Beyond Borders: Temporary Relocation Programmes for Journalists at Risk

Beyond Borders:

Temporary Relocation Programmes for Journalists at Risk

21 November, 12:00 CET.

In this webinar, representatives from the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Justice and Peace, the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), and Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) will discuss the crucial role of temporary relocation programmes in safeguarding journalists at risk. Discover how these media freedom and human rights organisations provide safety, support, and new opportunities for journalists facing threats. Join us to learn about their impactful collaboration in defending press freedom across Europe and the essential support structures they offer to empower at-risk media workers.

Moderator

Alina Toropova

Journalists-in-Residence Programme Manager, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)

Speakers

Maral Khajeh

Coordinator Human Rights Defenders Programme, Coordinator Shelter City network at Justice and Peace Netherlands

Elisabeth Dyvik

Programme Director at International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN)

Patricia Bartley

Coordinator Protective Fellowship Scheme for Human Rights Defenders at Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR)

756 Violations in Six Months: The State of Press…

756 Violations in Six Months:

The State of Press Freedom in 2024

30 September, 14:00 CET

Join us on September 30 for a discussion on the findings of the latest MFRR Monitoring Report, which recorded 756 media freedom violations in the first half of 2024. This webinar will explore key trends, including the rise of intimidation and online threats, while diving into the state of media freedom across Europe and candidate countries. The monitoring experts of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium will also address anti-media laws, election-related violations, and the role of governments in perpetrating these violations.

Moderator

Gürkan Özturan

Media Freedom Monitoring Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

Speakers

Teona Sekhniashvili

Europe Network and Press Freedom Coordinator, International Press Institute

Antje Schlaf

Mapping Media Freedom Data and Development Manager, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

Karol Łuczka

Eastern Europe Monitoring and Advocacy Officer, International Press Institute

Camille Magnissalis

Press Freedom Monitoring and Communications Officer, European Federation of Journalists

Ronja Koskinen

Press Freedom Officer, International Press Institute

Media Freedom in the Western Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities…

Media Freedom in the Western Balkans:

Challenges and Opportunities in the Framework of EU Enlargement

07 October, 11:00 CET.

Free and independent media play a key role in ensuring citizens’ right to information on issues of public interest and in holding power into account. A sound media system is thus a pillar of democracy and the rule of law.

Over the past years, the Media Freedom Rapid Response has noted a gradual deterioration of media freedom standards across EU member states and candidate countries. Common issues of concern include the increased interference of political powers in the governance of public service media, the lack of transparency in media ownership, precarious working conditions, and growing intimidation and threats against journalists and media professionals.

These concerns have prompted EU institutions to take action and introduce new legislative tools to address such trends, such as the anti-SLAPP directive and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). While aiming to harmonize media freedom standards across member states, these newly adopted norms will have an impact on candidate countries, as they move forward in the alignment with the EU acquis as part of the accession process.

This webinar will present the updated results of two Shadow Reports on Media Freedom in Albania and Serbia prepared in collaboration with the Centre Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia. It will explore media freedom-related challenges and developments in the two candidate countries taking into consideration the ongoing negotiations to join the EU and the annual progress reports that the European Commission is expected to publish later in the autumn.

Moderator

Serena Epis

OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)

Opening Remarks

Cristina Caputo

Adriatic and Balkan Unit, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

Maja Smrkolj

Political Desk Serbia DG NEAR, European Commission

Speakers

Tamara Filipović

Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)

Blerjana Bino

Centre Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV)

Final Remarks

Massimo Moratti

OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)

This webinar is produced as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response, a Europe-wide mechanism that tracks, monitors, and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and candidate countries. It also draws on the research and advocacy activities supported by the project “Transnational Advocacy for Freedom of Information in the Western Balkans – ATLIB” co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and implemented in cooperation with SCiDEV and IJAS.

