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.

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

Malta: Press freedom groups urge PM to deliver strong media law reforms - Article

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela, MFRR partners and media organisations urge the Maltese government to follow up on the recommendations from the recent public consultation into media law reforms

Bulgarian far-right party’s ‘foreign agent’ bill sparks media freedom concerns - Article

Press freedom groups raise alarm that law appears intended to target critical media

Serbia: Tendering process of national FTA TV licences must be open and transparent - Article

Partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) are concerned about the lack of a transparent process for the allocation of national free to air (FTA) TV licences in Serbia and of a Development Strategy for radio and audiovisual media services

Bulgaria: the media, law, and freedom of information - Legal Resources

Interview with Nelly Ognyanova, a leading Bulgarian expert on media law, by Francesco Martino, OBCT

Albanian media law: a letter of concern - Article

The MFRR partners and SEEMO are alarmed by reports that the Parliament will approve the media law package without respecting international standards. Here the letter sent to Albanian authorities:

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

MAPPING MEDIA FREEDOM: a Four-Month Snapshot - Reports

Overview and data analysis of the monitoring activity of the Media Freedom Rapid Response from March to June 2020

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