Threats to Journalists in Europe INDEX

SPECIAL REPORT | NOVEMBER 2018

Demonising the media: Threats to journalists in Europe INDEX

DEMONISING THE MEDIA: THREATS TO JOURNALISTS IN EUROPE

ABOUT THIS REPORT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This document is a survey of over 3,000 violations of THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED BY press freedom reported to and verified by Index on Valeria Costa-Kostritsky, Sean Gallagher, Jodie Ginsberg, Joy Hyvarinen and Paula Kennedy with contributions from Mapping Media Freedom Censorship’s media monitoring project – Mapping correspondents: Adriana Borowicz, Ilcho Cvetanoski, João de Almeida Dias, Amanda Ferguson, Dominic Hinde, Investigative Reporting Project Media Freedom – since 2014. It covers 35 European Italy, Linas Jegelevicius, Juris Kaza, David Kraft, Lazara Marinkovic, Fatjona Mejdini, Mitra Nazar, Silvia Nortes, Platform for Independent countries, comprised of the 28 European Union Journalism (P24), Katariina Salomaki, Zoltan Sipos, Michaela Terenzani, member states, 5 candidates for entry to the EU and 2 Pavel Theiner, Helle Tiikmaa, Christina Vasilaki, Lisa Weinberger ILLUSTRATIONS potential candidates for entry to the EU. The incidents Alex Green were logged to Mapping Media Freedom between 1 DESIGN Matthew Hasteley May 2014 and 31 July 2018.

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URNED IN EFFIGY. Insulted. Menaced. Spat at. Discredited by their nation’s Bleaders. Assaulted. Sued. Homes strafed with automatic weapons. Rape threats. Death threats. Assassinations. This is the landscape faced by journalists throughout Europe over the past four years. Mapping Media Freedom has documented media freedom incidents across Europe – over 3,000 were surveyed for this report – since May 2014. The information gathered shows journalists and media outlets targeted in a kaleidoscopic array by political leaders, businesses and the general public – but some key trends have emerged from the reports recorded and verified by the platform. This document outlines some of these, and is in- tended as a survey of the landscape for media freedom in the region to aid lawmakers and those who wish to help an independent, plu- ralistic media landscape to flourish. CREDIT: Alex Green

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Key trends Hungary to Labour and the Scottish Na- tional Party in the United Kingdom. The Traditionally present at demonstrations methods can take many forms, some- Five issues that have been identified from the times subtle (behind-the-scenes phone to document and interpret events, media reports submitted to Mapping Media Freedom calls to an editor), sometimes overt (preventing a journalist affiliated with workers – whether freelance or staff – particular outlets from attending a press are also among the first to be corralled, conference) – but the goal of controlling information flow remains the same. targeted and injured. The second form of interference is National Security and Counter-terrorism potentially more insidious: attempts to dis- Protests Legislation credit media outlets by smearing journalists, Journalists also face a number of risks of- Well-intentioned legislation that aims to news outlets, and in some cases an entire fline. When protesters pour into the streets, protect the citizens and institutions of a industry in order to sow doubt about the journalists are necessarily among the first country is, in the best-case scenario, often veracity of their reporting. This is having a responders – an essential part of their pro- blind to journalism in the public interest. In damaging effect, particularly on the safety fessional duties. Traditionally present at the worst-case scenario, such laws are used of journalists, who increasingly are seen as demonstrations to document and interpret deliberately to prevent the dissemination “fair game” by the broader public and sub- events, media workers – whether freelance of information that is in the public interest. jected to both verbal and physical threats. or staff – are also among the first to be In 39 cases, reporters have been targeted corralled, targeted and injured. A number for prosecution for publishing embarrass- Social Media/Online Harassment of incidents documented at protests – as ing leaked information that governments Social media has provided journalists with a recorded by the Mapping Media Freedom have asserted was not meant for public wide avenue to share their information and project – provide insight into the multidi- discussion. This is an acute issue that often interact with readers in a public yet intimate mensional threats that journalists confront involves the judicial and extrajudicial sur- way. This has helped media professionals when called upon to report from the scene veillance of journalists in an effort to ferret in reporting and allowed for constructive of demonstrations, whether small or large. out the identities of whistleblowers. debates around current events, and can help These include a lack of understanding improve the quality of information avail- among some police forces about the role of Political Interference able to citizens overall. However, the other media at such events. This report identifies two key trends within side of that bargain is the growing hostility this category. The first is direct interference toward journalists online. This takes many Public Television in the operations of media outlets, either forms, from tweets of sexual harassment A significant but underreported trend during by politicians requesting editors or others to death threats made via Facebook. This the period was the threat to public broad- involved in the production of news to alter or is a widespread and pernicious issue that casters. A number of national broadcasters halt a story, or by replacing journalists critical journalists across the continent confront on were brought under closer government con- of a particular political party or policy with a daily basis, and is fomented by the widely trol. Taken together, these reports outline the ones more favourable to those in power. reported remarks of some politicians from importance of maintaining the editorial in- Political interference has come from across member states. Women are most frequently dependence of these vital public services. the spectrum – from Podemos in Spain to the target of such attacks.

