A range of extra-legal policy mechanisms are used by those in power to prevent journalists from fulfilling their watchdog role in society. Examples from countries of South East Europe (SEE) where extra-legal policy mechanisms are deployed to stifle journalism
The 7th March 2017, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in coopearation with Partnership for Social Development held a public hearing in the European Parliament on “Media Clientelism Index: Measuring Media Realities in Six South East European Countries”
The tensions between the European Union and Russia are changing the ways in which the EU defines and combats hate-speech. Attention is growing on the role of Russian TVs in Eastern Europe
A campaign launched by conservative organization “In the name of the family” threatens to shut down the magazine Novosti, example of pluralism and quality journalism in Croatia
An OSCE conference on safety of the media in South-Eastern Europe adopted several recommendations, including the creation of a commission to investigate cases of murdered and missing journalists in Kosovo
A detailed and unique analysis of the right to access information in Turkey, where not only this right is not being upheld, but also the freedom of expression is heavily violated
All too often, institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina ignore requests for access to information, give only partial answers, or do not reply within the statutory deadline
An “effective and comprehensive European whistle-blower protection programme” should be proposed “immediately” by the EU Commission, urges European Parliament in a resolution voted on Tuesday
Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk confirmed that Hürriyet newspaper censored his interview in which he declared that he would vote “no” in constitutional amendment referendum
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, is encouraging Kosovo authorities to safeguard media freedom in the country following his four-day mission to Kosovo. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Journalist’s Association of Kosovo (AGK) welcome the preliminary conclusions
Serbia has one of the best laws in the world to guarantee public access to information. The problem is, the state does not respect its own laws. And the situation may get worse in the future
Montenegro adopted a law on free access to public information 7 years ago, but in many cases the information required is withheld, and no one is sanctioned
According to a study conducted by a local Ngo, Bulgarian institutions are gradually improving their transparency when publicising the acts they issue. Nevertheless, much remains to be done
In Bulgaria, local administrations spend large sums to "finance" the media, thus influencing their editorial line – a concerning situation, especially outside Sofia
‘Okruženje’, the first and only regional TV current affairs talk show in the Western Balkans, awarded with the prize for ‘2016 Media Initiative of the Year’ at the European Citizenship Awards
Even though there is a good institutional and legislative framework defending the right to access information of public interest, some crucial issues are still unresolved
For liberal democracy as we know it, the decline of professional journalism is certainly bad news — without it, vocal majorities dictate political decisions increasingly rooted in extreme, intolerant values
The massacre of journalists continues unabated. Probably, 2016 will be remembered as one of the bloodiest years of the last two decades. But it is very hard to gauge how many actually have lost their lives while they were engaged in spreading information of public interest, and thus exercising a fundamental right
All-out interview with Viktor Ivančić, one of the founders of the legendary weekly Feral Tribune. The media in Croatia, the Balkans, and former Yugoslavia. The risks for democracy
On 10 January, Greek police arrested the publisher and the director of Parapolitika newspaper, Giannis Kourtakis and Panayiotis Tzenos, following a lawsuit filed against them for libel and attempted extortion by Greek defense minister Panos Kammenos
After a journalist involved in the campaign against BIRN in Kosovo in 2009 said the ruling party had been behind the whole affair, the party has hit back calling the claim 'a fairytale'
The weekly "NIN" was fined "for damaging the reputation of Serbia's Minister of Interiors". A sentence that, warns CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks, could have negative impact on media freedom in the country