Protecting Women Journalists

29 August, 15:00 CEST.

This session will explore the pressing issue of harassment and violence targeting women journalists, particularly in high-risk and politically sensitive environments. The discussion will address strategies for offline and online safety, including personal security measures, emergency protocols, and the role of journalistic unions and alliances in providing protection and support. Participants will gain insights into the intersection of physical and digital threats, emphasising the importance of a comprehensive approach to safeguarding women journalists.

Moderator

Alina Toropova

Journalists-in-Residence Programme Manager, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

Speakers

Gülfem Karataş

Member of the Women’s and LGBTQIA+ Unit at the Turkish Journalists’ Union

Elisabet Cantenys

Executive Director, ACOS Alliance

Liza Kuzmenko

Founder and head of Women in Media, Ukrainian network of female journalists

Silencing the Fourth Estate: Italy’s democratic drift

Silencing the Fourth Estate:

Italy’s Democratic Drift

29 July, 14:00 CET.

On July 29, Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) will host a webinar to mark the publication of the final report following the MFRR mission to Rome.

Amid unprecedented political interference in public media, widespread use of legal intimidation against dissenting journalists by government officials, a problematic defamation reform put forward by the ruling coalition, and the potential acquisition of AGI by one of Lega’s MPs, the MFRR organised an urgent mission to Italy on May 16 and 17, 2024.

Relying on the findings from meetings held during the mission and MFRR’s ongoing monitoring of the situation in the country, the report assesses the deterioration of media freedom in Italy. These challenges, indicative of a tense relationship between media and political actors, undermine independent and critical journalism, generating worrying implications for Italian democracy. The mission observed that the chilling effect resulting from the contraction of freedom of expression and the governments’ attempts to silence the press signal a worrying democratic decline in Italy’s media freedom landscape.

Last May’s MFRR mission to Italy was led by the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). The mission report was prepared by MFRR partner organisations: ARTICLE 19 Europe; European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF); European Federation of Journalists (EFJ); International Press Institute (IPI); Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT).

The report will be published in English on July 29, with a translated Italian version to follow in the first week of September.

Moderator

Renate Schroeder

Director of European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)

Speakers

Alessandra Mancuso

Member of Usigrai

Francesca de Benedetti

Journalist at Domani

Davide Sarsini

Journalist at AGI

Final remarks

Serena Epis

Researcher at Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

Germany’s Election Aftermath

Germany’s election aftermath

20 June, 15:00 CET.

In the wake of Germany’s recent European election results, this webinar will focus on the consequences of increased far-right representation for media freedom. Former MEP Rebecca Harms will guide the discussion on the potential threats and necessary safeguards for independent journalism in this new political era.

Moderator

Rebecca Harms

Vice Chair of the Executive Board at ECPMF, former MEP

Speakers

Yann P. M. Rees

Researcher at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence, Bielefeld University

Philippe Meistermann

Head of Brussels Office, Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger e. V.

Alexander Matschke

Team Lead BMZ Relations, DW Akademie

World Press Freedom Day 2024: Europe’s press freedom battlegrounds

World Press Freedom Day 2024

Europe’s press freedom battlegrounds

02 May, 14:00 CET.

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the International Press Institute (IPI) invite you to join our World Press Freedom Day 2024 webinar: Europe’s press freedom battlegrounds.

Leading editors from Poland, Germany, Slovakia, and Italy will highlight and debate key challenges they face as Europe gears up for a crucial election season.

We will look at rising threats, what is behind them, and the support independent media need to counter them. Plus, we’ll debate what the EU elections mean for media freedom.

Moderator

Scott Griffen

Deputy Director, International Press Institute

Speakers

Beata Balogová

Editor-in-chief of SME, a major independent daily and news site in Slovakia

Bartosz Wieliński

Deputy editor-in-chief, Gazeta Wyborcza, a major independent daily and news site in Poland

Stefano Vergine

Freelance investigative journalist and contributor, Domani, Italy

Ramona Strugariu

MEP and lead negotiator on the European Media Freedom Act for the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Steffen Grimberg

Senior Editor at KNA Mediendienst, the media section of Katholische Nachrichtenagentur

Georgia: Press Freedom Erosion amid Reintroduced ‘Foreign Agent Law’

25 April, 12:00 CEST

On April 25, 2024, the Media Freedom Rapid Response will host a webinar addressing the recent decline in press freedom in Georgia. This decline has been exacerbated by the reintroduction of a Russia-style foreign agent law earlier this month.

