Tom Gibson

Brussels / Gaza: International Federation of Journalists today launching the Palestinian Media Support Fund. Critical support needed for journalists on the ground. The Palestinian media community must be given the protection, space and means to survive.

Still no EU action on Israel, despite Gaza famine Israel will not face any EU sanctions despite creating famine in Gaza, massacring 63,000 people, and declaring the end of the two-state solution.

Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Latvia are blocking EU action on Gaza. Our efforts as a press freedom community need to be with journalists and activists in these countries. We need full or partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers will discuss Gaza tomorrow in Copenhagen. They all know the horror that is taking place. The EU can have significant influence over Israel by partially or fully suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It must act. cpj.org/wp-content/u...

Audio Recording Reveals United Group and Telekom Srbija CEOs Discussing Undermining Serbian Broadcaster The CEOs discussed removing the chief executive of a United Group subsidiary that owns N1, a Serbian TV channel that has documented nine months of anti-government protests.

Serbia: disturbing report from OCCRP about the government allegedly seeking to silence an independent media outlet covering the protests. www.occrp.org/en/news/audi.... With constant threats and attacks against journalists, press freedom in Serbia is getting worse each week.

Press freedom activists now meeting in Brussels to denounce killings of journalists in Palestine and call for an end to impunity. Failure of the EU to stand up to Israel is a shameful stain on the bloc’s human rights record.

US blasts Slovakia over media freedom backsliding - The Slovak Spectator US blasts Slovakia over media freedom backsliding

The Slovak Spectator reports on the Slovakia entry for the US State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights Practices. Now that the EU's European Media Freedom Act is in force, and the recess is over, does the European Commission have remedial action in mind?

spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...

Ursula von der Leyen faces no-confidence vote over Pfizergate Far-right motion relating to pandemic scandal threatens to derail European Commission president’s second-term agenda

The Pfizergate, which directly concerns journalism as it is about news transparency and access to public interest information, is not going away www.ft.com/content/8162... @gpaccardo.bsky.social @at-tgibson.bsky.social @molenews1.bsky.social

CPJ, other groups urge Greece to create national plan to fight press attacks - Committee to Protect Journalists On July 16, CPJ and nine other organizations wrote to the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about reforms needed to address ongoing media freedom concerns in the country.  The letter notes the ...

CPJ and others have written to PM Mitsotakis about media reforms in Greece.
cpj.org/2025/07/cpj-...

The letter notes the persistence of serious concerns.

The authorities now need to respond in a way which builds trust amongst everyone in the journalist community that real change will happen.

CPJ welcomes Tuesday’s order to release Atlanta-based Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested while livestreaming a protest in an Atlanta suburb on June 14, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, on bond.

Read more⤵️
cpj.org/2025/07/atla...

🟥 The @europarl.europa.eu adopted a resolution condemning the detention of Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli (Batumelebi&Netgazeti co-founder) as politically motivated. It calls for her immediate release, denounces media crackdown in #Georgia & urges sanctions on those responsible.
#FreeMzia

Fighting spyware - Journalism, litigation and policy after the Pegasus Scandal - European Digital Rights (EDRi) EDRi, ECNL and Lighthouse Reports are excited to launch a series of online sessions to facilitate collaboration and information sharing between journalists and civil society.

Join CPJ’s EU deputy advocacy director Tom Gibson for a panel, “Fighting spyware – Journalism, litigation and policy after the Pegasus Scandal,” about how collective action across journalism, civil society + legal actors can push back against spyware use.

🗓️6/18 | 2:30-4PM CET

Today’s letter by CPJ to Commission President von der Leyen and High Representative Kallas requesting the full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in advance of the Foreign Affairs Council on June 23. The EU has leverage and it must uphold international law.

cpj.org/2025/06/cpj-...

Gaza’s journalists are starved into silence. The EU’s neutrality is complicity. If the bloc truly stands by the values it claims to champion, now is the moment to show it.

Gaza’s journalists are starved into silence. The EU’s neutrality is complicity. Writes CPJ's Sara Qudah: www.politico.eu/article/war-...

CPJ and global media leaders call for urgent, unrestricted access to Gaza for journalists - Committee to Protect Journalists New York, June 5, 2025—More than 120 global leaders of news and press freedom organizations called on world leaders, governments, and international institutions on Thursday to act immediately to ensur...

More than 120 global leaders of news and press freedom organizations call on world leaders, governments, and international institutions to act immediately to ensure journalists from outside Gaza are given immediate, independent access. cpj.org/2025/06/cpj-...

‘Murder weapon’: Hunger ravages Gaza journalists under Israeli siege - Committee to Protect Journalists New York, May 28, 2025—After 19 months of war and Israel’s 11-week total blockade on food, water, fuel, cooking gas, medical supplies, and emergency aid into Gaza, hunger and famine threaten not just ...

Journalists bare witness. CPJ feature: ‘Murder weapon’: Hunger ravages Gaza journalists under Israeli siege. cpj.org/2025/05/murd...

