International Press Institute (IPI)

Journalists and analysts discuss implications of China’s security law on press freedom.

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), comprised of press freedom groups, publishes report charting worrying decline of media freedom in Europe. Key factors in the decline were COVID-19, police violence and online harassment.

The International Press Institute condemns the ‘systemic’ targeting of Al Jazeera journalists Ghada Oueiss and Ola Fares, who continue to face Saudi-led online smear campaigns and phone hacking for their critical reporting.

Cambodian newspaper publisher Ros Sokhet was arrested for Facebook posts critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He is the third journalist arrested in recent months for criticizing the government.

“During the coronavirus pandemic the country’s media regulator has issued dozens of take down and correction orders and threatened to block news websites over coverage, while one journalist is under criminal investigation as a result of an article she published.”

FOIs, a process by which journalists can submit an official request to a state body or organisation for publicly held information or records, are a vital tool for media to gather data and are a central element of government transparency.

The worst violations have taken place in states where press freedom crackdowns were already well underway, such as Hungary, Serbia and Turkey. However, other states have also seen restrictions on journalists, either through limiting access to information or a rise in verbal and physical attacks.

Twenty-four press freedom groups and other civil society organisations send a list of recommendations to EU leaders on how a newly formed rule of law mechanism can help strengthen press freedom and media plurality.