the Front National in France, from Fidesz in CREDIT: Alex Green

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MAPP ING M E news outlets and through discussions categories and subcategories are available appended in late 2015, D About IA with the submitting correspond- in the Mapping Media Freedom methodol- and a “commercial F R ent. Reports are then published to a ogy section of this document. interference” flag was E E Mapping public-facing website for use by re- Going beyond traditional statistical added in spring 2018. D searchers, journalists and policymak- recording, Mapping Media Freedom’s In a manual process, O ers. The outputs are available to the correspondents write short narrative re- each new flag is tested M Media Freedom wider public through downloadable ports about the incidents. The goal is to against all the reports CSV files from the database and are recount the facts dispassionately, without on the platform, pro- shared widely on social media. The bias toward the journalist or media outlet. viding researchers with Monitoring violations against media professionals project has issued periodic reports Where possible, the incident is placed in the insights into incidents that summarised data on a quarterly context of wider trends within the locality, that have occurred and yearly basis. This document is the whether a city or national media market. since 2014. result of a full review of the data re- All reports for the 35 countries covered in The methodology ported to and verified by the project’s this report are published in English and aims to be as succinct APPING MEDIA FREEDOM is a contributors covering 35 countries. edited by project staff based at Index on as possible, and directs project, funded by the European Com- Each report is flagged against seven Censorship. submitters to flag Mmission, to investigate the full spectrum of main categories and 64 subcategories to The platform records incidents at the local the most appropriate threats to media freedom in the region – provide a sortable and searchable database and national levels. In addition to the cat- subcategories that from the seemingly innocuous to the most of the types of press freedom violations egorisation, this geographic spread aims to apply to the Limita- serious infractions – in a near-real-time sys- taking place in a country. EU-affiliated provide for the first time the fullest possible tion to Media Freedom tem that launched to the public on 24 May countries are further categorised by their awareness of the state of play for journal- category. As a result, 2014. status: member states, candidates and po- ists away from a country’s largest media reported incidents can Driven by Index on Censorship’s decades- tential candidates. Full descriptions of the markets, where most well-publicised press appear – legitimately long experience in monitoring censorship freedom violations occur. – in simultaneous subcategories across the media providers. In all instances, the reports across the globe, Mapping Media Freedom Because Mapping Media Freedom relies project. For example, a journalist’s car documented are rigorously fact-checked by set out to record the widest possible array primarily on inputs from a concentrated or home could be firebombed after they an independent editorial team working at of press freedom violations in an effort to Driven by Index on group of part-time correspondents, it cannot have published a series of articles about Index on Censorship. understand the precursors to the retreat of record every violation of press freedom in corruption in the local administration. media freedom in a country. The ambitious Censorship’s decades-long the countries covered. Further, if incidents This report could be listed as a “Limita- The Software scope of the project called for a flexible are not reported in the media, addressed by tion to Media Freedom”, subcategories The Mapping Media Freedom map and methodology that draws on a network of experience in monitoring unions or self-reported by journalists on so- “Attack to Property” and “Intimidation”, database rest on a modified version of the regional correspondents, partner organisa- censorship across the cial media, there is no way for the database depending on the facts of the incident. At Ushahidi platform, which was developed tions and media sources. to register that the incident occurred. the same time, reports are keyworded and to track election violence in the wake of Mapping Media Freedom defines a globe, Mapping Media Because of its focus on narrative, the plat- mapped to appear geographically on the Kenya’s disputed 2008 presidential poll. media worker as anyone partaking in the Freedom set out to record form allows for the retrospective interroga- map and through the platform’s search The platform is now in its third iteration; gathering, assessing, creating and present- tion of reports against new criteria as its functionalities. Mapping Media Freedom uses the map ing of news and information. the widest possible methodology evolves, and as the database Mapping Media Freedom covers all media as its primary visualisation of the data array of press freedom recorded an ever-larger pool of information workers, whether they work for state- and offers targeted search functionality at How It Works new categories were added. For example, backed news outlets, those funded by sup- mappingmediafreedom.org to help users Submitted reports are fact-checked against violations. EU-related and “whistleblowing” flags were porters of opposition parties or non-partisan navigate to the data they are seeking.

