Balkan Free Media Initiative

Tackling “TikTokcracy” in the Balkans — Balkan Free Media Initiative Tackling “TikTokcracy” in the Balkans 📌 The discussion will examine how algorithmic influence operations intersect with fragile media ecosystems to shape democratic outcomes across the Balkans and ...

Join EU leaders, journalists & tech experts in Brussels for the launch of the TikTokcracy Report, exposing how platforms shape elections & public trust across Europe.

Opening remarks:
President of the EP
bit.ly/49du6u9

Horizon Europe applications are skyrocketing. Surge in proposals coincides with rising use of generative AI tools. Proposals appear to have been written entirely by AI, raising new questions about authenticity, quality, and the shifting nature of academic competition.

Orbán’s media playbook in the Balkans: A critical test for EU Media Freedom Act A roundtable organised by the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI), a Brussels-based organisation addressing media ...

Orbán’s media playbook in the Balkans: A critical test for EU Media Freedom Act eualive.net/orbans-media...

🎯 Registrations are now open!
📢 Online Roundtable: “Hungarian media investment in the Balkans: a test for Europe’s media law”

#MediaFreedom #EMFA #EU #Balkans #BFMIEvents #RuleOfLaw @at-tgibson.bsky.social @eualive.bsky.social

EU’s new media law could succeed in the Balkans – if Brussels has the courage to enforce it The Balkans’ media ecosystems are crippled by political capture, opaque ownership, disinformation networks, and the ...

EU’s new media law could succeed in the Balkans – if Brussels has the courage to enforce it eualive.net/eus-new-medi... An opinion by @antoinettenikol.bsky.social @bfmi.bsky.social

Why the Balkans Are the EU’s Weakest Link in Defending Democracy — Balkan Free Media Initiative Media freedom is under attack in EU candidate countries, with disinformation, foreign influence, and democratic backsliding on the rise. A key EU hearing highlights the urgent need for stronger suppor...

The EU is fighting an algorithmic war with analogue instincts.
And it’s losing.

📰 A thoughtful and timely piece by our colleague Vanessa Valcheva on 👉 "The Balkans Are the EU’s Blind Spot in the Fight for Democracy"
Well worth the read → bit.ly/3H79rMt
#Balkans #MediaFreedom #EU

Congratulations to our Georgi Gotev, on the launch of EUalive. It’s inspiring to see his continued commitment to independent journalism. We wish him all the best in this exciting new venture and look forward to the positive impact it will have on the media landscape. Best of luck!

BFMI Joins Forces with Out Loud Foundation for Erasmus+ Youth Project — Balkan Free Media Initiative Out Loud Foundation and BFMI Sign Strategic Agreement for Youth Media Literacy Project under Erasmus+

Imagine a platform where teens don’t just scroll—they question, create, and lead.
📢 That’s the vision behind our latest partnership with the Out Loud Foundation (Bulgaria) for the Erasmus+ project S.C.R.O.L.L. Read more: bit.ly/bfmi-scroll
#ErasmusPlus

My colleagues and our broadcasts, devoted to telling America’s story to the world — honestly, fairly and with an unwavering commitment to the truth​, are being silenced this weekend […]

[Original post on journa.host]

The closure of RFERL after 75 years is a devastating loss for independent journalism and those who rely on it for truth in closed societies.Silencing one of the last beacons of free information is a gift to autocrats.A decision like this doesn’t just weaken the free press but the democracy itself.

🔴 Vučić vs. Serbia’s Youth: Fear, Repression, and Censorship
The Serbian police just used a LRAD sonic cannon against the student protesters in Belgrade while they were holding their 15 minutes of silence.
#Vučić #FreeSpeech #YouthUnderAttack #Serbia #FreedomToProtest

Defunding Disinformation in the Balkans:

A new study by BFMI and @CRTArs finds that global brands are funding media outlets that spread pro-Kremlin #disinformation in 🇷🇸&🇧🇬 exacerbating the fragile political situation in the #Balkans.

Download here ⤵️
balkanfreemedia.org/research