Missions

Working with its partners, the MFRR consortium carries out fact-finding, rapid response, and advocacy missions in the EU member states and candidate countries. These missions gather first-hand information on threats to journalists and to press and media freedom, strengthen cooperation with local partners, and support direct engagement with national authorities and EU-level policymakers. Each mission is documented through public reports and recommendations, which inform sustained advocacy and feed into the MFRR’s legal, safety, and practical support for journalists at risk.

Turkey: 7th International press freedom mission

November 2025

This seventh international press freedom mission to Türkiye, held in Ankara from 24 to 26 November 2025, was led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and included Amnesty International, ARTICLE 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) as part of Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).

During the visit, the delegation held meetings with the Turkish Constitutional Court, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, several foreign diplomatic missions, and representatives of Türkiye’s political landscape, including MPs from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM). The mission also met with the Association of Journalists in Ankara as well as members of the broader journalism community.

Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform

September 2025

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 needed by government and public authorities to push forward both domestic and EU-mandated reforms.

These are the key findings of a media freedom report published today following a three-day joint fact-finding mission to the country between 24-26 September by the partner organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR).

The full report – Bulgaria: Fragile media freedom progress in Bulgaria at risk of backsliding without urgent reform – is available to download.

Reforms without Protection: The Shrinking Space for Journalism in Croatia

May 2025

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium today publishes an updated report on the state of media freedom in Croatia following an advocacy mission to Zagreb between 19 to 21 May 2025.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the government’s progress in implementing recommendations made following the MFRR online fact-finding mission in September 2024, and to identify new and emerging threats to media freedom and independent journalism.

During the three-day visit, the delegation engaged with a diverse range of stakeholders, including journalists, publishers, media leaders, representatives from journalist associations and unions, and key institutional actors such as the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, and the Agency for Electronic Media, among others.

As outlined in the mission press conference in Zagreb, the advocacy mission to Croatia revealed a gap in perceptions between government representatives and journalists on the ground. The mission observed that progress has been made in transposing the Anti-SLAPP directive and establishing a database for the transparency of media ownership, alongside the implementation of government safety protocols for journalists and training within newsrooms, as emphasised by the government.

Serbia: Media freedom in a state of emergency

April 2025

On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today shares alarming findings about the deteriorating state of press and media freedom in Serbia. The MFRR solidarity mission to Belgrade and Novi Sad, conducted on 7-9 April, alongside ongoing monitoring, revealed a state of emergency – one that demands urgent attention and action from national authorities and the EU.

Although the media freedom crisis has persisted for years, the reporting of the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad canopy railway has led to ever-increasing pressure on journalists across Serbia, including young media professionals and journalism students.

From censorship, political pressure, increasing media capture, relentless smear campaigns, and abusive lawsuits and daily threats to their lives, media workers face a hostile environment where perpetrators – including state authorities and government officials – act with total impunity. Investigations into threats, when opened, are rarely efficient, let alone concluded, and serve more as box-ticking exercises than genuine efforts to deliver justice and protect journalists.

Slovakia: New report highlights growing media freedom crisis

November 2024

Media freedom in Slovakia is facing a deep crisis, serving as a critical test case for the European Union’s commitment to safeguarding media freedom and democratic values, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partner organisations warn today in a new report.

The MFRR report – which can be downloaded here – concludes that since the re-election of populist leader Robert Fico and the formation of a new government in October 2023, the environment for freedom of expression, media pluralism and independent journalism has become increasingly hostile.

Journalists have been subjected to legal harassment, intimidation, smear campaigns and verbal abuse. Meanwhile, the SMER-led coalition government disbanded the public broadcaster (RTVS) replacing it with a new legal entity (STVR) thereby enabling it to replace the leadership and to exercise disproportionate influence over its editorial content.

Turkey Mission 2024

Media Freedom on Ice: Judicial harassment, regulatory censorship and the looming threat of the espionage act

November 2024

A joint mission by leading press freedom organisations – International Press Institute (IPI), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – conducted a thorough assessment of Turkey’s press freedom situation in November 2024.

