Ossigeno Media News Review – March 10th, 2020

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By Luciana Borsatti – Here is a brief review of some topics highlighted recently by NGO and international organizations for media freedom

LONDON –Index on Censorship invites journalists and the media to fill in this questionnaire to gather information on the extent and nature of the phenomenon of intimidation and legal threats, disputes and vexatious lawsuits  (known as “SLAPPs”) against journalists and media in the EU and the UK.

DUBLIN – The researcher Sara Creta, affiliated with the Institute for Future Media and Journalism (FuJo) of the University of Dublin, invites journalists to respond to this questionnaire on the experience of harassment online, expressions of incitement to hatred and online threats. The answers will be used as part of a research for the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions Grant agreement ID: 765140.

BRUSSELS – The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and other international organizations urge the EU and Member States to take swift action to create a safe environment to protect journalists, freelancers and bloggers reporting on the current situation at the Greek-Turkish border, Lesbos Island, and other crossing points. The appeal follows physical attacks, online harassment and threats against journalists reporting on the arrival of migrants into Greece. Read here: 

VIENNA – The International Press Institute announced that the Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) fund will distribute 1 million euro to cross-border investigative journalism projects in EU member states and candidate countries in 2020. First launched in 2018, the IJ4EU fund is managed by IPI, the European Journalist Centre (EJC) and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and aims to strengthen the watchdog role of investigative journalism in Europe. Read here  

LEIPZIG – The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) website publishes a story about women journalists and the threats they face across Europe, starting with the murders of women journalists Lyra McKee, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Viktoria Marinova and Kim Wall. 

PARIS – Reporters without Borders condemns the use of sexist insults and rumours by Syrian government supporters, including journalists, against a woman reporter who is covering the fighting in Idlib, Syria’s last rebel stronghold. According to the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Idlib region has around 60 women journalists. Those contacted by RSF confirmed that they had gender-related problems. Read here

TORONTO – To mark International Women’s Day, the global network for defending and promoting free expression IFEX has published a new original content series examining how our free expression rights and realities are gendered in a wide range of regional contexts, from the Americas to Africa, from the Middle East to Europe, Central Asia and the Pacific. Read here

NEW YORK – On the occasion of International Women’s’ Day, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has highlighted the risks faced by female journalists around the world. A least 20 were in jail at the time of the CPJ prison census, including five each in China and Turkey. In other countries female journalists face online threats and harassment. Read here

VIENNA – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, concluded the second Central Asia Judicial Dialogue in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During this two-day event, over 40 judges from the region discussed how to protect freedom of expression while combating violent extremism, terrorism and hate speech. The participants also discussed the decriminalization of defamation. Read here 

NEW YORK – Human Rights Watch quotes the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC)’s  annual report. According to the survey, the Chinese government is using “visas as weapons” against foreign journalists on an unprecedented scale. More than 80% of correspondents surveyed say that they had experienced “interference, harassment or violence” while reporting. Read here 

LB