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the hundreds of journalists jailed in propaganda to incite the population". appeared in court. supporting Sipilä’s government in the European Turkey following the failed coup to the He was eventually released after a year in The misuse and abuse of national security Finnish parliament, proposed altering the seizure of a BBC journalist’s laptop in detention. legislation to identify government critics, or governing structure of Yle, limiting its inde- media freedom the United Kingdom. There are also multiple examples of Tur- silence critical media, is of growing concern. pendence. At the time, the party’s opposition This abusive phenomenon started key using Interpol arrest warrants against EU governments in particular need to be to multiculturalism was cited as the motive small, as in the case of Turkey, where exiled journalists like Can Dündar, whose mindful that loosely drafted national secu- for the proposal. Key themes 2014-18 dismissive official rhetoric was aimed extradition from Germany it demanded, and rity laws are often copied by far more re- While these two distinct events – the origi- at small segments – like Kurdish jour- Hamza Yalçın, who was detained by Spanish strictive regimes to support their repression nal reportage and the later push to amend nalists – among the country’s press authorities, though both of those countries of critical media. Yle’s governance – may be unconnected, the corps, but over time expanded to declined to enforce the requests. appearance of political manoeuvring raises extinguish whole newspapers or televi- And governments are also using terror Political Interference serious implications for press freedom, and National security legislation sion networks that espoused critical laws to spy on journalists. In 2014, the a. Direct Interference highlights how journalists can come under In October 2017, a reporter for The Wall viewpoints on government policy. UK police admitted that it used powers A journalist working for a country’s public pressure from politicians even in a country Street Journal was convicted of producing While Turkey has been an especially egre- under terror legislation to obtain the phone broadcaster produces a report that points widely regarded as having some of the high- “terrorist propaganda” in Turkey and sen- gious example of the cynical and political records of Tom Newton Dunn, political out that a high-level politician’s family could est levels of media freedom worldwide. tenced to more than two years in prison. exploitation of terror offences, the trend editor of The Sun newspaper, to investigate potentially gain from a government invest- In an ideal media environment, ethical Ayla Albayrak was charged over an Au- toward the criminalisation of journalism the source of a leak in a political scandal. ment. The politician sends a series of emails journalists would be free to investigate and gust 2015 article in the newspaper, which that makes governments uncomfortable is Police used powers under the Regulation of attacking the journalist for publishing false independently reveal the information that detailed government efforts to quell unrest spreading. Investigatory Powers Act, which circumvents information and accusing them of acting they had found, without retribution or pres- among the nation’s Kurdish separatists, “fir- In Spain, the police association filed a law- another law that requires police to have unprofessionally. The journalist resigns, say- surisation by political or business interests. ing tear gas and live rounds in a bid to reas- suit against Mònica Terribas, a journalist for approval from a judge to get disclosure of ing that further research into the conflict of Even the member states of the EU are not sert control of several neighbourhoods”. Catalunya Ràdio, accusing her of “favouring journalistic material. In September 2018, the interest is being prevented by their employer. ideal environments. All too often, politicians Albayrak was in New York at the time the actions against public order for calling on European Court of Human Rights ruled that These events took place in Finland in No- and business interests are short-circuiting ruling was announced and was sentenced citizens in the Catalonia region to report on the UK’s mass surveillance regime violated vember 2016. The country’s prime minister, the public’s right to information by placing in absentia, but her conviction forms part police movements during the referendum human rights. Juha Sipilä, sent emails to Yle journalist their personal or party agendas ahead of the of a growing pattern of arrests, detentions, on independence”. The association said in- Even jokes can land journalists in trouble Salla Vuorikoski after she wrote articles public good. trials and convictions for journalists under formation on police movements could help under terror laws. French police searched about a deal involving public money, a state- Since the election of Emmanuel Macron national security laws – not just in EU can- terrorists, drug dealers and other criminals. the office of community station Radio owned mining firm and another firm linked as French president, several members ➔ didate country Turkey, the world’s top jailer In Turkey, reporting deemed critical of the Canut in Lyon and seized the recording of a to the prime minister’s family. Nearly three of journalists. government, the president or their associates radio programme after two presenters were weeks later, in December 2016, Vuorikoski As security – rather than the protection of is being equated with terrorism – as seen in accused of “incitement to terrorism”. The stepped down, and fellow Yle senior re- fundamental rights and freedoms – becomes the case of German journalist Deniz Yücel, presenters had been talking about the pro- porter Jussi Eronen resigned citing pressure As security – rather than the protection the number-one priority of governments who was detained in February 2017. tests by police officers which had recently to act in contradiction of his journalistic worldwide, broadly written security laws Yücel, a Turkish-German dual national, been taking place in France. One presenter ideals. Sipilä, who had handed control of of fundamental rights and freedoms have been twisted to silence journalists. was working as a correspondent for the said: “This is a call to people who killed his business interests to his children several – becomes the number-one priority of It is seen starkly in the 272 cases that German newspaper Die Welt. He was ar- themselves or are feeling suicidal, and to all years earlier, was ultimately cleared of any Mapping Media Freedom has logged and rested after he was summoned to a police kamikazes, [to] blow themselves up in the wrongdoing by the country’s parliamentary governments worldwide, broadly written verified from countries affiliated with the station for questioning about a report he middle of the crowd.” One of the presenters ombudsman. security laws have been twisted to silence EU. This includes everything from the al- wrote about the Turkish energy minister. He was put under judicial supervision and for- Several months later, in March 2017, leged glorification of terrorism in Spain to was accused of sedition and using "terrorist bidden to host the radio programme until he the political party The Finns, which was journalists.

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➔ of the government have tried to control parliament. largesse for large portions of their financing. “If you are targeted, put on the front coverage by calling editorial offices, asking Targeting the media financially is a well- Leading political figures in countries from page or at the central headlines in the even- journalists not to criticise the government, trodden route for penalising critical outlets. the UK to Hungary have smeared journal- ing news, and accused of being a traitor, All too often, politicians and business write about the ruling party’s finances or On 6 July 2017 the offices of Rise Project, a ists and media outlets critical of them, political activist, non-balanced or simply interests are short-circuiting the public’s explore allegations of corruption or even by Romanian investigative outlet, were raided dismissing their reports as “fake news”; they a thief – you are automatically forced to threatening legal action when information by tax inspectors. Many believe the tim- have thus created an environment in which defend yourself, if not publicly, then at least right to information by placing their which was embarrassing for the government ing of the raid was chosen to intimidate reporters are demonised, and thereby more in your nearest surrounding,” journalist personal or party agendas ahead of the was leaked. the outlet, as Rise Project had previously vulnerable to abuse online and off. Tamara Skrozza told Mapping Media Free- Other forms of interference include law- announced that they would publish an im- In Romania, journalists are publicly chas- dom. Skrozza was described as an “enemy public good. suits, such as the 47 lawsuits being brought portant story on 6 July. The investigation tised for "promoting" protests against gov- of the state and President Vučić” by a pro- against investigative journalist Daphne alleged that Liviu Dragnea, the president ernment policies. In Italy, journalists have government TV station earlier this year, and Caruana Galizia at the time of her murder of the governing Social Democratic Party been threatened with having their police describes the result of such smears: “Your indicted, but legal authorities dropped the in Malta in 2017, as well as libel cases in (PSD), had exerted control over the Roma- protection removed. family is in danger, your privacy is attacked charges because, among other extenuating countries such as Spain and Greece. The nian secret services. In November 2016, during a press confer- and you are not able to lead a normal life. circumstances, he was a “highly decorated use of litigation to intimidate journalists is On 28 January 2018, a confidential re- ence, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico This, of course, causes a lot of stress and Croatian war veteran”. The Croatian Jour- a serious concern and an area that Index on port by the Romanian Tax Authority on called journalists dirty, anti-Slovak pros- damages your health for a long time.” nalists' Association (HND) condemned the Censorship will be focusing on in 2019. the activity of Rise Project, containing its titutes, and before that he did not hesitate None of this should be taken as an decision, describing it as "scandalous”. In the United Kingdom and France, sources of income as well as the list of its to call journalists “toilet spiders” or “slimy advocation of a position that holds that Ema Tarabochia, a researcher for a re- journalists may be locked in side rooms paid collaborators and projects, was leaked snakes”. In August 2017, during a press journalists and journalism should be free of gional project on media freedom and the or barred from attending conferences – an to the press. The report was used in a smear conference, Fico accused a reporter of being critique. But the quality of the debate needs safety of journalists, said that the corrosive all-too-common occurrence across the campaign against the organisation. “controlled by the opposition”. to be constructive, factual and professional. influence of hate speech on Croatian society continent, as Mapping Media Freedom’s Other forms of direct interference include In Serbia, where President Aleksandar Burning a journalist in effigy, as happened in recent years has been very strong. “Even “Blocked Access” subcategory shows. intervening in the appointment of staff at Vučić is a dominant presence on TV chan- twice in Croatia, does not contribute to the though there are no extremist parties in The purchase or takeover of previously state media operators, as outlined in the sec- nels, he regularly humiliates journalists at overall quality of information available to parliament, public space is poisoned by daily independent or critical media outlets by tion on public broadcasting. press conferences. They are often shouted Croatians. verbal attacks,” Tarabochia said. She said government supporters, or the abuse of the at, threatened and targeted: in some cases, A culture of impunity is also exacerbating that evidence shows that journalists working media licensing system is another form of b. Demonising the Media journalists who Vučić mentioned by name in these problems. Investigative journalists are for independent, commercial and nonprofit interference. In Hungary, business interests The willingness to smear journalists or the a negative context later receive death threats under particular pressure in the region: three media, who are labelled as “leftist journal- aligned with the governing party have outlets they report for, rather than debate online. journalists have been killed in the EU since ists”, are at a higher risk of suffering minor bought up media outlets and turned them the facts, in order to warp the public’s right Stevan Dojčinović, the editor-in-chief October 2017. injuries and death threats. This pattern is from critical to pro-government outlets to information is the true threat to media of KRIK, a media organisation which in- These cases have received a great deal of repeated in a number of countries covered overnight, and popular radio stations have freedom in the EU, its candidate countries vestigates crime and corruption, has been attention internationally. However, other by the map. lost their licences against a backdrop of and potential candidate countries. This attacked and smeared numerous times by examples of impunity abound. In Croatia, “They are threatened or attacked out of diminishing media plurality. In candidate fraught situation is occurring in countries pro-government tabloids after reporting a threatening comment was left on the ideological or ethnical reasons,” Tarabochia country Serbia, when a tax inspection fails at the heart of the EU, but it is even more about the private property of politicians. Facebook page of independent and critical said, adding that there are still no verdicts to find any impropriety at a media outlet, pronounced in countries on its fringes, Dojčinović and KRIK have been sued by news website Index.hr: “These Index.hr in two cases in which members of a far-right another is ordered, then another, then an- where robust checks and balances are absent Nenad Popović, a minister in the current journalists should be killed … because they party, Autochthonous Croatian Party of other. In Poland, a network was nearly fined in practice, and the independent media are Serbian government, after reporting on his undermine and damage everything that is Right (A-HSP), burned copies of Novosti, for reporting on protests that were sparked anaemic due to shrivelling advertising budg- offshore companies which appeared in the Croatian.” the Serbian-language minority newspaper. by opposition to reporting restrictions in ets – or, worse, dependent on government Paradise Papers data leak. The poster was quickly identified and The campaign, led by far-right political ➔