The mission paid particular attention to the controversial “agent of influence” bill, which would allow courts to increase prison sentences by 3-7 years for individuals deemed to have acted “against state interests” while “aligned with foreign organisations. The bill is an amendment to the espionage act and, with its vague terms, could effectively enable the courts to treat any journalist with international connections as a spy.

While acknowledging some positive Constitutional Court rulings, the mission highlighted severe ongoing challenges including persistent judicial harassment of journalists, ongoing violence against media workers, extensive online censorship, and discriminatory regulatory practices by the broadcast regulator RTÜK. The proposed “agent of influence” bill poses additional threats to journalists working with international organisations.

Depoliticizing Poland’s Media landscape: Assessing the progress of media reform in 2024

October 2024

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today calls for more ambitious media reforms as it published its report ‘Depoliticizing Poland’s Media Landscape: Assessing the Progress of Media Reform in 2024’.

The report is based on the media freedom mission to Poland, 16-17 September, where MFRR members met with a range of government and media stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing media and the challenge of media reform since the 2023 elections.

More ambitious reform needed to secure media freedom in Poland

September 2024

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium completed a two-day mission to Poland, 16-17 September, where it held meetings with the Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, the Ministry of Culture as well as journalists, publishers, regulators, media law experts.

The mission focused on measures to reform public service media, to protect journalists from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and proposals to reform the media landscape in line with the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).

The meetings discussed the changes within the public service media since the Civic Coalition led government of Donald Tusk used contested legal mechanisms to remove senior figures at the public broadcaster, Telewizja Polska S.A. (TVP), and end the control exercised over it by the former government of the Law and Justice party, PiS.

Media Freedom Mission to Romania questions fairness of electoral coverage

June 2024

Members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), after completing a mission to Bucharest, concluded that much of the media coverage of Romania’s electoral campaigns is seriously compromised by political capture and that media are failing to provide the fair and balanced political reporting necessary for the public to make informed electoral choices.

Romania also boasts some highly professional media outlets providing excellent political coverage. Those that do, either refuse political funds completely, or ensure that when they do accept them, the content is clearly marked and fully transparent.

The MFRR’s two-day mission to Romania, 17-18 June, was held just one week after the European and local elections had been held. With presidential elections due in September and parliamentary elections in December this year, the MFRR calls for an urgent reform of the system of party funding to remove political money from the media system.

Who is afraid of journalists? The MFRR Italy Mission Report

May 2024

On 11 May, partners of the MFRR launched the report of its fact-finding mission to Italy during a live event with journalists and media freedom stakeholders.

From 4 to 6 April 2022, a delegation of the MFRR was in Italy for a fact-finding mission focused on two main topics: defamation and future legislative developments against SLAPPs on one side and the safety of journalists and State protection measures on the other. In 3 days there were 8 meetings in 2 regions (Rome and Campania), with 11 MFRR participants.

The fact-finding mission provided the MFRR with an opportunity to assess the legislative delays that are preventing Parliament from responding to the repeated calls of the Constitutional Court in reforming defamation laws, and to get to know the coordinated State monitoring and protection system implemented in Italy for intimidation acts against journalists, a good practice mentioned in a recent Recommendation of the European Commission.

Media Freedom in Romania Ahead of Super Election Year

January 2024

Amidst Romania’s Super Election Year, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners unveil their latest mission report, delving into the pressing issues surrounding media freedom in the country.

Romania faces a year of intense political campaigning as the country organises European and local elections in June, presidential elections in September and parliamentary elections in December.

It is during elections that journalists face their greatest test. They must resist political pressure to report on political leaders, their programmes and their records in office to ensure the public can make informed decisions. They will come under the most intense scrutiny for signs of bias and the greatest pressure to exercise bias. Their ability to successfully exercise the journalistic mission will be crucial for ensuring free and fair elections.

Against this backdrop, the report offers a comprehensive examination of Romania’s media landscape through the lenses of media capture, legal obstacles, and journalists’ safety. It exposes the pervasive influence of political funds on media, advocating for strict limits on expenditure and the implementation of EU regulations on political advertising. Furthermore, it sheds light on the alarming trend of vexatious lawsuits targeting journalists, and the rising tide of online harassment facing them and their sources.

