15 Mar 18 | About Index, Statements
Today marks a sad day for Index on Censorship. Today we recorded our 4,000th case of a media freedom violation in Europe. That’s 4,000 cases in which journalists have been harassed, threatened, arrested, jailed – or even killed. Four thousand cases. In just four years.
I became a journalist more than 20 years ago because I wanted to tell untold stories. I wanted people to know – and hopefully care – what was happening not just in their own country but globally. I expected it to be tough. I did not expect that death threats would become a daily part of existence for thousands of journalists.
And yet this is the situation in 2018. On my recent trip to Washington, two senior White House correspondents described, almost as an aside, how receiving death threats had become the norm. The cases reported to our Mapping Media Freedom project, which covers 42 countries in and neighbouring Europe, shows they are far from being alone.
Everywhere – from Finland to Croatia – journalists report receiving threats of violence on a regular basis. In some cases, this is more than a threat. As David Aaronovitch wrote last week, in the past six months alone two journalists have been killed for their work: in Malta and in Slovakia.
Imagine, as you read this, that you received such threats. Imagine what it would feel like.
At Index, we believe this should not be the norm – for anyone. Which is why we have created a project to document these and other threats to media freedom. We use this information to campaign for change. And we offer support to some journalists via our Freedom of Expression Awards Fellowship.
Please support our work today.
A donation of £20 ensures a verified attack against media freedom is mapped publicly online; a gift of £100 enables an official report to pressure governments; a gift of £1000 supports extensive fieldwork to identify and confirm reported violations.
Our goal is to raise at least £15,000 by the end of March. We raised £3,000 in the first four days of this campaign. Please help us to reach our target. Every contribution helps.
Yours,
Jodie
13 Mar 18 | Media Freedom, media freedom featured, News and features, Press Releases
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”98546″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]UK-based freedom of expression organisation Index on Censorship recorded its 4,000th case of a media freedom violation in 42 countries around Europe on Monday.
Index has been mapping threats to journalists and media organisations in Europe and neighbouring countries since 2014. The map covers a wide range of threats to journalists: from online harassment to changes in the law that hamper the ability of journalists to report freely.
The 4,000th case was the arrest of Turkish journalist Muhammet Doğru, a reporter for Kurdish news agency Dicle, who was given a six-year suspended prison sentence for membership of a “terrorist organisation”. He was also sentenced to an additional two years and three months for spreading propaganda.
Doğru had already served 10 months in pre-trial detention.
Speaking after the hearing, Doğru said he would continue doing his job despite the sentence. “Many colleagues… We will continue to protect the dignity of journalism and fulfil our responsibility,” he said. “These sentences will not scare journalists”.
Although Turkey is often singled out as the worst offender for media freedom in the region, the 4,000 cases reported to the map, which covers 42 countries, in the past four years show that threats to the work of journalists are growing across Europe.
Across Europe – from Finland to Croatia – journalists report receiving threats of violence on a regular basis. In some cases, this is more than a threat. As Times journalist and Index chair David Aaronovitch wrote to Index on Censorship supporters last week, in the past six months alone two EU journalists have been killed for their work: in Malta and in Slovakia.
In a letter, Jodie Ginsberg, Index CEO, told supporters that the organisation is aiming to raise £15,000 in March for its work mapping threats to media freedom and its work campaigning against attacks on journalists, journalism and the public’s right to be informed. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Mapping Media Freedom” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_icon icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-times-circle” color=”black” background_style=”rounded” size=”xl” align=”right”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
Since 24 May 2014, Mapping Media Freedom’s team of correspondents and partners have recorded and verified more than 4,000 violations against journalists and media outlets.
Index campaigns to protect journalists and media freedom. You can help us by submitting reports to Mapping Media Freedom.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Don’t lose your voice. Stay informed.” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Index on Censorship is a nonprofit that campaigns for and defends free expression worldwide. We publish work by censored writers and artists, promote debate, and monitor threats to free speech. We believe that everyone should be free to express themselves without fear of harm or persecution – no matter what their views.
Join our mailing list (or follow us on Twitter or Facebook) and we’ll send you our weekly newsletter about our activities defending free speech. We won’t share your personal information with anyone outside Index.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][gravityform id=”20″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”false”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_separator color=”black”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
07 Mar 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Statements
Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak was murdered in February 2018.
Dear President Juncker,
We, the undersigned organisations, are deeply saddened and appalled by the recent killings of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. These killings on European soil in retaliation for the investigative reporting by these journalists are simply unacceptable.
We welcome the condemning of these killings by the European Union (EU) institutions. However, we demand that no further time is wasted and these words are followed by action. We urge high-level officials from the European Commission to retain regular communication with senior police authorities in Slovakia and Malta to ensure that police investigations are full, thorough and independent.
Moreover, the European Commission must take the lead and hold state officials and public figures to account for creating an environment in which the critical function of journalism is respected. State officials and public figures should consistently speak out in support of the critical function of journalism and support journalists when they are attacked.
A climate in which impunity prevails and in which journalists are only respected when they serve the interests of those in power, paves the way for violence. These murders signal the urgent need to support civil society in the EU Member States in their efforts to fight impunity, and to document and promote accountability for violations of press freedom.
In today’s world where a journalist is killed every five days with almost full impunity as a result, we have to stop the European region from becoming an environment where journalists are no longer safe to do their work. We call on the European Commission to work, as a priority, with Member States to begin the process of establishing national protection mechanisms for journalists in Europe.
Matlese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in October 2017.
When journalists are killed, they are silenced and the public is deprived of their stories. In the cases of Ján Kuciak and Daphne Caruana Galizia stories about corruption, organised crime and abuse of power. Stories the people have a right to know about.
Safety of journalists is a precondition for good journalism that serves the societies and audiences. Our European democracies cannot thrive when journalists are silenced and cannot inform people about important developments and hold power holders to account.
We urge the European Commission to call on the governments of its Member States to implement without any delay their existing commitments to provide a safe, enabling environment for journalists, flowing from numerous adopted United Nations resolutions on the safety of journalists and the Council of Europe recommendation on the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists and other media actors.
We urge the European Commission to take the lead in stepping up their efforts to protect journalists within Europe. The undersigned organisations stand ready to support in such efforts.
Your response to the killings of Ján Kuciak and Daphne Caruana Galizia will set a precedent for what is permissible in the European Union. A safe future for journalists in Europe is in your hands.
Yours sincerely,
ARTICLE 19
Committee to Protect Journalists
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
European Federation of Journalists
European Journalism Centre
La Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa
Free Press Unlimited
Global Forum for Media Development
IFEX
International Federation of Journalists
Index on Censorship
International Media Support
International Press Institute
Rory Peck Trust
Reporters Without Borders
Samir Kassir Foundation – SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom
Transparency International
05 Mar 18 | Index in the Press
Index on Censorship is bidding to raise £15,000 by the end of this month to map attacks against freedom of expression and demand governments do more to stop them. The plea follows the death of journalist Jan Kuciak, and his partner Martina Kušnírová, who had been investigating the Italian mafia in Slovakia. Read the full article