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lead to self-censorship on the part of the In August 2014, Amberin Zaman, a Turk- of harassment faced by journalists, par- part of the job, or where they fear reprisals The willingness to smear journalists or individual, and lessen the appetite for risky ish journalist who was then the Turkey cor- ticularly female journalists online, suggest from organised groups or law enforcement. investigative journalism on the part of news respondent for The Economist, was singled the number of cases reported to Mapping In some cases, project correspondents have the outlets they report for, rather than outlets; this was cited as the reason for the out by the country’s president, who said Media Freedom vastly underestimates the identified incidents retrospectively as a result debate the facts, in order to warp the resignations in the Yle cases. to her: “Know your place.” In November extent of the problem. We welcome the at- of offhand comments on social media net- Reporting incidents of censorship – includ- 2014, a Twitter user wrote that she would tention that bodies such as UNESCO and works or media reports appearing only after public’s right to information is the true ing self-censorship – is vital to building an be cut in half for writing about Isis, and the OSCE have brought to this issue. a similar incident has come to light. threat to media freedom in the EU. accurate picture of the state of media free- she was told by a western embassy to avoid Contexts vary, but journalists face risks dom in the region; we would urge journal- travelling to the Syrian border. Later, Za- Protests originating with both protesters and police, ists’ unions and media outlets to continue to man’s press card was revoked for her criti- When protesters pour into the streets, and as a result of finding themselves stuck ➔ parties and conservative civil associa- report incidents widely, and confidentially if cal – tweeted – opinions about the Turkish journalists are necessarily among the first between protesters and police (or various tions, reached fever pitch in September 2017 necessary. government. In each of these situations, responders; this is an essential part of their groups of protesters). However, more than and was followed by numerous verbal Zaman faced an onslaught of threats via professional duties. Traditionally present half the incidents (13 out of 25) reported threats to Novosti journalists. Online Harassment social media. at demonstrations to document and reflect, in the first seven months of 2018 involve “Lack of public rebuke from the centres In December 2016, an anonymous Twitter Foreign correspondents in Turkey have media workers – whether freelance or staff members of law enforcement, suggesting of power, especially the political one, are user posted a private photo of journalist also come under pressure, with one saying – are also among the first to be corralled, the need for improvements in police han- encouraging the perpetrators,” Tarabochia Vonny Moyes, a writer for Scottish news- he had to leave the country upon receiving targeted and injured. dling of media attending protests. said, adding that condemnation “would be paper The National, to shame her. Moyes thousands of threatening comments after his A number of incidents happening at pro- This year also saw a number of incidents a clear message to the perpetrators that such said that she was targeted because she had reporting on the Soma mine disaster. tests – as recorded by the Mapping Media in which protesters targeted journalists be- behaviour will not be tolerated”. written for pro-independence outlets and The immediacy and near-anonymity of Freedom project – have provided an insight cause of the political alignment that they or Moreover, an absence of reports should not drawn the attention of pro-union trolls. social media allow journalists to connect into the various threats that journalists con- the media outlet they work for holds. This be taken as evidence that the press freedom When a particular column was commented with a huge audience, but leave them open front when called upon to report from the has been exhibited by reports originating environment is healthy in such countries. on by leading UK conservatives, Moyes to insult and derision. The online harass- scenes of demonstrations, whether small or from anti-government protests aimed at With just 10 reports verified by Mapping said this acted as an amplifier and exposed ment incidents reported to Mapping Media large. Poland’s conservative Law and Justice Party Media Freedom during the time period cov- her to more direct harassment than usual. Freedom from the countries covered here Against a backdrop of nationalism, (PiS). ered here, Finland is the among the member The individual who ultimately sought out include a litany of death, rape and fake news xenophobia, economic insecurity and anti- This issue is explored further in our countries with the fewest reports. Yet if the and posted the nude images of the journalist accusations from members of the public and government sentiment, reporters have been companion report Targeting the Mes- country’s prime minister is willing to pres- had trolled her over earlier articles. When the politicians. indirectly targeted by demonstrators, coun- senger, which is available online at surise a journalist, it should be assumed photos appeared on Twitter, Moyes asked the In the 117 cases of online harassment ter demonstrators and police. mappingmediafreedom.org. that only the most egregious examples of user to remove them and told the troll she reviewed here, the largest number of reports This report examined 191 verified cases press freedom violations are being discussed would be contacting the police. She asked her among EU countries came from Croatia from the 35 countries affiliated with the EU Public Broadcasting in the public arena. A number of member followers to report the user to Twitter, which with 16. It was followed by Italy (9), Spain – 28 member states, 5 candidates for entry During the period covered in this report, states with smaller populations – Finland, they did. The user deleted their account soon (9), the UK (8) and France (5). In candidate and 2 potential candidates for entry. There Mapping Media Freedom has recorded Denmark, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithu- after. and potential candidate countries, the high- were 46 incidents in France, 31 in Spain, 27 a number of incidents related to national ania – have few reports, but this may be "I then tweeted for the rest of the evening est number of incidents was logged as origi- in Germany and 14 in Romania. broadcasters in EU member states. Taken to- something of a false flag. Other factors – such about the issue in order to deconstruct the nating in Bosnia and Herzegovina with 16. The numbers reflect only what was re- gether, these reports outline the importance as societal and professional pressures – may victim-blaming and sex-shaming narrative, It was followed by Serbia (9), the Former ported to and verified by Mapping Media of maintaining the editorial independence of be interfering with the discussion of incidents. to essentially take back the perceived power Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (5), Ko- Freedom. We have repeatedly found during public broadcasters. The pressures placed on journalists as part the troll believed they had," Moyes told sovo (4) and Turkey (4). the project that journalists underreport inci- The question of the independence of na- of this widespread political interference also Mapping Media Freedom of the incident. Other studies undertaken into the level dents they see as too minor, commonplace or tional broadcasters is regularly debated ➔