Turkey: Press freedom crisis deepens amid earthquake and national elections

October 2023

The latest MFRR report on Turkey details the findings of an international press freedom mission in October 2023. It focuses on the challenges facing independent and critical journalism in Turkey in 2023, a year marked by the tragic February earthquakes and the parliamentary and presidential elections in May.

The mission included meetings with editors, journalists, local civil society groups, Constitutional Court officials, broadcast regulator Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) members, and representatives of opposition political parties. The mission was convened by the International Press Institute (IPI) and was joined by representatives from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Stemming the Tide of Greek Media Freedom Decline

September 2023

Media freedom in Greece has experienced a clear period of deterioration in the last few years. In 2022 and 2023, the country ranked as the worst for media freedom in the European Union in the World Press Freedom Index. International press freedom groups have increasingly been warning about the most serious factors contributing to this decline, from the murder of a reporter and threats to journalists to spyware scandal and underlying issues regarding media pluralism and independent journalism. This erosion of media freedoms and the increasing attention of domestic and international media organisations sparked concern in Brussels and beyond and led to a number of initiatives from the Greek government led by the ruling New Democracy party to address the issue.

In this context, the partner organisations of the MFRR consortium, joined by Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, coordinated a mission to Greece in the wake of the 2023 election victory of New Democracy to take stock of the latest developments and assess the current state of media freedom and independent journalism.

This report provides a detailed analysis of the most serious challenges facing media freedom in Greece, exploring the four major systemic themes identified by the delegation. It also provides an assessment of the impact of different measures taken by the government in the last few years to try and address these issues, and offers the first international assessment of the work of the government’s Task Force for the safety of journalists, which was established in 2022 after a recommendation by the European Commission. The report also provides multiple detailed recommendations in each of the chapters to both the Greek government and journalists and media workers for steps that can be taken to achieve progress and further stem the tide of media freedom decline in the country.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Media Freedom in Survival Mode

September 2023

In its report published in November 2023, the European Commission expressed concerns about the key priority of freedom of expression, freedom of the media, as well as the protection of journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It points out a “backsliding” in media freedom, noting that legislative and political pressure have increased and intimidation and harassment towards journalists continued without appropriate institutional follow-up.

The international press freedom mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2023 broadly confirmed these observations. Overall, journalists in the country continue to operate in a suffocating environment and poor working conditions. The situation is particularly alarming in Republika Srpska (RS), Bosnia’s Serb entity, where President Milorad Dodik is steadily tightening the screws on independent media, using hostile rhetoric to denigrate journalists and stigmatise critical reporting.

What prompted the mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina was the reintroduction of criminal penalties for defamation in August 2023 in Republika Srpska, which caused an outcry among media freedom and journalists’ organisations. More problematic legislation was discussed in RS around the same time, including the so-called “foreign agent” law and a media law, although the content of the latter is yet to be revealed.

Meanwhile in the Sarajevo canton, a proposal of a regulation that would allow sanctions for the dissemination of “fake news” is currently pending. The ongoing financial crisis in the country’s public service broadcasters was also closely scrutinised.

These issues were discussed in detail with the MFRR partners and the different stakeholders met during the delegation’s visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This report presents the main findings of the mission in three key areas: the legislative initiatives, the safety of journalists, and the
public service media. It then outlines a set of recommendations to national and entity level authorities and the international community.

Poland: Media freedom at a crossroads: Journalism in Poland faces uncertain future ahead of election

September 2023

From 11-13 September 2023, an MFRR delegation consisting of representatives from ARTICLE 19 Europe, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), and International Press Institute travelled to Warsaw, Poland to assess the media freedom situation in the country ahead of crucial elections. The mission concluded that media and journalists in Poland are facing unprecedented challenges including legal threats, financial precarity, political pressure, regulatory capture and growing polarisation.

The mission report explores how media capture and the widespread use of vexatious lawsuits have been used to create a hostile climate for independent journalism that weakens media’s ability to contribute to free and fair elections.

