Logo del progetto Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR)

 

Press and media freedoms are increasingly at risk. After its first edition (March 2020-March 2021), the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) has been confirmed for the third year, this time covering a period of 18 months, from May 2022 till November 2023: it monitors violations in all EU Member States and Candidate Countries and documents them on the Mapping Media Freedom platform. 

Furthermore, the MFRR provides practical and direct support to journalists and media workers who are at risk due to their work through emergency funds, legal aid, training, and shelter programmes. MFRR partners also carry out advocacy missions and awareness-raising campaigns to secure a wider engagement in European civil society with issues related to press and media freedom.

Within the project, OBCT makes further use of its Resource Centre on Media Freedom to support evidence-informed policymaking and advocacy, and supports QCode Mag in managing the programme Journalists-in-Residence Milan.


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OBCT news on media and journalism

INTERVIEW Digital security in Serbia: another challenge to media freedom

Serena Epis | 22/7/2024

Media outlets in the country are increasingly exposed to cyber attacks, online threats and manipulations. We talked about digital security and its impact on independent journalism in Serbia with Bojan Perkov, digital policy coordinator at SHARE Foundation

INTERVIEW Media in Montenegro

Podgorica | Sava Mirković | 10/7/2024

After the dissolution of Yugoslavia and a transition period, in Montenegro - now a candidate country for EU membership - the evolution of the media landscape continued in parallel with the attempts to accelerate democratic developments. Interview with Mihailo Jovović, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper Vijesti

Kosovo: Dangerous attack by MP Dimal Basha on ECPMF’S Senior legal advisor Flutura Kusari

| 1/7/2024

The Media Freedom Rapid Response Partners (MFRR) strongly condemn Lëvizja Vetëvendosje MP Dimal Basha’s abusive speech against ECPMF Senior legal advisor Flutura Kusari during a speech in the Kosovo parliament. Kusari, found herself singled out in a personal attack aimed at silencing the prominent activist, and resulting in a wave of online abuse and sex-based insults

INTERVIEW Albania: freedom of the press crushed by the weight of politics

Luisa Chiodi | 28/6/2024

Almost non-existent professional ethics, capture of the media by politics and financial unsustainability are just some of the main issues that make the Albanian media landscape particularly alarming. An interview

Media Freedom Mission to Romania questions fairness of electoral coverage

redazione | 27/6/2024

Urgent reform of political funding for ‘press and propaganda’ needed to end media dependency on political parties

Italy: MFRR open letter to the President of the European Parliament and the President of the European Commission

| 25/6/2024

MFRR partner organisations sent a letter to President Metsola and President von der Leyen to express serious concerns about the declining media freedom in Italy and bring to their attention the findings of the recent advocacy mission to Rome

ANALYSIS Transnistria “under blockade”

Giorgio Comai | 13/6/2024

A media analysis of Transnistria’s main news agency and TV station shows just how insistently local media and politicians talk about being “under blockade”. The expression is exceedingly dramatic. But Chișinău should do more to allay immediate and pragmatic concerns of local residents

INTERVIEW Serbia: media independence is an exception rather than the rule

Serena Epis | 13/6/2024

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 

As part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response project, OBCT organised on 17 October 2023 an international conference aimed at unpacking the nexus between rule of law, media and democracy.
Here you can find all the materials and video recordings of the event

Events:

SLAPPs against the media in Europe: is the EU response sufficient and what remains to be done?