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➔ and contested across Europe. Many gov- by staff at the Spanish national broadcaster public television terminated the contract pitching stories that could be deemed Freedom’s Hungary correspondent, said: ernments play an important role in selecting RTVE in April 2018 in protest at what they of the production team responsible for the controversial, as she knew they would not “Controlling and using the public media for national broadcasters’ management, for see as political manipulation of the news programme Starea Nației (State of the Na- be commissioned. She said: “Most of the political purposes is a very important piece instance in Italy or France. agenda. tion), which had recently aired content that journalists for TVP are very young, not in the overall plan of the Orbán government Public broadcasters have come under The control exerted by the Polish govern- showed the broadcaster's management in experienced and not qualified, but they fulfil to control the information ordinary people particular pressure in Poland and Hungary. ment over state broadcasters creates a situ- an unflattering light. In a video, TVR head their editors’ expectations. The rest does living in rural areas have access to. In under- Overhauled in 2016, Telewizja Polska has ation where state channels can be used as Doina Gradea could be seen berating TVR not matter. Public media outlets are seen as developed areas, most people get their daily come under the direct control of the ruling a platform by members of the government journalists who had published reports criti- propaganda tools, detached from reality.” news from public media. Local newspapers conservative Law and Justice Party. The Pol- to attack private media outlets and journal- cal of the government, and shouting: “They Close governmental control over state were purchased by businessmen close to ish legislation was modelled on the Hungar- ists working for them, as happened in May deserve fists in their mouths!” Gradea and broadcasters can have very tangible effects the government; independent radio stations ian changes implemented by that country’s when TVP published information meant to the channel’s legal department signed the for a country’s citizens. Mapping Media did not receive new licences from the ➔ ruling party Fidesz. In each country, the discredit Łukasz Maziewski, a journalist notice terminating the contract. restructuring resulted in the elimination of who had been critical of the Law and Justice In Austria, in April, a month prior to hundreds of positions, including dozens of government. TVP pointedly described Fakt, his election as head of the ORF’s board of BLOCKED ACCESS journalists. the publication for which he writes, as a trustees, a member of the right-wing govern-