Key findings include:

  • The public media have been fully converted into a propaganda arm of the ruling party.
  • The National Broadcasting Council, KRRiT, has abused its licensing powers to create business uncertainty and is applying arbitrary financial penalties to impose fear and self-censorship in newsrooms.
  • Media pluralism was compromised when, in 2021, the state-controlled oil company, PKN Orlen, took over the largest regional media company, Polska Press. The subsequent editorial purge and shift in editorial lines to favour the ruling party ahead of upcoming elections makes it one of the most flagrant examples of media capture in Europe.
  • State advertising has been weaponised by the government to fund favourable media outlets and undermine independent journalism which exacerbates the financial pressure on media.
  • Polish media are subjected to one of the largest number of vexatious lawsuits, or SLAPPs, in the European Union. Most are initiated by ruling party politicians, state companies, and public institutions and therefore financed by public money.
  • While Polish media have proved resilient thanks to the presence of foreign owners, the hostile economic climate may force many to withdraw. Such a move is likely to have a devastating impact on media pluralism.
  • The overwhelming majority of commentators met by the mission expressed deep concern that the country was at a crossroads and that four more years of the current policy would accelerate media capture and push Poland down the path to emulating the media environment in Hungary, Turkey, or Russia.

Relocation of Journalists in Distress in the European Union

May and June 2023

Uncovering the truth is dangerous and can put journalists and media workers at serious risk. When a journalist finds him- or herself in danger because someone wants to keep the public in the dark, a situation can occur where the only way to safety is to seek refuge in another country. However, restrictive asylum and visa policies all too often hamper the pathways to international protection.

In May and June 2023, Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) conducted a thematic fact-finding mission aiming to examine six pioneering relocation mechanisms for journalists in distress within the European Union. The mission report reviews existing schemes in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland, revealing salient differences and similarities in the scope and features of the responses.

Turkey: Throttling the Media in Crucial Election Year

October 2022

In October 2022, the MFRR partners took part in a fact-finding mission to Turkey ahead of a pivotal election year.

The mission met with representatives of the Constitutional Court which has issued some important rulings including the August 2022 ruling that the arbitrary and consecutive bans on public advertising in independent newspapers by the Press Advertising Agency (BIK) violated freedom of expression and press freedom. However, there remain major challenges on the implementation of its rulings by lower courts and the delays in addressing important freedom of expression violations underscoring that justice delayed is justice denied.

We call on the new government to reinforce the independence and capacity of the Constitutional Court to pursue and speed up justice for journalists and ensure its rulings, and those of the European Court of Human Rights are followed by the lower courts.

The mission report further notes how, under the conditions, the survival of Turkey’s journalism can be attributed to some incredible and courageous individuals dedicated to their journalistic mission, backed by networks of journalists’ organizations, nationally and internationally, ready to support their members and colleagues wherever possible. It is also a result of a public thirst for independent reliable news that cannot be quenched. Turkey’s journalists still have a pivotal role to play in this election year and the building of a strong democratic society to come.

The mission was led by the International Press Institute (IPI) and included ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropea (OBCT) and Amnesty International Turkey (AI). It was organized as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) programme.

Italy: Who is afraid of journalists? Defamation, SLAPPs, Safety

April 2022

From 4 to 6 April 2022, a delegation of the MFRR was in Italy for a fact-finding mission focused on two main topics: defamation and future legislative developments against SLAPPs on one side and the safety of journalists and State protection measures on the other. In 3 days there were 8 meetings in 2 regions (Rome and Campania), with 11 MFRR participants.

The fact-finding mission provided the MFRR with an opportunity to assess the legislative delays that are preventing Parliament from responding to the repeated calls of the Constitutional Court in reforming defamation laws, and to get to know the coordinated State monitoring and protection system implemented in Italy for intimidation acts against journalists, a good practice mentioned in a recent Recommendation of the European Commission.

The MFRR fact-finding mission to Italy presented a unique opportunity for a deep dive into two sets of substantial challenges faced by the journalistic community: violence, intimidation, and other threats emanating from organised crime, and legal threats in the shape of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and other abusive lawsuits. Throughout our meetings with local stakeholders, it was confirmed that, taken together, these threats serve to undermine independent and critical journalism and the freedom of the press in the country while having a significant detrimental impact on individual journalists’ safety and their professional and private lives. While the mission identified several good practices and positive developments that show recognition of the problem and a way forward towards its resolution, each needs further action to ensure a truly free and safe working environment for Italy’s journalistic community.

