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Podcast: Online attacks and smear campaigns are pushing Slovenian…

Online attacks and smear campaigns are pushing Slovenian journalists to the limit

The fourth episode of ‘The Press Freedom Files’ podcast series produced by IPI as part of the MFRR looks into the motives behind the online threats in Slovenia and the consequences on journalists’ careers

In this episode of IPI’s ‘The Press Freedom Files’ podcast, IPI Head of Digital Communications Javier Luque looks into the increasingly difficult situation journalists face in Slovenia. A rise in online abuse and campaigns to discredit the media fuelled by a populist government leave journalists with a difficult decision to make: Either accept all this or quit your career.

Guest Mojca Šetinc Pašek, a senior journalist at Slovenia’s RTV public broadcaster, talks about the experience of being in the crosshairs of current Primer Minister Janez Janša. We also talk with Špela Stare, secretary general of the Slovene Journalists Association, to dive deep into the driving force behind the attacks.

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Letter to Charles Michel: time for EU Member States…

MFRR letter to Charles Michel: time for EU Member States to act to protect journalists

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) sent a letter to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel in expressing serious concern about the sharp decline in freedom of the press in the European Union.

2020 was an unfortunate record year: MFRR recorded 245 alerts (with 873 attacked persons or entities related to media) in 22 EU Member States, and the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism recorded 115 media freedom violations in 27 EU Member States (the highest level since 2015).

According to MFRR data, nearly one in four incidents (23.7%) resulted in journalists and media workers being physically attacked. In more than every tenth incident (11.4%) media workers were injured.

The EU is not immune and has been profoundly shaken by a series of dramatic events, including the murders of journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia (2017) and Jan Kuciak (2018). European leaders should not wait for another murder before acting decisively. This is also crucial to set a much needed worldwide example.

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Podcast: Radio silence as independent Hungarian broadcaster kicked off…

Radio silence as independent Hungarian broadcaster kicked off airwaves

The third episode of ‘The Press Freedom Files’ examines media pluralism after muzzling of Klubrádió in Hungary

At midnight on February 14, one of Hungary’s last major independent radio stations, Klubrádió, fell silent on the frequency on which it had broadcast for 20 years.

The silencing of the critical broadcaster comes after a court in Budapest sided with the government-controlled Hungarian Media Council and approved its decision to refuse to renew Klubrádió’s seven-year license.

The ruling resigned Klubrádió to broadcasting solely from the internet from today, February 15, and caps the end of a decade-long campaign by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to muzzle one of the country’s last critical stations.

The third episode of IPI’s podcast ‘The Press Freedom Files’ examines the impact of this court verdict on what remains of media pluralism in Hungary and contextualizes it within the government’s broader efforts to silence independent journalism.

IPI Advocacy Officer Jamie Wiseman talks with guests Arató András, chairman of the board of Klubrádió, and Dr Gábor Polyák, an associate professor at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies of the University of Pécs and head of research at Mérték Media Monitor.

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Podcast: Anti-press sentiment in The Netherlands fosters online attacks…

Anti-press sentiment in The Netherlands fosters online attacks against journalists

Second episode of ‘The Press Freedom Files’ produced by IPI as part of the MFRR looks into the case of Dutch journalist Clarice Gagard and motives behind the growing attacks against the media

The tightening of the COVID-19 restrictions in The Netherlands triggered riots and violence that swept the streets of the country’s main cities on the weekend of January 24th. Far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories proliferating across Europe have planted a seed of distrust in the media, increased polarization and, observers say, awakened a dormant racism in the Netherlands. All of this has resulted in a sudden growth of both online and physical attacks against reporters, with female and minority journalists especially targeted.

The second episode of IPI’s podcast ‘The Press Freedom Files’ sheds some light over the causes and consequences of this worrying trend in a country widely known for its progressive and liberal spirit. Guests Clarice Gagard, a prominent Dutch journalist targeted with online abuse; and seasoned journalist Peter ter Velde, manager of the initiative Press Safety, talk with IPI Head of Digital Communications Javier Luque.

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MFRR calls for acquittal of Swedish documentary makers

MFRR calls for acquittal of Swedish documentary makers

On Monday 8 February, a Gothenburg court delivered its verdict in the trial of journalist Henrik Evertsson and camera operator Linus Andersson for their documentary about the sinking of the ‘MS Estonia’. Charged with violating the burial site of the wreck, they faced up to two years in prison.

Update: On 8th Februrary, Evertsson and Andersson were acquitted by the first-tier court in the city of Gothenburg

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) to stress the journalistic nature of the investigation carried out in the public interest and call for the acquittal of the two documentary makers.

The “MS Estonia”, a 157-metre long cruise ferry, was en route from Tallinn to Stockholm in September 1994 when it sank in international waters in less than half an hour with 989 people on board. It is known as one of Europe’s greatest maritime disasters, killing 852 people. Yet the causes of the shipwreck remain murky. The official version based on the 1997 investigation – that there had been a failure of the vessel’s retractable ramp – had been disputed for years by the survivors and relatives of the victims.

Broadcast on 28 September 2020 on Discovery Channel, the documentary entitled “Estonia: the discovery that changes everything” revealed the existence of a previously unknown four-metre hole in the hull of the ship. It was filmed with a remotely-operated camera attached to an underwater vehicle. Evertsson and Andersson are accused of illegally entering a protected site considered as a grave following the 1995 agreement between Sweden, Estonia and Finland, which bans any exploration of the area.

