Betting and gambling companies have gained enormous influence in Bulgaria and Romania. Not only on the people who slip into gambling addiction, but also on the media, which suffer from their economic power. New laws seek to contain this influence, but their impact is unclear
Today the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) express concern at the critical financial situation facing Radio-Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT)
The SafeJournalists network, Media Freedom Rapid Response partners, and Coalition for Media Freedom condemn the growing pressure on Serbian journalists, recently exemplified by a physical attack on journalist Vuk Cvijić, and the demand for prison sentences for the journalists of the media outlets KRIK and Pištaljka. We call on the authorities to prioritise addressing the rise in attacks against the press and to genuinely commit to improving the safety of journalists
On the 20th anniversary of the murder of Montenegrin journalist Duško Jovanović, OBCT joins partners in the SafeJournalists Network and the Media Freedom Rapid Response in calling for stronger action from the authorities
Following the temporary interruption of RTV Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina television and radio programs on May 8 2024, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners denounce the irresponsible political management that violates citizens' right to freedom of information
The public service in Bosnia and Herzegovina is in increasingly dire straits. In the absence of real reform, the lack of a sustainable financing mechanism has caused tensions to explode between two of the three public broadcasters
OBCT joins international media freedom, free expression, and journalist organisations in calling on authorities in North Macedonia to cease harassment of Furkan Saliu
The growing pressure on press freedom in Italy has prompted the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium to organize an urgent mission to Rome on May 16 and 17. The unprecedented political interference in the public service media, the increasing cases of vexatious lawsuits against journalists, and the possible sale of the AGI news agency will be the focus of the two-day visit. Meetings will be held with institutional stakeholders, journalists, trade unions and civil society
Turkey: OBC Transeuropa and 26 press freedom and human rights organizations vehemently condemn the arrest of three Kurdish journalists last week and the alarming surge in harassment of Kurdish journalists.
In 2021, then opposition leader Giorgia Meloni sued Roberto Saviano for defamation. Last October, the Rome Criminal Court issued a sentence against the Italian writer. A ruling that alarmed Italian and European civil society. We had a conversation about it with Antonio Nobile, Saviano's lawyer
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)
Over 70 international organisations and media, including the Media Freedom Rapid Response, signed a petition in support of three journalists from the daily newspaper Domani who risk up to nine years in prison. While the European Media Freedom Act promises to strengthen the protection of journalistic sources, in Italy investigative journalism risks being turned into a crime
Media freedom advocates condemn 25 years of impunity for journalist Slavko Ćuruvija’s murder, shot in front of his home in Belgrade, and underscore the urgent need for authorities to act and protect press freedom in Serbia
The recent angry attack by the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama against a journalist has brought the constant pressure and intimidation that the power in Albania exerts on the media and media professionals back under the spotlight
Last week saw the presentation in Brussels of "PULSE. Europe beyond the beat", an ambitious project coordinated by OBCT aimed at making collaboration among European newsrooms a tool to harness the coverage of European affairs
OBCT shares media freedom partner organisations' concerns on the the escalation of threats and violence suffered by journalists in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, and urges competent authorities to promptly investigate these cases
The partners from the MFRR consortium published the latest edition of the Monitoring Report which documents press and media freedom violations from January to December 2023
In view of the upcoming political and presidential elections, the Macedonian government has reintroduced forms of public funding for the media. However, the country's media organisations argue that the move may aggravate the influence of political interests on news outlets
OBCT, as part of the EU Media Advocacy Working Group, welcomes the adoption of the European Media Freedom Act by the European Parliament and calls for an effective implementation of the new regulation
The human rights commission of the Council of Europe publishes a memorandum denouncing the Anatolian country's extreme hostility towards freedom of expression and towards journalists, human rights defenders and civil society
OBCT and MFRR partners note with concern that Italian press freedom has fallen under renewed pressure. We call for the preliminary investigation of three Domani journalists to be immediately dropped, and we urge Italian authorities to respect the confidentiality of journalistic sources in line with international and European press freedom standards
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
According to a recent study, public discourse in North Macedonia is saturated with toxic narratives: these are spread not only by political parties and characters, but also by the media, often incapable of carrying out their role as a filter and guarantor towards the public
The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe welcomes the adoption of the Anti-SLAPP Directive in the European Parliament. This directive sets the minimum standards for protecting public watchdogs against abusive litigation in the form of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation
Dealing with organised crime and risking your life, needing police protection just to be able to do your job and live your everyday life. Jelena Jovanović, journalist from the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, explains what it is like to live under police protection