In Austria, the conservative and far-right “German-Swiss tabloid”. Fakt is the best- ing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) voiced NFORMAL BLACKLISTS OF media outlets. restrictions were placed on journalists, limiting coalition government is planning an ex- selling newspaper in Poland. his concerns about the “objectivity” of the IExorbitant fees for access to public information. members of the press to a 10-metre-long hall in tensive reform of the state Austrian Broad- In 2017, in Poland, there was a proposal broadcaster and threatened to dismiss a Restrictions on reporting from parliament and parliament. During the period covered here, Map- casting Corporation (ORF), which would to introduce a 15% cap on foreign owner- third of its foreign correspondents. refugee camps. Journalists prohibited from ask- ping Media Freedom recorded seven incidents ing questions at – or barred outright from – press that highlight the limiting of the right to report from include scrapping the tax funding it gets so ship of media companies, reminiscent of a In Montenegro, at the beginning of June, conferences. the seat of government power. Further restrictions that funds would be directly allocated by the Russian law passed in 2014 which prevented the council supervising the Montenegrin These Hungarian incidents, which were among on the press in the halls of power have arisen in government. foreign investors from owning more than public broadcaster RTGC dismissed the the 545 cases of blocked access that were veri- Poland, the Netherlands and Germany. In June 2018, presenters of Galician a 20% stake in Russian media outlets. In head of the broadcaster, Andrijana Kadija; fied in the 35 EU-affiliated countries covered in At the height of the refugee crisis, Hungary this report, are all too often a fact of life for jour- repeatedly denied journalists the ability to access public broadcaster TVG's afternoon news Poland, public media are pitted against pri- the action was seen by local civil society nalists. When journalists are prevented from re- camps housing the migrants. An AP journalist programme resigned in protest at the alleged vately owned channels, which government and journalists as an attempt by the ruling porting on an event – whether it be the opening was compelled to delete footage that showed political influence of the news agenda at the officials regularly attempt to discredit, as Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) to stifle of a pig farm or a press conference or a protest police unleashing a dog on migrants crossing channel. The presenters and some of their happened in May when an MP claimed that editorial independence. The Montenegrin – the public’s right to information is damaged. the border from Serbia. Police issued a letter In the Hungarian context, preventing journalists forbidding journalists from approaching “illegal colleagues had taken part in regular “Black 90% of privately owned media belong to Journalists' Association said RTCG staff from reporting comes in a variety of forms, from immigrants” to ask questions. In another incident, Friday” actions in protest at the alleged ma- foreign capital. were working under “tremendous political chasing them with a piece of construction equip- police declared a train station an “operational nipulation of the channel's news report. The In Poland and Hungary, Mapping Media pressure” from the government, making it ment to preventing their investigation of a leak at zone” and pushed journalists out. One journalist a garbage dump to placing restrictions on where tweeted that the refugees said: "Do not leave us." action was inspired by an effort launched Freedom has logged incidents in which “difficult for reporters and editors to do and how they can report in parliament. News The journalist accused the Hungarian authorities journalists who work for independent and their jobs professionally”. outlets were barred from the Fidesz election cen- of trying not to let the world see what they were privately owned media outlets are banned The pressure exerted on journalists results tre. At the height of the government’s feud with doing. Similar restrictions have been placed on from accessing events, while journalists who in politically warped content, increased cen- television network RTL Klub, it was prevented journalists at the Greek border. from covering the opening of a new football sta- Among the candidate countries, half of Tur- work for state media gain access. sorship and self-censorship. The immediacy and near-anonymity of dium – as well as targeted with a punitive tax on key’s 103 incidents of blocked access reviewed In Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the begin- Mapping Media Freedom’s Poland cor- its profits. for this report took place before the July 2016 social media allow journalists to connect ning of July, after months of pressure, a respondent said she felt that public broad- The Fidesz government’s shifting war with the coup attempt. Police and the government have cantonal government replaced the managers casters contributed to “creating a parallel media has seen journalists from outlets owned by placed an array of restrictions on reporters, from with a huge audience, but leave them business interests on the outs with the country’s curfews near to the Syrian border to deportation of the local public broadcaster RTV USK. reality”, and that when she worked for prime minister repeatedly blocked from attend- orders and the well-documented trials of journal- open to insult and derision. In Romania, at the end of June, Romanian a state broadcaster she abstained from ing party events. In February 2018, yet more ists taking place in the country.

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the licence fee, and that the dismiss- The question of the independence als would provide enough money in the budget to pay the remaining of national broadcasters is regularly employees. debated and contested across Europe. These incidents suggest that public media, which plays a vital role in citizens’ right to information, is under ➔ Media Council (and were replaced by acute pressure. The EU must act more government-friendly stations), meaning that decisively to ensure these services people who are not particularly tech-savvy, have independence. and don't use the internet, have no access to information critical to the government. Meanwhile independent media is shrinking.” Between 2015 and 2016, the European Audiovisual Observatory noted that a third of public media suffered budget cuts totalling nearly €139 million. In France the government asked for large cuts, prompting a strike in autumn 2017. The French government has also announced changes to public television due in 2019. Unions already fear that certain channels will be merged or eliminated. Debate over licence fees persists across the EU, as seen last year in Switzerland, where the proposition to make the licence fee disappear was overwhelmingly opposed by citizens during a referendum. This context of crisis contributes to deteri- orating working conditions and job losses at state broadcasters. In the Czech Republic, in June, during a meeting of the parliamentary committee for the media, the head of the state radio announced planned cuts of 120 workers. When an opposition party deputy on the committee asked him whether he was planning to use this opportunity to settle scores with his opponents within the radio network by carrying out a purge, the direc-