22 Apr 2023 | Incontro | Perugia

The objective of the panel co-organized by ARTICLE 19 Europe and OBC Transeuropa, as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response Mechanism, is to highlight the phenomenon of SLAPPs at the national level and unpack the anti-SLAPP developments at the European level

MFRR Summit 2023: Press Freedom on the Line

29 Mar 2023 - 31 Mar 2023 | Summit | Online

Reflecting the MFRR’s core campaign areas, the online conference will host in-depth discussions on journalist safety, media capture, the rule of law, and SLAPPs. Hosted on Zoom for interactive participation, and simultaneously livestreamed on the MFRR YouTube channel, the summit will feature a range of panel discussions, live interviews, and keynote speeches with journalists, media freedom experts, policy-makers, and other stakeholders all working to defend press freedom in Europe

MFRR Summit 2022 - Boosting Press Freedom

22 Mar 2022 - 24 Mar 2022 | Conferenza | Online

La conferenza annuale del progetto Media Freedom Rapid Response, una tre giorni online aperta dalla vicepresidente della Commissione Europea e da un discorso di Roberto Saviano

MFRR Summit

17 Mar 2021 - 20 Mar 2021 | online

(Conferenza finale del primo anno di Media Freedom Rapid Response, con giornalisti, esperti, rappresentanti della Commissione Europea. Quattro giorni di eventi e dibattiti)

Media freedom is in jeopardy but there is no democracy in Europe without a free press in Europe

Between 17th and 20th March, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), which monitors and tracks media freedom violations, will bring together leading journalists from over 13 countries and representatives of press freedom organisations, unions and journalist bodies to discuss key threats and trends that underpin threats to media freedom across Europe

Chi ha paura dei giornalisti? Il report MFRR Italia

11 May 2022 | online | online

In occasione della pubblicazione del report sulla Missione Italia, il consorzio MFRR propone un momento di discussione sugli esiti della tre giorni di ricognizione tenuta dalla delegazione agli inizi di aprile

MFRR in Focus: Europe

4 Oct 2021 | WEBINAR | online

In questo appuntamento online, che avrà cadenza bimestrale, i partner del consorzio Media Freedom Rapid Response presentano le questioni più urgenti che minacciano il giornalismo in Europa, negli Stati membri e nei paesi candidati

MFRR in Focus 6

24 May 2022 | online

Per l'appuntamento mensile con il webinar di MFRR, OBCT ha realizzato un'intervista a una videomaker freelance di GVpress: Cristina Pantaleoni, incontrata a Roma durante la missione Italia di MFRR, racconta le difficoltà dei videogiornalisti durante gli scontri con manifestanti e polizia

MFRR in Focus 5

15 Mar 2022 | Webinar | Online

Il quinto episodio del webinar mensile di MFRR si concentra sulle questioni di genere nel giornalismo, dedicando una puntata alle donne, a una settimana dalla Giornata Internazionale dell'8 marzo / The 5th edition of the MFRR monthly webinar focuses on women journalists, a week after International Women's Day

Dossier

OBC Transeuropa -as member of the Media Freedom Rapid Response consortium- conducted a research on the needs of European journalists and the gaps in support mechanisms. From verbal harassment against media operators to groundless legal charges, what can be done to tackle these issues

2021

Authors: Maria Francesca Rita, Sofia Verza, Luisa Chiodi

Language: English

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Other OBCT projects on media freedom

The project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) aims to protect press freedom and to promote transnational public debate on violations registered in the European Union, the Enlargement and the Eastern Partnership countries. In 2018, the project enters its fourth year of activity thanks to the renewed support by the European Commission.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) brings together different European entities working in support of media freedom - the Media Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig , initiator of the ECPMF based in Leipzig; the two monitoring centres Oxygen for Information  (Rome) and South East Europe Media Organisation  (Vienna); Journalismfund.eu (Brussels); and the Institute of European Media Law  (Saarbrücken).

Press freedom and freedom of expression have a crucial role for the functioning of democratic societies. Despite this, in Europe journalists are threatened, censured or intimidated and this affects the citizens' right to information. OBC, together with SEEMO , Ossigeno Informazione , Professor Eugenia Siapera  (Dublin City University) and a broad network of media partners in 11 European countries, devoted a year to studying the challenges to press freedom and the needs of journalists in Italy, South East Europe and Turkey. The project "Safety Net for European Journalists. A Transnational Network Support for Media Freedom in Italy and South-east Europe" is co-financed by the European Union. 

 

 

 

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) started in March 2020 as a one-year pilot project co-funded by the European Commission.