europe in order to find a place of safety in emergency cases and we assist exiled journalists in Germany, irrespective of their origin. More info here .

- Women’s Reporting Point: it aims to deepen a gender-specific aspect of the safety of journalists and encourages female media workers to report it if they are subjected to harassment or they witness it in their journalistic work. Reports received are given priority, treated confidentially and are only handled by women staff. More info here .