Netherlands: Towards a safer haven: Advancing safety of journalists amidst rising threats in the Netherlands

February 2022

Following interviews with more than twenty local stakeholders, the MFRR concludes that policy and practice around the safety of journalists in the Netherlands in many ways constitutes a best practice example, thanks to its pioneering PersVeilig mechanism. Nevertheless, there remains a need to strengthen several areas to better protect journalists and media workers against the increasingly hostile climate pursuant to intensified societal polarisation and threats emanating from organised crime.

The report details the findings and recommendations of the MFRR’s online fact-finding mission that took place in February 2022, led by Free Press Unlimited (FPU) together with the European Centre of Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the International Press Institute (IPI), with the participation of the other MFRR partners plus the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, and in collaboration with the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Journalisten (NVJ).

The Netherlands generally remains a safe haven for journalists and media workers. The pioneering PersVeilig mechanism is a key actor in ensuring and advancing journalists’ safety and is a noteworthy example of constructive cooperation and dialogue between the journalistic community and state authorities. Both symbolically and practically, PersVeilig makes it clear that attacks and harassment of reporters are not tolerated and are addressed collectively.

While the assessment of PersVeilig is overwhelmingly positive, both among the MFRR’s partner organisations and its interlocutors during the fact-finding mission, room for improvement remains in a number of areas. These include implementing agreed-upon protocols more consistently and ensuring the project’s capacity and continuity.

Despite the relatively favourable conditions for press freedom and a pioneering mechanism, the MFRR mission confirmed that aggression against journalists is on the rise amidst a hardening of public debate and increasing polarisation in society. Subsequently, and despite the high willingness to cooperate between the journalistic community and law enforcement, the need remains to ensure a better understanding of the role of the press during protests, as well as changes to operational procedures to protect this role.

Certain categories of journalists suffer specific threats, particularly freelance reporters and women journalists. In this regard, it became clear throughout the mission that the Dutch approach to the safety of journalists lacks a gender lens. Moreover, while the Dutch policy approach scores well when it comes to putting in place mechanisms to protect journalists and prosecute offenders, there is room for improvement as concerns prevention.

Furthermore, with regard to threats from organised crime, there is a need to study the creation of tailored protection packages and consider improvements to the protection of journalists who cover high-profile criminal trials.

In light of its findings and to ensure that the Netherlands maintains its leadership position when it comes to the safety of journalists, the MFRR issued more than twenty specific recommendations to the authorities of the Netherlands, law enforcement, the journalistic community, PersVeilig and social media platforms.

Greece: Controlling the Message: Challenges for independent reporting in Greece

December 2021

The fact-finding mission to Greece, involving interviews with more than thirty local stakeholders, was implemented by the MFRR together with Reporters Without Borders in December 2021. The partner organisations conclude that challenges to the independence of the media and the safety of journalists are systemic in the country. While the problems are not unique, their intensity is highly problematic and sets it apart from most other EU Member States.
The result of this crisis is that news that is inconvenient or unflattering for the government, which includes reporting on serious human rights violations, does not get reported in many outlets. This creates a significant obstacle for the public’s access to information and, subsequently, their informed participation in the democratic process.

Understanding the political polarisation and fragmentation of the media landscape requires taking the long view. The current situation has been shaped by more than a decade of severe financial and political crisis which has harmed the way journalism is understood. At the same time, there has been a deterioration of press freedom since Nea Dimokratia’s electoral victory in 2019, who are “obsessed with controlling the message” and minimising critical and dissenting voices, as we heard again and again during the fact-finding mission.

The murder of crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz represents a low point for media freedom in Greece and drew international attention to the significant problems with journalists’ safety. The investigation progress appears slow and lacks basic transparency, which has had a chilling effect and leads to mistrust about the authorities’ ability or willingness to protect the journalistic community.

Migration policy, human rights violations committed in its implementation including pushbacks, and the humanitarian crisis that the refugee stream has created are highly sensitive topics for the government. Reporting on the issue is increasingly difficult, as journalists face obstructions including arbitrary arrest and detention, restriction of access to migration hotspots, surveillance, and harassment.

