IPI joins 38 other rights groups calling on Media Freedom Coalition states to take concrete action for the safety of journalists in Gaza March 25, 2024 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network today joined 38 other civil society groups from around the world calling on the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) member states to take meaningful action to protect the safety of journalists and access to information in Gaza. The MFC is a group of 50 states that commit to protect the safety of […] Read more »
New IPI report examines spyware surveillance and the battle for accountability in European journalism March 14, 2024 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) explores the threat that spyware poses to media freedom in Europe in its new report “Watching the Watchdogs.” Highlighting the use of Predator and Pegasus tools in Greece and Hungary, the report exposes how spyware was used to target journalists and the failure to hold those responsible to account. [button […] Read more » TaggedEurope Greece Hungary report spyware surveillance
In Peacetime and in War: Protecting Journalists’ Safety and Ensuring Accountability for Crimes against the Press In November 2022, representatives of U.N. member states convened in Vienna to publicly reaffirm their commitments to protect journalists’ safety and pledged to take concrete steps to tackle impunity for crimes against the press. The meeting marked the 10-year anniversary of the U.N. Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of […] Read more »
Analysis: Russia ramps up pressure on media and journalists in exile March 11, 2024 | Leave a Comment In the first two months of 2024, the Russian parliament has approved new laws ramping up pressure on journalists and public figures critical of the war on Ukraine. The provisions, which allow for the confiscation of property for those convicted of “fake news” and ban commercial advertising on media and other websites designated as “foreign […] Read more »
Empowering women journalists in Africa to curb online harassment Female journalists in Africa face a unique set of challenges, including online harassment that seeks to silence their voices and hinder their ability to report effectively. Online attacks and smear campaigns targeting journalists not only risk generating self-censorship, but studies have shown they can also lead to physical attacks and threats. IPI research has also […] Read more »
Safeguarding women journalists in the digital age March 8, 2024 | Leave a Comment To mark International Women’s Day, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) presents an analysis of the troubling attacks against women journalists, in European Union member states and candidate countries. In 2023, female journalists faced a disproportionate number of verbal attacks, especially online. The MFRR partners call for collaborative efforts to protect their rights and foster […] Read more » TaggedMFRR online harassment smear campaigns women
Honoring women leaders in media: IPI celebrates International Women’s Day March 8, 2024 | Leave a Comment To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, IPI is proud to celebrate some of the remarkable women media leaders and women-led newsrooms across our global network. Throughout the month of March, IPI will spotlight the inspiring and groundbreaking work of 20 individuals and organizations around the world. Among the resilient leaders we recognize are […] Read more »
Italy: MFRR partners strongly condemn investigation into Domani journalists March 7, 2024 | Leave a Comment IPI and the undersigned media freedom and civil society organisations strongly condemn the investigation of three Domani journalists for allegedly receiving confidential documents from a public official and for alleged breaching of secrets through the publication of information contained in those documents. The charges are connected to their reporting on a conflict of interest involving […] Read more » Taggedattacks on journalists Italy
Azerbaijan: IPI condemns prison sentence handed to Avaz Zeynalli March 5, 2024 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network today condemns the 9-year prison sentence handed to Azerbaijani journalist Avaz Zeynalli, who had been in pre-trial detention since September 2022. On February 27, a court in Baku found Zeynalli guilty of trumped-up extortion charges, which were earlier formulated against him and against lawyer Elchin Sadygov. Prosecutors accused the two of […] Read more »
Carlos Dada to head IJ4EU jury February 28, 2024 | Leave a Comment Carlos Dada, a trailblazer in watchdog journalism in Latin America, will serve as the jury chair of the flagship grant scheme of IPI’s Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund. Dada, the winner of numerous awards for his work exposing corruption in one of the world’s most dangerous regions for journalists, co-founded and directs El Faro, […] Read more » Taggedcarlos dada ij4eu investigative journalism
Ukrainian journalists in captivity: Holding out hope for freedom February 22, 2024 By Nastya Stanko, Ukrainian journalist and editor-in-chief of Slidstvo.Info | Leave a Comment Oleh Baturyn, a journalist from Kakhovka, Kherson region, takes a selfie in front of a gray fence with barbed wire on top. He then records a short video on his mobile phone: “I am standing in Kherson on Teploenerhetykiv Street 3, where I was brought from the Kherson Regional Administration on March 13. I have […] Read more »