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Slovenia: Government Communication Office must stop controlling COVID-19 news…

Slovenia: Government Communication Office must stop controlling COVID-19 news coverage

As part of the MFRR, IPI calls on the Government Communication Office (UKOM) to ensure full media participation during press conferences

IPI urged UKOM to ensure that journalists from all media outlets were given adequate opportunity to question ministers at online government press conferences.

On February 3, 2021, Slovenia’s public broadcaster, RTV Slovenija, reported that Bojana Beović, head of the advisory group at the Ministry of Health, was denied permission to appear on its late-night news show Odmevi to comment on false positive results in rapid antigen tests.

RTVSLO reported that in response to emailed interview requests, it received a message saying that UKOM Director Uroš Urbanija had “forbidden” officials from providing answers to media or giving interviews.

It was later reported that Education Minister Simona Kustec, Milan Krek, director of the National Institute of Public Health, and other health officials were also refused permission to appear on commercial television station Kanal A to give interviews on the testing system.

UKOM’s policy was condemned by both the Slovenian Union of Journalists (SNS) and the Slovene Association of Journalists (DNS) as an act of censorship, though the government body has rejected the criticism.

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Leading independent radio station muzzled in Hungary

Leading independent radio station muzzled in Hungary

Following the 4th February verdict, a few day later a court sided with the government-controlled Hungarian Media Council and approved its decision to block the automatic extension of the talk and news station’s broadcast license for Budapest FM 92.9 MHz.

As part of the MFRR, the International Press Institute (IPI) expressed dismay over the decision by a court in Budapest to reject the appeal of independent radio broadcaster Klubrádió over its right to continue broadcasting, warning it signaled a crisis point for what remains of media pluralism in Hungary.

Earlier in February, the same court rejected Klubrádió’s last-ditch request for an emergency license to remain on air until the appeal of a rival broadcaster over the frequency tender was resolved.

The two rulings resign Klubrádió to broadcasting solely from the internet after February 14 and cap the end of a decade-long campaign by the ruling Fidesz party led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to muzzle one of the country’s last remaining critical radio stations.

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Serbia: Arsonists who targeted journalist must face justice

Serbia: Arsonists who targeted journalist must face justice

The MFRR urges the Serbian judiciary to ensure access to justice in the case of journalist Milan Jovanovic

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) urges the Second Basic Court in Belgrade to ensure access to justice in the case of Serbian journalist Milan Jovanovic, who in 2018 was the victim of an arson attack on his house in Belgrade after investigating cases of corruption of local public officials.

Judicial proceedings against the suspected arsonists started in 2019 and have since then been delayed numerous times after frequent requests of postponement advanced by the defense lawyers. These procedural tactics, which also include attempts to disqualify judges appointed to this case, have seriously delayed justice for Jovanovic. We understand, however, that the court expects to render a verdict in this case during the next hearing on 11 February 2021.

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Hungary: MFRR condemns decision by a court in Budapest…

Hungary: MFRR condemns decision by Budapest court to reject temporary license extension to Klubrádió

MFRR partners share their concerns over the 4th February decision by a court in Budapest to reject the temporary license extension to Klubrádió in Hungary, warning it will have far-reaching implications for what remains of media pluralism and independent journalism in the country.

On 11 September 2020, the National Media and Infocommunication Authority (NMHH) announced it would not extend the license for Klubrádió, the last remaining independent radio station in Hungary.

The verdict on 4th February effectively consigns Klubrádió to broadcasting exclusively on the internet and represents a significant win for the ruling Fidesz party and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in their decade-long campaign to destroy one of the last remaining independent broadcasters which airs voices critical of the government.

Even if Klubrádió now wins its appeal against the Media Council’s decision to block its automatic license renewal, it will be prevented from returning to the airwaves due to the appeal process of a rival broadcaster over the tender, which could take years to conclude. During this time it will be ensnared in legal limbo and will have no choice but to fall silent on 15 February.

Hungary’s government is acting in direct contravention to Article 11 of the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights on freedom of expression and information. The European Commission must urgently address this issue with the government to find an immediate solution without which it is all but certain that Klubrádió will fall silent on 15 February, denying hundreds of thousands of listeners in greater Budapest access to a source of independent and high-quality news and information and sealing the fate of yet another independent media outlet in Hungary.

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The Media Freedom Rapid Response condemns the harassment directed…

The MFRR condemns the harassment directed at Nadine White and calls on MPs and Ministers to stop targeting journalists

Following a twitter thread by a minister discrediting journalistic inquiries, Nadine White faced online harassment and abuse for doing her job. MFRR partners call on politicians to live up to their responsibility to protect and value media freedom.

On Friday 29th January, Huffington Post UK journalist, Nadine White was subjected to online harassment severe enough to warrant making her Twitter account private after UK Treasury & Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch MP tweeted a thread discrediting the journalist and incorrectly accusing her of making false claims. This followed two emails sent by Ms White to the Minister’s official email address requesting a statement as to why she did not contribute to a video with black cross-party MPs calling for greater uptake of the vaccine by the black community.

The MFRR calls on the UK Government to respond to all journalistic requests in the good faith this process deserves to ensure the public is informed. We also call on all elected officials and representatives of the government to take meaningful action to ensure their actions do not ennoble or encourage online harassment targeting journalists and media workers.