Defending the right to freedom of information and promoting the transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union as well as in the enlargement and Eastern Partnership countries are the objectives of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom - ECPMF , of which OBC Transeuropa is one of the founding members.
The services OBCT provides to ECPMF include the development and curation of the Resource Centre on Media Freedom in Europe and an ongoing work of information and in-depth analysis on key issues for European democracy, in network with numerous media partners in Italy and South-Eastern Europe.
INTERVIEW Albania, media trapped in a triangle of pressure
Serena Epis | 22/11/2024Journalists across Europe are often subjected to subtle forms of pressure and intimidation, including vexatious lawsuits frequently initiated by influential politicians or businesspeople. Blerjana Bino, Executive Director of SCiDEV and Researcher at the SafeJournalists Network, provides insight into the situation in the country
INTERVIEW Serbian journalism, stronger EU support is needed
Serena Epis, Sava Mirković | 13/11/2024Amid a systematic erosion of editorial independence by the government, stronger international support is needed to uphold media freedom in the country. An interview with Igor Božić, news director of the independent N1 TV
Bosnia Herzegovina: urgent call for stronger protection for journalist Nataša Miljanović Zubac
redazione | 7/11/2024The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners together with the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) firmly call for thorough and swift investigations into numerous threats against Nataša Miljanović Zubac, journalist for the Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS)
Attacks on journalists during Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections receive condemnation
redazione | 6/11/2024The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists’ organizations strongly condemn the four cases of violence and intimidation against Bulgarian journalists covering the parliamentary elections held on October 27
INTERVIEW Fact-Checking in Albania: Confronting Disinformation and Intimidation
Luisa Chiodi, Sukanya Sengupta | 6/11/2024The disconnect between the younger generation and traditional media, the struggles to hold public institutions accountable, and the urgent need for a syndicate to protect journalists’ rights. These are just some of the challenges that the media sector has to face in Albania. An interview
Intimidated, attacked and barred from entering the country: press freedom organizations urge for protection of journalists’ rights in Georgia
| 31/10/2024International community must place effective pressure on Georgia to uphold press freedom and secure a safe environment for journalists
MEDIA Addressing Key Challenges to Media Freedom in Albania and Serbia
Serena Epis, Sukanya Sengupta | 30/10/2024To contribute to the European Commission’s Rule of Law monitoring, OBCT, in partnership with SCiDEV and IJAS, produced two Shadow Reports outlining the challenges and gaps in media freedom in Albania and Serbia. The main findings were presented during a webinar
ANALYSIS SLAPP in Croatia, a plague
Zagreb | Giovanni Vale | 21/10/2024Over a thousand lawsuits filed between 2016 and 2023 against journalists and media outlets, nearly half of which are SLAPPs, or strategic lawsuits against public participation. These are frivolous lawsuits that aim to silence freedom of expression
Tribute to Daphne Caruana Galizia and all courageous journalists threatened for their work
| 16/10/2024On 16 October at 12 pm in front of the Residence Palais, seven years after the tragic death of the Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Media Freedom Rapid Response, journalists and representatives of media freedom community will come together to commemorate her brilliant work and dedication
Serbian judge’s lawsuits set to chill press freedom
| 15/10/2024The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) expresses grave concern regarding the legal threats facing the Serbian investigative news organization KRIK and its journalists. These abusive legal actions include demands for imprisonment and bans from journalism. We stand with the journalists on trial, and urge Serbia to implement anti-SLAPP safeguards to protect independent media
Ukraine: MFRR and partners mourn death and demand justice for Victoria Roshchyna
| 14/10/2024Ukrainian journalist died in unclear circumstances in Russian custody
INTERVIEW Islands of integrity: the struggle of independent media in Albania
Luisa Chiodi, Sukanya Sengupta | 14/10/2024Lufti Dervishi, a founding member of the Albanian Center for Quality Journalism, emphasises the challenges that Albanian journalism faces today. The media are entangled in corruption, self-censorship, and state-sponsored disinformation. However, not everything is negative, and there is still reason for hope
Media Freedom in the Western Balkans: Challenges in the Framework of EU Enlargement