Slovakia: Lack of justice for Kuciak and Kušnírová’s assassination exacerbated by growing attacks on press freedom February 21, 2024 | Leave a Comment On the sixth anniversary of the brutal killing of investigative reporter Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová, the undersigned organisations renew our call for long-awaited justice for their killings and the imperative to break the cycle of impunity. As we remember Ján and Martina, we are alarmed by increasing threats to the rule of […] Read more » TaggedMFRR
Jordan: Authorities must investigate Pegasus surveillance of journalists February 8, 2024 Veera Nikkila, Helsingin Sanomat Journalism Fellow at IPI | Leave a Comment IPI is deeply alarmed by a new report finding that at least 35 journalists, human rights advocates, and political activists have been targeted with Pegasus spyware since 2019. The report, by Access Now and Citizen Lab, said that some of the targets’ devices had been infected multiple times. It also suggested that the findings may […] Read more »
Call for nominations: IPI/IMS 2024 press freedom awards February 7, 2024 | Leave a Comment It’s time again to honour exceptional courage and innovation in journalism. The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) are proud to announce the call for nominations for this year’s World Press Freedom Hero Award and Free Media Pioneer Award. Both awards will be presented during a special ceremony at IPI’s 2024 World […] Read more »
Amid airstrikes and comms blackouts, Palestinian journalists risk their lives to tell the story of war February 6, 2024 Guest article for IPI by Najlaa Alskafi | Leave a Comment [Note: Najlaa Alskafi is the managing editor of independent media organization Last Story, which is based in Gaza. Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, Alskafi has been displaced four times and is currently living in a tent near the Rafah border crossing.] Journalists in Gaza have been reporting since October 7 in extremely dangerous […] Read more »
Greece: Rule of law threatened – IPI joins letter to European Commission President von der Leyen February 6, 2024 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network today joins 16 other press freedom and human rights groups in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling on the Commission to take urgent action to address the deterioration of media freedom and the rule of law in Greece and its impact on fundamental rights. Threats to […] Read more »
Azerbaijan aims to “completely silence” media ahead of presidential election February 1, 2024 | Leave a Comment Independent media in Azerbaijan are under unprecedented attack since a campaign of politically motivated arrests launched by authorities at the end of November. In the space of a few weeks, authorities have put more journalists behind bars than over the past decade. On January 15, police in Baku detained independent journalist Shahin Rzayev, the latest […] Read more »
IPI and partners in Africa raise concerns in a joint letter about the proposed UN Cybercrime Treaty January 29, 2024 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute today joins with 48 partner organizations from across Africa calling for sweeping revisions to the pending UN Cybercrime Treaty, as final negotiations for the convention begin this week in New York. The coalition submitted a letter to a UN committee leading these negotiations, highlighting the need to narrow the scope of […] Read more »
IPI joins letter to top EU diplomat urging stronger stance on killing of journalists amidst Israel-Gaza war January 24, 2024 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined 17 other media freedom and journalist organisations in writing to the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, the High Representative for the European Union on Foreign and Security Policy, urging him to call for the protection of journalists and respect for the freedom of the press amidst the Israel-Gaza […] Read more »
IPI joins more than 100 organisations demanding sweeping changes to global cybercrime treaty January 23, 2024 | Leave a Comment IPI today joined more than 100 civil society organizations around the world calling for sweeping revisions to the pending UN Cybercrime Treaty, as final negotiations for the convention begin next week in New York. Without such reforms, the treaty risks becoming a powerful global surveillance tool that will be abused by governments around the world […] Read more » Taggedcybercrimes
IPI call to action: The international community must act urgently to protect journalists, civilians in Gaza and the region January 11, 2024 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network calls on the international community to take urgent and immediate action to ensure the safety of all journalists in Gaza and the region. We urge all states, including allies of Israel and Media Freedom Coalition members, to use all possible diplomatic means to hold Israel to its obligation to respect the […] Read more » TaggedGaza impunity safety of journalists
Albania: SPAK must respect source protection in case of journalist Elton Qyno January 10, 2024 | Leave a Comment Read in Albanian below. Lexoni në shqip më poshtë The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined media freedom partners in the Safe Journalist Network, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in writing to the head of the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) to raise concerns over the recent […] Read more »