EU must make media reforms a reality in European Democracy Shield - Committee to Protect Journalists May 27, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the European Commission to call on member states to provide both financing and political will to defend media freedom as it moves forward with i...

Journalism in Europe is in crisis. Disinformation is threatening our democratic processes. It is good that Brussels is intervening with the upcoming European Democracy Shield. But existing EU press freedom reforms need 1) political will from member states, and 2)financing. cpj.org/2025/05/eu-m...

Robert Peston leads Jewish journalists' call for media access into Gaza Robert Peston leads new open letter urging access for foreign journalists into Gaza through Israel and Egypt.

A group of Jewish UK journalists have issued a call for Israel and Egypt to allow foreign media into Gaza. "To suggest that the safety of journalists cannot be guaranteed is not a reason to deny access. These risks are for them to manage"
pressgazette.co.uk/news/robert-... @at-tgibson.bsky.social

Georgia: On the 24th anniversary of Gazeti Batumelebi, IPI renews Its call for the release of director and founder Mzia Amaglobeli – ipi.media On this day, we express our full solidarity with Gazeti Batumelebi and renew our call for the immediate release of Mzia Amaglobeli.

ipi.media/georgia-on-t...

BBC returns to Gaza baby left hungry by Israeli blockade Malnourished five-month-old baby Siwar is now out of hospital in Gaza - but as we found, she and her family are struggling.

Heart-breaking report on children in Gaza. Journalists should play a key role in bringing these stories to the outside world; yet international journalists are blocked from entering. www.bbc.com/news/article...

EU decision on Israel must turn into action, CPJ says - Committee to Protect Journalists New York, May 20, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Tuesday’s decision by European Union foreign ministers to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which sets out the EU’s legal...

Yesterday’s decision to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement is way too late. A review must now be carried out swiftly and EU member states must be ready to finally hold Israel to account for its unprecedented attack on press freedom and abuses of international law. cpj.org/2025/05/eu-d...

Közös nyilatkozatban tiltakozik az „átláthatósági” törvény ellen 22 ország 85 főszerkesztője és kiadóvezetője Olyan nagy médiumok vezetői is aláírták a kiállást, mint a brit Guardian, az osztrák ORF vagy a lengyel Gazeta Wyborcza.

Editors, newsroom leaders protest against Hungary's soon to be adopted 'foreign agent' law, first of its kind imitating Russia legislation law in an EU country. 85 editors-in-chief and publishing executives from 22 countries: 444.hu/2025/05/20/k...

Hungary’s Russian-style ‘foreign agent’ bill threatens remaining independent media - Committee to Protect Journalists Brussels, May 15, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on European Union leaders to unequivocally and immediately condemn Hungary’s proposed “foreign agent” law, which would grant its gover...

Keep your eyes on Hungary: Viktor Orban seems set on eliminating the independent media before next year's elections. EU leaders need to work out what to do with such autocracy in the heart of the EU. cpj.org/2025/05/hung...

Spyware victims not allowed to testify at MEP event Victims of mercenary spyware were not allowed to give testimony in the European Parliament's civil liberties committee.

The EPP should feel shame that Italian victims of spyware cannot be represented in the European Parliament. euobserver.com/rule-of-law/.... Victims should always be centre of the debate.

CPJ, partners condemn Saudi Arabia's press freedom record ahead of Trump's visit - Committee to Protect Journalists Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia on May 13, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 15 other human rights organizations condemned the kingdom’s deteriorating press freedom...

cpj.org/2025/05/cpj-...

« Une Turquie stable, démocratique et laïque n’est pas un luxe, c’est une nécessité » TRIBUNE. Après avoir été silencieuse face au chantage d’Erdogan sur les réfugiés, l’Union européenne doit faire preuve de solidarité avec les dissidents et les démocrates turcs, exhorte Mustafa Kuleli...

www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...

What tomorrow's Pfizergate ruling means for Europe Three things you need to know about the case that has rocked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s leadership

www.ftm.eu/articles/pfi...

Pope Leo urges release of imprisoned journalists in first news conference It comes after the pontiff appealed for

www.bbc.com/news/live/c5...

Fast and Furious: The U.S. Crackdown on Press Freedom Amidst Global Autocracy Join the Committee to Protect Journalists for a discussion providing insights into what is happening in the U.S. and how it aligns with other countries where autocratic leaders have diminished the pre...

Brussels folks: Come to the CPJ event “Fast and Furious: The U.S. Crackdown on Press Freedom Amidst Global Autocracy” where we review the first 100 days of Trump and its global ramifications. Brussels Press Club 12:30. Lunch at midday for those who RSVP. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Alarm bells: Trump's first 100 days ramp up fear for the press, democracy - Committee to Protect Journalists Executive summary The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been marked by a flurry of executive actions that have created a chilling effect and have the potential to curtail media freedoms....

cpj.org/special-repo...

2025 World Press Photo Contest: Winners revealed A Palestinian child coping with amputation and a young Ukrainian girl traumatised by war are among the winning images.

www.bbc.com/news/article...