Serbia: media independence is an exception rather than the rule - Article

Increasing political and financial pressure threatens the independence and editorial autonomy of many media outlets in Serbia. We interviewed Irina Milutinović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade and co-author of the Country Report on Serbia of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2023

By Serena Epis

Originally published on OBCT , also available in ITA

Media freedom groups call on Slovakia’s Parliament to reject public broadcasting bill - Article

Critics warn: proposed law could seriously undermine the independence of public media. Journalists and media freedom groups are urging Slovakia’s MPs to reject the proposed public service broadcasting bill scheduled for parliamentary review this week. Despite recent amendments to the bill, the new structure would lead to the politicization of the broadcaster in breach of the European Media Freedom Act.

Journo News Monitor: an AI-powered study on Turkey’s new media - Reports

A study on news recommendations systems in Turkey that focuses on Google's algorithms and exploits AI solutions for its methodological approach to data analysis.

Media Capture in the Western Balkans: From captured states to captured media - Reports

The policy brief produced by Southeast European Leadership for Development and Integrity (SELDI)  provides an analytical insight into the mechanisms behind media capture in the Western Balkans countries, as a phenomenon that negatively affects the media landscape in those countries through impairment of media freedom and pluralism. With the region being on track for EU accession, media capture presents a paramount problem that the brief addresses

Silencing the Fourth Estate: Italy’s democratic drift - Article

Media freedom coalition sounds the alarm on political meddling and legal threats to journalism

Also available in ITA

Global Expression Report 2024 - Reports

The Global Expression Report (GxR) provides an annual update on the right to free expression and information worldwide

Ukraine: MFRR partners highlight ongoing press freedom issues - Article

MFRR partners today highlight ongoing press freedom concerns in Ukraine, over two years following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. While Ukraine was at first quick to unite in the face of armed aggression, setting aside internal conflicts and arguments, the climate of trust between officials and independent media seems to have seriously deteriorated, two years on

WPFD 2024: Media freedom groups sound the alarm over press freedom in Europe - Article

On WPFD, OBCT joins MFRR partners in drawing the attention to the more than 1,000 media freedom violations recorded in past year 

Bulgaria Minister urged to drop defamation lawsuit - Article

Media Freedom organizations call on Bulgarian Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov to withdraw charges against two investigative journalists of the Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data (BIRD)

Georgia: MFRR partners strongly condemn new attempts to introduce a law on “Transparency of Foreign Influence” - Article

The move comes one year after mass protests forced the government to withdraw a similar initiative