Analysis: Backsliding in Bosnia and Herzegovina as media freedom faces myriad challenges October 31, 2023 IPI Europe Advocacy Officer Jamie Wiseman Media freedom in Bosnia and Herzegovina is undergoing a worrying period of backsliding amidst a string of restrictive new legislative efforts, hostile rhetoric and denigration of journalists by public officials, and ongoing systemic challenges facing the independence of public service media. These were the initial findings of a coalition of international journalists and media freedom […] Read more »
Latest IJ4EU investigations stir debate in Europe October 31, 2023 What do Iranian-made kamikaze drones used by Russia in Ukraine have in common with a massive Russian gas project in the Arctic and Moscow’s war machine in the separatist Transnistria region in Moldova? All three have benefited from parts, technology or fuel provided by companies in the European Union — despite sanctions imposed after Russia’s […] Read more » Taggedij4eu investigative journalism
#IDEI 2023: Journalist Safety and Impunity in Africa: What Needs to Be Done? Journalists in Africa play a vital role in enabling access to information and facilitating transparency and accountability. Yet they continue to face serious risks while doing their work, including physical violence, arrest, imprisonment, surveillance, and online threats and harassment. The level of accountability for these attacks remains low. In the first nine months of 2023, […] Read more »
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Media freedom in survival mode October 26, 2023 Following a press freedom mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 22-25 October 2023, the International Press Institute (IPI) today joins in partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in warning that media freedom in the country is in decline against a backdrop of new restrictive laws, hostile rhetoric and denigration of journalists by public officials, […] Read more »
Poland’s unfair election reinforces demands for Europe-wide Media Freedom Act October 24, 2023 As the European Parliament, Council and Commission enter the final negotiations on the EMFA, the International Press Institute (IPI) together with its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and other press freedom and human rights groups today call for the adoption of the Parliament’s text, which, while also in need of further strengthening, is currently […] Read more »
MFRR in Focus: Opposition wins Poland election Across Central Europe, independent media are the caught in the middle of attacks by populist politicians. These have built a narrative of local people standing up to elites, of Central European nations opposing “orders from Brussels”, and of traditional values resisting social liberalism. In the world of media, this translates into populist governments accusing independent media […] Read more »
Austria: Court ruling forces reform of appointments to public broadcaster boards October 23, 2023 IPI Contributor Helmut Spudich Too much government, too little civil society: Austria’s highest court ruled that appointing members to the top bodies of public broadcaster ORF in favor of the government majority is unconstitutional. The repair of the ORF law falls in the election year 2024 and will be modest. A “side aspect” of the decision: Austria’s constitution explicitly […] Read more »
Political strategist and blogger threatens to “punish” Detector Media editor-in-chief On 16 October 2023, Ukrainian political strategist and blogger Volodymyr Petrov took part in a livestreamed conversation broadcast by Youtube channel ISLND TV, during which he threatened to “punish” Natalia Lyhachova, the editor-in-chief of Detector Media, a Ukrainian media rights defence group. In the video, which featured Petrov speaking with Serhiy Ivanov, the co-host of […] Read more »
Malta: Fight for justice and reforms continues on sixth anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia murder October 16, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) today marks the sixth anniversary of the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, pays tribute to her family and colleagues who continue the long fight for justice, and stresses the importance of ending impunity and securing systemic reforms to the media landscape which ensure such a tragedy is never […] Read more »
Italy: Roberto Saviano’s conviction a major blow to free expression October 13, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins its Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners and the other undersigned press freedom, free expression, and journalist organisations to express shock over yesterday’s criminal conviction of writer and journalist Roberto Saviano, in a case brought by current Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, and we convey our full solidarity with […] Read more »
Turkey: International groups alarmed by the targeting of journalist Alican Uludağ October 13, 2023 The undersigned media freedom, freedom of expression and human rights organizations denounce the inflammatory rhetoric directed at Deutsche Welle (DW) Turkish service reporter Alican Uludağ by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) officials and call on the Turkish authorities to ensure journalists’ safety. Journalists must be able to freely publish information they obtain on matters of public […] Read more »
