As part of an international fact-finding mission to map the declining safety of journalists in the Netherlands, Free Press Unlimited, IPI, and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom together are organising an international press conference on April 13 at 15:30-16:30 CEST. A panel discussion will be held with among others, crime reporter Paul Vugts and Thomas Bruning, Secretary General of the Dutch Association of Journalists. The press conference will be a hybrid event with the chance to ask questions both in-person and online.
The mission was established in close consultation with the Dutch Association of Journalists, as part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response initiative: a consortium that consists of six European press freedom organizations that monitor press freedom in EU-member states.
The Netherlands is internationally known for having one of the highest levels of press freedom worldwide (ranking 6th in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index); PersVeilig often being cited as a best-practice example. However, there are growing concerns regarding an uptake in aggression against journalists. With an increase in attacks on journalists in the Netherlands, the decision by major Dutch Public Broadcaster NOS to remove their broadcaster logos from its vans in order to protect employees, and following the murder of Peter R. de Vries in broad daylight, the topic of press freedom in the Netherlands is receiving more and more international attention.
To investigate this further, Free Press Unlimited has taken the lead in an international fact-finding mission. As part of the mission, Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, together with the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders,conducted a handful of interviews with, among others, some of the country’s most renowned (investigative) journalists, editors-in-chief, the Police Department, key academic figures, and influential policy-makers. The findings of these interviews have been compiled and mapped out as part of an international research study on the safety of journalists in the Netherlands.
The findings of these interviews have been compiled and mapped out as part of an international research study on the safety of journalists in the Netherlands. Ultimately, the research study maps out key findings of the discussions that were held, providing expert recommendations in line with the Council of Europe and the European Commission’s Recommendations on the Safety of Journalists.
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[li_item icon=”fa fa-map-marker”]Location: Nieuwspoort, The Hague + online[/li_item]
[li_item icon=”fa-calendar”] Date: Wednesday, April 13[/li_item]
[li_item icon=”fa fa-clock-o”] Time: 15:30-16:30 CEST[/li_item]
[li_item icon=”fa fa-info-circle”]Questions? Please contact Anne ter Rele, [email protected][/li_item]
[li_item icon=”fa fa-ticket”]Please register here. Registration is required for both physical and online participation.[/li_item]
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