As political interference and threats to journalists grow, the EU's new legislative measures, including the anti-SLAPP directive and the European Media Freedom Act, aim to safeguard press freedom in member and candidate countries. A recent webinar highlighted the struggle for media independence in Albania and Serbia amid their EU accession efforts
Albania: Smear campaigns against independent media and civil society organizations must stop
| 8/10/2024SafeJournalists Network and organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) strongly condemn the attacks on the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) and the think tank - Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) that has issued a shadow report on media freedom in Albania, as well as on researcher Blerjana Bino
Croatia: Major challenges ahead to improve media freedom
| 25/9/2024The international media freedom mission to Croatia has highlighted several significant concerns regarding media law reform, transparency of state advertising, and the safety of journalists including SLAPPs. While some promising initiatives have been noted, the path is still long ahead for Croatia to ensure a free and independent media landscape
Press freedom on trial in Greece: support Alterthess' appeal
19/9/2024The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium expresses its full support for Greek journalist Stavroula Poulimeni and media outlet Alterthess ahead of their appeal on 19 September 2024
The Media Freedom Resource Centre is an open online platform that facilitates quick and systematic access to an ever-growing collection of resources on media freedom and pluralism, such as region-wide and country-specific publication and practical tools for journalists, practitioners, policy makers. Whether you are journalist, a media expert or an organisation, use this crowd-sourcing platform to share and disseminate your materials!
Building on a previous Wiki GLAM initiative, Wiki4MediaFreedom aims at boosting the availability of accurate knowledge on media freedom and pluralism in Europe on Wikipedia. People who are willing to contribute, learn and help disseminate in languages other than English relevant information on these topics are very welcome to join!
Through a partnership between Index on Censorship, European Federation of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders Mapping Media Freedom monitors and visualises the state of media freedom in Europe by crowdsourcing reports of violations and limitations from journalists and press freedom watchdogs. Get involved!
OBCT took part in the European project Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Support Network for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe
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24 Vesti Macedonia- The first Macedonian all news TV channel and on-line news provider All the news |
Beta Serbia- One of the main Serbian press agencies All the news |
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Bianet Turkey- Independent press agency, with a special focus on civil society All the news |
Courrier des Balkans France- The main French on-line news provider on South East Europe All the news |
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Dilema Veche Romania- Romania's main weekly, focusing on culture and social issues. It has both a paper and on-line version All the news |
H-Alter Croatia- Independent on-line news provider, with a special focus on civil society All the news |
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MediaCentar Bosnia Herzegovina- Supporting the development of independent and professional journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina All the news |
Mediapool Bulgaria- Created in 2001, it is the oldest Bulgarian on-line news provider All the news |
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Kosovo 2.0 Kosovo- is an online magazine which, since 2010, involves talented young media professionals in Kosovo. All content is published in Albanian, English and Serbian. It has 14.200 fans in Facebook and 4.900 Twitter followers All the news |
Radio Popolare Italy- Broadcasting from Milan, Popolare is both a radio and a network of 17 of the Italian main radio stations covering among other Rome, Florence, Turin, Venice All the news |
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Radio Študent Slovenia - One of Europe's oldest and strongest independent and non-commercial urban radio stations All the news |
Shqiptarja Albania- Independent media-group based in Tirana All the news |
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Athens Live Greece- Independent media, on-the-ground source for stories, news, and images from Athens and throughout Greece. All the news |
Vijesti Montenegro- The main daily newspaper in Montenegro. It has both a paper and an on-line version. It started its publications in 1997 All the news |
Former partner of the network (2015-2016): The Press Project Greece- Daily on-line news provider on Greece. Specialized in features and analyses
All the news
The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom is co-funded by the European Commission
