Media Freedom Rapid Response

The MFRR webinar “Media Freedom Through Transnational Lenses” offers in-depth analysis of the state of journalism in Montenegro and North Macedonia. The full discussion is now available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYuLz4kHiis

To mark the UN’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, MFRR hosts a webinar on 4 November exploring Serbia’s deteriorating press freedom and the rising attacks on journalists. Join us next Tuesday: https://ow.ly/VuwP50XjE6Z

Report: Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform While Bulgaria has experienced modest progress on media freedom in the last four years, the situation remains undermined by persistent structural, legal and political challenges, with urgent action ne...

⚡ Fragile progress on media freedom in Bulgaria is under threat.

A new report by @mediafreedomeu.bsky.social and @coemediafreedom.bsky.social warns that without urgent reform, backsliding is inevitable.

Read the full findings and recommendations below 👇
www.mfrr.eu/report-fragi...

🇷🇸 In #Serbia, media freedom has been rapidly declining amid ongoing protests. Join the webinar hosted by @mediafreedomeu.bsky.social to examine how censorship, intimidation, and attacks have reshaped Serbia’s media landscape.
Sign up here 👉 buff.ly/ahgQUXc

One year on: Media freedom and journalist safety in Serbia Join the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) webinar on 4 November marking one year since Serbia’s Novi Sad tragedy and nationwide protests.

📣To mark the anniversary of the tragedy in Novi Sad, we will discuss how the govt's efforts to stifle protests and control information fuel growing attacks on the media in 🇷🇸 #Serbia.

🗓️4.11 ⏰14:00 CET

Register now: www.mfrr.eu/one-year-on-...

@mediafreedomeu.bsky.social

Serbia’s media has faced intimidation, censorship, and violence since 2024’s Novi Sad tragedy. On 4 Nov, MFRR brings together journalists to assess the state of press freedom one year on.

Register for the webinar: https://www.mfrr.eu/one-year-on-media-freedom-and-journalist-safety-in-serbia/

The MFRR webinar on media freedom in Montenegro and North Macedonia is now online. Experts discuss reforms, political influence, disinformation, and what these developments mean for EU accession. Watch the full recording: https://youtu.be/VYuLz4kHiis

🌍 Stay updated with the Media Freedom Rapid Response YouTube channel. Dive into webinars and videos on journalist safety, media freedom, and global journalistic challenges.

🔗 youtube.com/@mediafreedomrapidresponse/videos

Report it - Mapping Media Freedom

Stand up for media freedom ✏️

If you witness any press freedom violations, don't stay silent. Hit the link and use our quick "Report It" form.

Your voice matters!
https://www.mappingmediafreedom.org/report-it/

Support Offered by MFRR The MFRR offers tangible and frontline support to journalists and media workers in EU member states and candidate countries who are at risk from their work.

🛡️ The MFRR consortium stands strong in its commitment to safeguard journalists and media workers across EU member states and candidate countries. From legal defence to emergency support, we are here to ensure their safety in the face of diverse threats.
https://www.mfrr.eu/support/

#Albania: IPI welcomes response by Speaker of Parliament to recent joint letter which raised alarm over proposals to restrict journalists’ access to parliament. We now urge government to meet with journalist in Albania directly to discuss the issue.

buff.ly/cda5OHW

Outcome Report "Enhancing Protection of Journalists under Severe Political Pressure" In an increasingly hostile environment for independent journalism, journalists under severe political pressure (JUSPP), particularly those in exile, represent the most vulnerable segment of the media landscape in the OSCE region. Having left their home countries under threat of harassment, imprisonment, or physical danger despite relocation, these journalists often continue to remain targets of transnational repression, facing digital attacks and being subject to digital surveillance, legal harassment, pressure on their family members, including those left behind in home countries, and...

Even in exile, many journalists remain under attack.

The OSCE’s new report on protecting journalists under severe political pressure features ECPMF’s legal insights on relocation and safety.
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/597612

Kosovo fails to form a government and heads towards early elections After months of political stalemate, Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti has failed to win the confidence of the Pristina parliament. The only way out is to call voters back to the polls

#Kosovo now risks heading into new elections without an approved budget for the coming year and with millions of euros in foreign funds at stake due to the Assembly’s failure to ratify international agreements

Meloni's Italy puts media freedom under pressure, regardless of EU rules – ipi.media This article is part of a series published by IPI and written by expert guest contributors from across Europe on different threats facing media freedom and independent journalism. The views of the…

#Italy: In a guest article for IPI, Francesca De Benedetti examines the recent car bomb attack and spyware cases agaisnt journalists in Italy, and wider pressures on #mediafreedom under the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Read the article👇

buff.ly/s0qX3q8

From censorship to physical attacks, the environment for journalists in Serbia has deteriorated sharply. Join MFRR’s 4 Nov webinar examining the causes and consequences of this decline: https://www.mfrr.eu/one-year-on-media-freedom-and-journalist-safety-in-serbia/

YouTube video by Media Freedom Rapid Response Freedom of Information in Europe

FOI laws promise transparency. In practice, they often deliver silence.

Experts from Hungary, Ukraine and Malta unpack the reality behind Europe’s access to information 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXA6...

📸 We’re in Vienna this week for the 2025 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival #IPIWoCo25 — “Defending the Future of Free Media.”

Proud to join our consortium partner @globalfreemedia.bsky.social and journalists worldwide to strengthen press freedom and solidarity!

11. Yargı Paketi’ndeki LGBTI+ karşıtı hüküm kabul edilirse, LGBTI+ topluluğunu haberleştiren gazeteciler cezai sorumlulukla yüz yüze kalacak. Bu, #MedyaÖzgürlüğüne ve ifade hürriyetine açık bir tehdittir. Hükmün derhal geri çekilmesini talep ediyoruz: https://ow.ly/7qwe50XhvcP

👉 We are starting in 5 minutes!

Join us: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xl2KPJDUSD2DiaPPOTqreA#/registration

Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli will receive Sakharov Prize The EPP Group is happy to learn that Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli, journalists from Belarus and Georgia, will be jointly awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, following the nomination by t...

We are thrilled to learn that journalists Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia and Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus will be awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought!
https://www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/andrzej-poczobut-and-mzia-amaglobeli-will-receive-sakharov-prize

Freedom of Information (FOI) in Europe – What is the state of Freedom of Information (FOI) in Europe, and what challenges do journalists encounter when seeking access to government data? This webinar will explore the importance of Freedom of Information/Access to Information (FOI/ATI) for journalists in Europe. In theory, most European countries have laws in place that ensure journali...

Transparency is not optional in a democracy.

Join our webinar on #FOI in Europe on 22 Oct to examine how journalists navigate restrictive systems and push for openness. Speakers from Germany, Hungary, Ukraine, and Malta will discuss the realities behind FOI frameworks.
www.mfrr.eu/webinar-free...