tor said that he did not want to increase CREDIT: Alex Green

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Limitations to murdered during a trip on an experi- Candidate Countries he was trapped with dozens of others dur- narrative in the EU member states, candidate mental submarine in August 2017. SERBIA ing clashes between Kurdish separatists and potential candidate countries. Inventor Peter Madsen, who created Journalist and radio host Luka Popov was and Turkish forces. Italy was the EU member state with the media freedom: the vessel Wall was writing a story murdered at his home in Srpski Krstur dur- ●● Syrian journalist Naji Jerf was shot and most reports categorised as physical assaults, about, was later found guilty of the ing a burglary in June 2016. Three suspects killed in Gaziantep. Jerf’s murder was with 83 incidents verified during the period crime. were later arrested and police said they con- seen as an assassination because he had covered. It was followed by Spain (38), key categories Danish film director Finn Nørgaard fessed to the crime. documented atrocities by Isis and trained France (36), Germany (25) and Hungary and security guard Dan Uzan were hundreds of citizen journalists. (18). In candidate and potential candidate murdered in February 2015 when TURKEY ●● Syrian citizen-journalist Ibrahim Abd countries, Turkey had the highest number of Five subcategories that register the most serious an armed individual attacked two ●● Syrian journalists Orouba Barakat and her al-Qader was beheaded in the city of assaults with 36. It was followed by Serbia threats to individual media professionals seminars in an attempt to assassinate daughter Halla Barakat were murdered Şanlıurfa, where he had been living as a (26), Bosnia and Herzegovina (16), Macedo- Lars Vilks, a controversial Swedish by a distant relative in September 2017. refugee. Al-Qader was a contributor to the nia (14) and Kosovo (13). cartoonist, who was scheduled to They had been subjected to threats from “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” in- In Italy, assaults are most often directed appear. groups associated with the Bashar Assad formation network and the Ayn al-Watan against journalists by private individuals government. website. The journalist's body was found who are part of the stories being covered. Deaths THE NETHERLANDS ●● In April 2017 Saeed Karimian was killed at the home of a friend, Fares Hammadi, In France, Germany, Spain and Hungary, The 19 reports coded with the death flag Crime journalist Martin Kok was shot in Istanbul by several hooded men who who had also been decapitated. journalists are most often assaulted during from EU member states, candidate states dead in December 2016. Kok, who was the shot him and his business partner, a native ●● Influential Turkish blogger Ferdi Özmen demonstrations – whether by protesters or and potential candidate states in the data- founder of a blog about the Dutch criminal of Kuwait. Karimian, an Iranian television was killed in Istanbul in October 2014. police. base record a variety of factors. underworld, had been targeted with a car executive based in Istanbul, was con- Özmen was an ardent supporter of Musta- bomb in July 2016. demned in absentia in Tehran for "spread- fa Kemal Atatürk's policies and a critic of Arrests/Detentions Member States ing propaganda against Iran". the government. There were 437 verified incidents flagged SLOVAKIA POLAND ●● During the failed July 2016 coup attempt, ●● Serena Shim was killed in a car crash in as having included an arrest or detention Investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his Journalist Łukasz Masiak was beaten to soldiers shot and killed Mustafa Cambaz, Suruç in October 2014. Shim, a reporter as part of the narrative in the EU member partner were killed at their home in Febru- death in Mława in June 2015. Masiak, who a photographer with the pro-government for Iran's Press TV, had been reporting states, candidate and potential candidate ary 2018. Kuciak was investigating the ran local news site NaszaMlawa.pl, which newspaper Yeni Şafak, in the Çengelköy from the Turkish-Syrian border on Isis countries. relationship between criminal syndicates and monitored local officials, had regularly re- neighbourhood of Istanbul. militants crossing into Turkey, and had The overwhelming number of arrests and government officials. Authorities have since ceived death threats, though Polish authori- ●● Journalist Mohammed Zahir al-Sherqat recently said on air that she was accused detentions in the countries covered in this made a number of arrests. ties later found that his profession did not was murdered in April 2016 by members of spying by Turkish intelligence. report took place in Turkey. The country’s play a role in his death and the perpetrator of Isis, which claimed he was killed for ●● Media worker Kadri Bağdu was murdered 324 reports – including the 80 that took MALTA was charged. presenting "anti-Islamic State programs". in October 2014 while distributing the place before the failed coup of July 2016 – Anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana ●● Journalist Gülşen Yıldız was killed in Kurdish dailies Azadiya Welat and Özgür document the ongoing crackdown on press Galizia was killed when the car she was FRANCE February 2016 during a terrorist attack Gündem in Seyhan, in the south-eastern freedom that accelerated after the attempted driving exploded as a result of a bomb in Twelve people were murdered in a January on a military convoy in Ankara. The jour- province of Adana. He was shot five times putsch. October 2017. Caruana Galizia was the sub- 2015 terrorist attack on satirical magazine nalist was among 28 people killed in the by two individuals who then fled on a Among the member states, Greece had ject of multiple lawsuits at the time of her Charlie Hebdo. Ten of the victims worked incident. motorcycle. 15 reports. It was followed by France (9), murder. for the weekly, which had published car- ●● The body of Rohat Aktaş, a news editor Germany (8), the Netherlands (7) and Latvia toons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, and reporter for the Kurdish-language Physical Assaults (6). In the candidate and potential candidate DENMARK and two were police officers. Four cartoon- daily Azadiya Welat, was recovered in Feb- There were 445 verified incidents flagged countries: Macedonia (9), Serbia (8), Bosnia Swedish freelance journalist Kim Wall was ists were killed. ruary 2016 from a Cizre basement, where as having a physical assault as part of the and Herzegovina (4) and Kosovo (4). ➔