Reporting on protest is another particularly problematic area of journalistic practice in Greece. Journalists face aggression and harassment from law enforcement and from protesters. Overall, there is a lack of political will to ensure that journalists can safely report from demonstrations, which translates to a lack of adequate protection at the operational level.

Legal threats are also a significant problem for media freedom in Greece, including criminal prosecutions as well as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). Such threats can lead to self-censorship.

In light of these findings, the MFRR has issued a series of recommendations to the Greek authorities and to the European community, including the institutions of the European Union and the other EU Member States.

Slovenia: Hybrid Fact-Finding Mission

May-October 2021

A fact-finding mission to Slovenia was held in a hybrid structure model between May 24 – June 2, 2021 online and followed up with an in-person visit on October 6, 2021. During the online meetings, the MFRR consortium representatives had in-depth meetings with journalists, editors from across the media spectrum as well as leading figures in the Slovenian public television and news agency. The delegation also met with the director of UKOM, the Government Communications Office, the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and the representatives of the Ministry of Culture.

The findings of the mission were published in the MFRR Report: Press Freedom Deteriorating in Slovenia under Latest Jansa Government. The report was launched on June 30 in an appeal to the EU leaders to address media freedom issue in the country as the Slovenian government took over the rotating chair of the European Council.

A mission report written by IPI was published on 30 June 2021 on the occasion of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and translated in Slovenian. The report was presented during a press conference on Zoom on 5 July 2021. The report received wide media coverage from EU and Slovenian media outlets. 

Serbia: Virtual Fast Response Mission

January / February 2021

An online international mission to assess the state of media freedom and the safety of journalists in Serbia will take place from 28 January to 1 February 2021. The mission is led by ARTICLE 19 as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR). The mission is organised in partnership with the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS).

The MFRR partners and NUNS will meet virtually with key stakeholders in the framework of media freedom in Serbia. The mission partners expect to build a comprehensive picture of the situation of media freedom and safety of journalists in the country; preliminary findings from the MFRR monitoring identified verbal and physical harassment, threats against journalists during protests, attacks from police, and tax investigations as the most recurrent obstacles to journalists’ safety and media freedom in Serbia, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Poland: Virtual Fact-Finding Mission

November / December 2020

An online international mission took place between November and December 2020 to explore the health of the media freedom environment as the government continues to wage a multi-pronged attack on independent media to muzzle critical reporting and undermine watchdog journalism.

The MFRR partners met with key stakeholders including a wide range of editors-in-chief and journalists from across the political spectrum, as well as academics, journalist associations, civil society organizations, the Polish Ombudsman, diplomatic missions and MEPs.

Of central concern is the Law and Justice (PiS) led Government’s plans for media reform. These include efforts to “repolonise” and “deconcentrate” the media market. Ostensibly aimed at creating greater pluralism, in reality these dual legal mechanisms are intended to concentrate more media under the control of the ruling party and its allies. This further been underpinned by a unique model of state capture, where private media companies have been effectively nationalised via state-owned and controlled companies. This model achieved its first results in December when a state energy firm headed by PiS appointees acquired control of Polska Press, in a deal that hands PiS indirect control over 20 of Poland’s 24 regional newspapers.

On 11th February, IPI published the mission report, Democracy Declining: Erosion of Media Freedom in Poland, which can be read below.

Montenegro: Virtual Fast Response Mission

September 2020

As Montenegro’s new coalition government under the leadership of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić was formally approved by the Montenegrin Parliament on 4 December, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) and key partners, urge it to put press and media freedom high on its agenda. The detailed report from their virtual fact-finding mission raises a number of concerns. To advance media freedom and, ultimately, the country’s accession bid to the European Union (EU), the new administration must commit to the necessary reforms for building and maintaining a free and pluralist media landscape.

This is a unique chance to make a break from the past after 31 unbroken years of Democratic Socialist (DPS) rule under Milo Đukanović’s leadership. The results from our virtual fact-finding mission by seven international civil society organisations that took place in September 2020, show decisive action is needed to establish a free and pluralist media landscape. Our findings are outlined and analysed in the mission report: Uncertain Optimism, or Optimistic Uncertainty: Virtual MFRR Mission Report published in December 2020.