Taking stock: 709 attacks on media freedom in the first six months of 2025

Between January and June 2025, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) documented 709 press freedom violations against 1249 media workers in 36 European countries. In this webinar, we will take a look at what types of attacks media workers faced, who attacked them, and in what context. We will zoom in on developments in four focus countries – Georgia, Serbia, Romania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina – where media workers operated under severe pressure these first six months. Foreign agent laws and narratives are also highlighted as a worrying trend that threatens independent journalists and media outlets in Europe.

Join us on September 18 to discuss an overview of the report with a special focus on Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and foreign agent narratives.

Moderated by Gürkan Özturan, Media Freedom Monitoring Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.

Speakers:

• Cara Räker, Monitoring Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.
• Camille Magnissalis, Press Freedom Monitoring and Communications Officer, the European Federation of Journalists.
• Ronja Koskinen, Press Freedom Officer, International Press Institute.
• Teona Sekhniashvili, Europe Network and Advocacy Officer, International Press Institute.