The new law, titled ‘Transparency of Foreign Influence’ requires independent media and civil society organizations that receive funding from abroad to label themselves as “organizations pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”

Since then, journalists from online media were barred from the parliament when the law was being debated and on April 16, 2024, reporters from online media outlets Publika, Tabula, and Aprili were physically and verbally assaulted while reporting large scale protests against the bill.

Join us and leading Georgian journalists and press freedom advocates as we delve into the implications of the law and explore the broader state of press freedom in the country.

Moderator

Teona Sekhniashvili

Europe Network & Press Freedom Coordinator at the International Press Institute (IPI)

Speakers

Mariam Nikuradze

Co-founder and Executive Director at Open Caucasus Media

Lika Zakashvili

Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of Publika

Tamar Kintsurashvili

Executive Director of the Media Development Foundation

Mamuka Andguladze

Chairperson of the Media Advocacy Coalition

Media freedom in Romania ahead of Super Election year

Media freedom in Romania ahead of Super Election Year

4 April, 14:00 CET

On April 4, the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Media Freedom Rapid Response will host a webinar to mark the publication of a major report assessing press freedom and independent journalism in Romania.

In Romania, the main instrument of political capture of the media are the ‘media and propaganda’ funds. Political parties pay around 20 million euros annually to the media from their allocation from the state budget. The size and lack of transparency over their expenditure has created a pliant media culture that panders to politicians and fails to hold the government to account. There is a profound crisis in local journalism created by a near complete dependency on local government funds for survival.

A growing use of abusive lawsuits, or SLAPPs, used against Romanian media and journalists is draining resources and increasing costs for media. Journalists are facing a growing chilling effect on newsrooms and pressure to desist from pursuing investigative content.

Lastly, while most journalists conduct their work without fear for their safety, a significant number are regularly trolled, threatened or worse. Too often, the police fail to take appropriate action, leaving women journalists to either accept the threats or leave the profession.

Moderator

Oliver Money-Kyrle

Head of Europe Advocacy and Programmes, International Press Institute (IPI)

Speakers

Septimius Parvu

Electoral Expert, Expert Forum

Cristina Lupu

Executive Director, Center for Independent Journalism

Ana Poenariu

Investigative journalist

Marius Daea

Producer and country coordinator in the Science+ project at Free Press Unlimited

Conclusion

Sielke Kelner

Researcher and Advocacy Officer, Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

The report has been jointly produced by the organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR): ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT).

The report will be published first in English, with a translated Romanian version to follow in the coming weeks.

Occupied Ukraine: Media reporting in the shadow of Russian…

Occupied Ukraine

Media reporting in the shadow of Russian forces

29 February, 14:30 CET.

As of February 2024, a significant proportion of Ukraine remains under occupation by Russian forces. This includes Crimea, as well as vast areas in the regions of Donbas, Zaporizhia, and Kherson. While some of these territories are under Russian control since 2014, most were torn away from Ukraine at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Two years after 24 February 2022, the MFRR partners investigate what occupation means for media. How do Ukrainian journalists continue to report on regions they cannot travel to? What happened to media outlets in towns and cities now under Russian control?

This webinar will focus on the timeline of events with the aim of understanding the realities Ukrainian media face under Russian occupation. Starting from forced closures of media by the military, panellists will recount stories of journalists fleeing from invasion, before turning to the challenges that the current situation creates, such as the need to conduct work undercover, in the shadow of Russian forces. Perspectives for the return of free media to a future de-occupied Ukraine will also be examined.

To delve into these questions, the MFRR partners will be joined by several Ukrainian journalists with first-hand experience of working under Russian occupation.