MFRR In Focus: How will the takeover of Polska Press in Poland impact the upcoming election? Under Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which is seeking a third term in government, press freedom in the country has deteriorated over the last decade. While the media landscape remains vibrant and pluralistic overall, independent media critical of the ruling party have faced regulatory, financial and legal pressure. As the parliamentary election on […] Read more »
Jordan: IPI condemns one-year prison sentence for journalist Ahmed Al-Zoubi October 11, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) condemns the sentencing of Jordanian satire journalist Ahmed Al-Zoubi to one year in prison over a social media post. Jordan’s justice minister last month denied Al-Zoubi’s defence team the right to appeal the sentence further. The case centers around a Facebook post Al-Zoubi made during a truckers’ strike in Jordan’s […] Read more »
IPI calls for journalists’ safety amid Israel-Hamas war October 10, 2023 The IPI global network calls on all parties involved in the ongoing hostilities in Israel and Gaza to ensure all measures are taken to protect the safety of journalists. IPI is deeply alarmed by reports that at least seven Palestinian journalists have been killed since Saturday, with several others injured. There are also reports that […] Read more »
International mission statement: Turkey’s press freedom crisis deepens amid earthquake and national elections October 5, 2023 Turkey’s press freedom crisis has deepened further in the last year. Journalists face steep harassment and intimidation for their work, including arbitrary imprisonment and prosecution. Those responsible for attacks and threats against the press enjoy alarming levels of impunity. This year’s parliamentary and presidential elections have brought no relief for press freedom. On the contrary, […] Read more »
Report: Media freedom at a crossroads – Journalism in Poland faces uncertain future ahead of election October 5, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in publishing a report examining the fragile state of press freedom in Poland ahead of the country’s general election on 15 October 2023. The report explores how media capture and the widespread use of vexatious lawsuits have been used […] Read more »
Meet 12 local news organizations joining IPI’s Local News Accelerator October 4, 2023 IPI Media Innovation and Sustainability IPI is excited to launch the Local News Accelerator, a three-month programme during which we will equip 12 media organizations with skills and strategies to grow their audiences and empower their teams. A diverse jury selected the 12 organizations from almost 150 which applied for the programme. The final 12 are serving local communities around […] Read more »
Blogger Alexander Nozdrinov sentenced to 8.5 years of prison on war-related “fake news” charges On 29 September 2023, a court in Krasnodar, southern Russia, sentenced blogger Alexander Nozdrinov to 8.5 years of prison on charges of allegedly disseminating “fake news” related to the war in Ukraine. Nozdrinov was also banned from working in media outlets for a period of four years. The IPI Weekly Digest & IPI Distribution List […] Read more »
Ensuring journalists’ safety and tackling impunity for crimes against the press (Side event of the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva) November 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity (UNPA), a framework for states to address attacks and threats against journalists and to improve the overall environment for press […] Read more »
Murdered, surveilled and sued: decisive action needed to protect journalists and salvage press freedom in Greece September 27, 2023 Greek journalism is under sustained threat from the impact of the surveillance scandal “Predatorgate”, the unresolved killing of a reporter, abusive legal action and economic and political pressures. Following a mission to Athens, IPI today joins seven international organisations in calling on the Government and Prime Minister to show political courage and urgently take specific […] Read more »
Somalia: IPI reiterates its call for the release of journalist Mohamed Bulbul September 22, 2023 The IPI global network condemns the arbitrary detention of journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul in Somalia and reiterates its call on the authorities to refrain from targeting journalists for carrying out their work. On August 17, plain-clothed state security officials arrested and detained Bulbul while he was attending a university class, in Mogadishu, the capital […] Read more »
The Outlook: Setting newsroom goals everyone can get behind September 21, 2023 IPI Media Innovation and Sustainability This text comes from IPI’s newsletter The Outlook. Click here to sign up to receive future editions direct to your inbox. In this week’s edition of The Outlook, IPI’s media innovation newsletter, we’re talking goal-setting and strategy for your media business. The challenge: how to align your team and organization around a goal Many news organizations […] Read more »