Greece: The erosion of media freedom in the birthplace of democracy January 10, 2024 By IPI Europe Advocacy Officer Jamie Wiseman | Leave a Comment All is not well for press freedom in the birthplace of democracy. Over the last few years, media freedom in Greece has undergone a clear erosion, seeing the Mediterranean country tumble down press freedom rankings to the lowest in the European Union, setting alarm bells ringing in Brussels and beyond. During this time, the country […] Read more »
Zambia: IPI welcomes enactment of the access to information law January 9, 2024 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network welcomes the enactment of an access to information (ATI) law by the Zambian government. This follows the adoption by the Zambian parliament of the law in early December 2023 after over two decades of tireless advocacy by civil society, as was highlighted by the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) in […] Read more »
IJ4EU rebooted: €2M in grants for cross-border journalism in Europe January 9, 2024 | Leave a Comment IJ4EU returns for a fifth edition with €2 million in grants for cross-border investigations in Europe Open to journalists in more countries than ever Grants of up to €50,000 plus training, mentoring and legal help New tools to help reporters collaborate across borders First call for applications opens on February 1, 2024 The IJ4EU fund […] Read more » Taggedfunding grants ij4eu investigative journalism journalism grants
Greece: Media and journalists targeted in second lawsuit by PM’s nephew over spyware revelations December 21, 2023 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemns the multi-million-euro legal action taken against media and journalists by the nephew of the country’s prime minister over their revelations about his connections to the ‘Predatorgate’ spyware scandal and renews its calls for measures to combat vexatious lawsuits against the press in Greece. On 24 November, Grigoris Dimitriadis, […] Read more »
Mozambique: Authorities must thoroughly investigate murder of journalist João Chamusse December 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network condemns the killing in Mozambique of prominent journalist João Chamusse, the editor-in-chief of the weekly online newspaper Ponto por Ponto. We call on the authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the motive and hold the killers to account. On December 14, 2023, the body of Chamusse was […] Read more »
IJ4EU Interview: Uncovering sexualised violence at EU frontiers December 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment Among reports of human rights violations at the European Union’s external borders, cases of sexualised violence intended to humiliate and deter irregular migrants and asylum seekers have received little attention. Until now. Supported by a grant from IPI’s IJ4EU fund, a team of freelance journalists has investigated abuse by border authorities and their accomplices during […] Read more » Taggedij4eu investigative journalism
UDHR75: States must urgently recommit to protecting freedom of the press and journalists’ safety December 13, 2023 | Leave a Comment As UN member states gather in Geneva this week to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the IPI global network calls on states and the international community to take urgent and concrete action to protect freedom of the press and journalists’ safety — and to recommit to upholding the […] Read more »
Hungary: IPI joins condemnation of passing of Sovereignty Protection Act December 13, 2023 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemns the passing of the Sovereignty Protection Act by the Orbán government in Hungary without proper public consultation and calls for an EU challenge against the law. After the bill was passed in the parliament on 12 December after just two weeks of debate, IPI renews our previous concerns […] Read more »
North Macedonia: Ruling against Investigative Reporting Lab and its editor must be overturned November 24, 2023 | Leave a Comment The International Press Institute (IPI) joins the organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the SafeJournalists Network (SJN) in expressing dismay at a recent defamation verdict by a judge in North Macedonia which recommends shutting down one of the country’s leading investigative media outlets and expects this damaging ruling to be swiftly overturned […] Read more »
Gaza war: As killings of journalists continue, IPI reiterates call to protect safety of the press and civilians November 21, 2023 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network is horrified by the continually growing death toll suffered by journalists and civilians amid the Israel-Gaza war. We strongly urge Israel to uphold journalists’ rights to cover the conflict in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law, and to protect the safety of reporters, media workers, and their families. As […] Read more »
Azerbaijan: IPI demands immediate release of Abzas Media director Ulvi Hasanli November 20, 2023 | Leave a Comment The IPI global network demands the immediate release from custody of Ulvi Hasanli, the director of Abzas Media, an independent news outlet in Azerbaijan. On Monday, searches were carried out at the Baku office of Abzas media, soon after Hasanli was detained. According to the media outlet, Hasanli has already been beaten while under police […] Read more »