France: IPI condemns arrest of investigative journalist Ariane Lavrilleux September 20, 2023 The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemns the arrest and interrogation of French journalist Ariane Lavrilleux and demands her immediate release from custody. IPI further calls on French law enforcement authorities to ensure full respect for international media freedom standards on source protection. Lavrilleux, a journalist with French non-profit investigative platform Disclose was taken into […] Read more »
Polish media grapple with unprecedented challenges and uncertain future as the country faces electoral crossroads September 15, 2023 At the conclusion of their press freedom mission to Warsaw from 11-13 September, partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) declared that the media and journalists in Poland are facing unprecedented challenges including legal threats, financial precarity, political pressure, regulatory capture and growing polarisation. The delegation, comprised of representatives of ARTICLE 19 Europe, […] Read more »
Cyberattack on IPI: Evidence points to retaliation for press freedom work in Hungary September 14, 2023 Since September 1, the International Press Institute (IPI) has been battling a targeted and sustained cyberattack. This attack appears to be in retaliation for our advocacy work on behalf of independent media in Hungary, who have faced a wave of similar attacks since this summer. The attack on IPI began with a series of distributed […] Read more »
Ukraine: IPI joins 23 organizations calling for an end to Russian war crimes in Ukraine September 8, 2023 We, the undersigned journalists, press freedom organizations, and unions, write this statement to denounce the war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against journalists in Ukraine and to call for immediate action to hold the perpetrators accountable. Deliberately targeting journalists, shelling their facilities, and engaging in arbitrary detentions and torture clearly violate international humanitarian law […] Read more »
Two years after Taliban return to power, international community must continue to support Afghanistan’s independent media September 1, 2023 IPI Press Freedom Legal Researcher Lena Dal Santo The IPI global network calls on the international community to renew its commitment to press freedom in Afghanistan. Two years since the withdrawal of US-led forces and the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban, the state of press freedom in Afghanistan is in crisis. The international community must act with urgency to support and protect […] Read more »
Haiti: “A lawless state” leads to chronic impunity for killings, kidnappings and other attacks on journalists September 1, 2023 Sanni Laine, Helsingin Sanomat Foundation Journalism Fellow at IPI Amid spiraling violence against the press, Haiti is in desperate need of support and solutions to restore law and security, end impunity, and establish safe working conditions for journalists whose work is essential in rebuilding democracy. The broader instability that has been plaguing Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 is mirrored […] Read more »
Court in Moscow set to fine Karen Shainyan on “foreign agent” status On 30 August 2023, a court in Moscow received a case against journalist Karen Shainyan, who was accused of violating Russian legislation on “foreign agents”, a status he was handed in April 2022. An initial trial in Shainyan’s case was scheduled for September 25. According to Russian media, the journalist is accused of not marking […] Read more »
Kyrgyzstan: IPI condemns attempt to shutter Kloop Media August 28, 2023 The IPI global network firmly condemns the Bishkek city prosecutor’s attempt to force the closure of Kloop, a major Kyrgyz independent media outlet and IPI member. In a request made to a local court, the Bishkek prosecutor claimed that Kloop’s reporting is “negative in character, aimed at discrediting representatives of state and local authorities”. The […] Read more »
IPI publishes new toolkit on press freedom frameworks in Zimbabwe August 24, 2023 Press freedom in Zimbabwe continues to face numerous challenges. IPI’s monitoring of press freedom in the country has shown that journalists experience unlawful arrests and detention, online threats and harassment, and restrictions to access information. Recorded incidents have been reported in IPI’s monthly monitoring factsheets (see, for example, the November 2022 factsheet, the December 2022 […] Read more » TaggedAfrica press freedom zimbabwe
Resource Toolkit: Press Freedom in Zimbabwe – National, Regional and Global Frameworks Press freedom in Zimbabwe continues to face numerous challenges. IPI’s monitoring of press freedom in the country has shown that journalists experience unlawful arrests and detention, online threats and harassment, and restrictions to access information. Recorded incidents have been reported in IPI’s monthly monitoring factsheets (see, for example, the November 2022 factsheet, the December 2022 […] Read more »
IPI launches resource toolkit ‘Foundations of Press Freedom in Africa’ August 24, 2023 The IPI global network has published the new resource toolkit “The Foundations of Press Freedom in Africa”. The toolkit is a compilation of key international, regional, and subregional frameworks for the protection of media freedom, the right to access information and the safety of journalists in Africa. This toolkit complements IPI’s press freedom monitoring and […] Read more » TaggedAfrica press freedom