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➔ Blocked Access Selected print media, the union observes with There were 545 verified incidents categorised great concern an increasing number Access to information critical of the as having blocked access as part of the narra- of attacks and defamation aimed at tive in the EU member states, candidate and countries intimidating colleagues who are will- government is difficult to obtain, potential candidate countries. ing to stand up for the freedom of Among the member states, Hungary’s journalism.” especially in rural areas with low internet journalists were prevented from covering We have selected six nations from the project A clear majority of threats reported penetration and for people who are less events in 52 incidents. It was followed by which demonstrate the various trends outlined to Mapping Media Freedom originated France (38), Poland (36), Germany (34) and above. These are not indicative of “best” or with the right-wing governing coalition tech-savvy. Italy (33). In candidate and potential candi- “worst”, and are chosen simply to illustrate the partner FPÖ and its political affiliates, date states, Turkey had 103 incidents. It was regional themes as they are experienced in which targeted media outlets, in par- the country not only to the FPÖ, but also to followed by Serbia (29), Macedonia (28), individual countries. ticular the public broadcasting coop- Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, “who tolerates Bosnia and Herzegovina (19), Albania (5) erative ORF. and approves of the FPÖ’s behaviour and, and Montenegro (5). Fred Turnheim, president of the Aus- additionally, pursues an enforced one-sided trian Journalists Club, told Mapping information policy called message control”. Intimidation Media Freedom: “The former far-right There were 697 verified incidents catego- Austria opposition party FPÖ has been well Hungary rised as having intimidation as part of the In Austria, Mapping Media Freedom has known for criticising the press for what it Mapping Media Freedom published 69 narrative in the EU member states, candidate recorded a significant rise in the intimidation considers a liberal bias and lack of objectiv- reports of censorship in Hungary between and potential candidate countries. of media outlets and journalists. Seven of the ity in the past.” May 2014 and 31 July 2018. The most Among the member states, Italy’s journal- eight incidents that have been categorised Turnheim said that since joining the gov- important impact on the state of media free- ists were intimidated most often, with 133 as intimidation were logged by the platform ernment, FPÖ has the ability to influence the dom is the concentration of media outlets in reports. It was followed by Romania (47), after the December 2017 election. Journal- media landscape and try to pressure journal- the hands of a few businessmen close to the Croatia (41), France (39) and Hungary ists' unions and watchdogs see a correlation ists into silence. government. (36). In candidate and potential candidate between the change in Austria’s political Turnheim views the influence of US Presi- Only a handful of independent media out- countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina had 47 landscape and the increase in violations of dent Donald Trump as an important turn- lets continue working in Hungary, publish- reported incidents. It was followed by Ser- media freedom. ing point, which now risks normalising the ing almost exclusively on the internet. This bia (40), Macedonia (31), Turkey (31) and “Since the inauguration of the Austrian defamation of media outlets as peddlers of has led to a situation where access to infor- Montenegro (19). conservative right-wing populist government fake news and journalists as liars. “President mation critical of the government is difficult Italian journalists are most often threat- on 18 December 2017, there are rapidly Trump opened the possibility of discrediting to obtain, especially in rural areas with low ened by private citizens, who often resort to increasing signs that media freedom is being journalists without providing any evidence. internet penetration and for people who are physical violence. The country’s journalists restricted in Austria. Journalists are publicly This is an attitude which has spread not less tech-savvy. also face intense pressure from individuals attacked by politicians,” Rubina Möhring, only to Austria.” One of the largest internet news sites, allegedly connected to criminal syndicates. president of Reporters Without Borders, told Möhring cited the FPÖ’s intention “to Origo, was sold to business circles close to The high number of Italian reports is due Mapping Media Freedom in March 2018. intimidate individual journalists in order to the government in 2014. The most impor- to the awareness of the issue raised by the Eike-Clemens Kullmann, president of produce and influence reports in their favour tant left-leaning daily, Népszabadság, was work of Ossigeno per l'informazione, which the Journalists Department of Austria's and to reduce the reputation of independ- closed in October 2016. monitors press freedom in Italy using its Union of Private Sector Employees, Graphi- ent journalism, especially the ORF, among After Fidesz won the parliamentary elec- oxygen methodology. cal Workers and Journalists (GPA-djp), the general public”. However, she assigned tions in April 2018 for the third time, dis- told Mapping Media Freedom: “In the responsibility for the rise in intimidation in senting oligarch Lajos Simicska sold his ➔

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➔ media interests. The leading conservative The Netherlands point in May 2017, when Dutch journalist This often results in self-censorship. The newspaper Magyar Nemzet was closed in On 21 June this year, the offices of two Loes Reijmer received multiple rape threats majority of journalists questioned in the April 2018, and the only news channel criti- Dutch weekly magazines were shot at with after the right-wing blog GeenStijl published survey stated that threats and intimidation Journalists who write critically about cal of the government, Hír TV, was also sold an anti-tank gun. The property was badly her photo with a salacious text. It resulted in have negative consequences on the quality, far-right parties like Geert Wilders’ Party in July 2018. damaged, but as it was late at night, no one many more women journalists coming out independence and diversity of their work, After a media outlet is taken over by busi- was injured. The weeklies, Panorama and in the open with their stories about sexual and are therefore a danger to press freedom. for Freedom and Forum for Democracy ness circles close to the government, the Nieuwe Revu, are both known for their harassment online. Some have become more careful when deal- also often receive threatening and leading journalists and management are usu- reporting on organised crime, and more “Parties like Denk and PVV increasingly ing with sensitive topics; some avoid certain ally dismissed, and the outlet begins publish- specifically feuds between various criminal depict journalists as a biased party,” said places and topics. intimidating messages. ing/broadcasting materials in line with the motorcycle gangs. The main suspect turned Thomas Bruning, from the Dutch Union for Brenninkmeijer added that he is most wor- direction set during informal meetings by out to be a member of one of those motor- Journalists (NVJ). “And because of social ried about the vulnerable position of jour- people close to the government. Self-censor- cycle gangs. media, the threshold is lower than it used to nalists in their profession. “Fewer journalists articles that have weakened this freedom, ship is pervasive among the journalists who Over the past five years, Mapping Media be for the public to react, often anonymous- are contracted, instead they have flexible since its judicial interpretation has ended by continue working at these outlets. Freedom has shown that most of the media ly. And the chance of being caught is lower, contracts or are freelancers,” he said. “This penalising free opinion. On the other hand, Press freedom and the right to access to freedom violations in the Netherlands were so people are getting away with it.” leads to an employer having less responsibil- police sanctions against journalists and pho- information in Hungary were considerably reported in the subcategory “Intimidation”. A prominent Dutch study showed that ity for the safety of the journalist. The jour- tojournalists have led to self-censorship to affected by the acquisition of virtually all The intimidation came from various sources: over 60% of Dutch journalists have at some nalist’s position is weak and unprotected. avoid problems.” county newspapers by businessmen close to individuals, politicians, companies and the point in their career received threats and And journalism becomes increasingly under The Platform for the Defence of Freedom the government in 2016. public. Journalists are mostly the target experienced intimidation. The survey, A pressure in society.” of Information (PDLI) also blames legis- “We consider the government monopoly when they deal with such topics as organ- Threatening Climate (2017), showed that lative and judicial powers. “The Citizen on news unhealthy and damaging, going ised crime, Islam, right-wing politician Geert 61% of all (638) questioned Dutch journal- Spain Security Law has been applied against jour- against the laws concerning free competi- Wilders and Turkish President Recip Tayyip ists had been threatened, 22% even on a Between May 2014 and August 2018, Map- nalists in the exercise of their work; and tion and media,” Miklós Hargitai, the Erdogan. monthly basis. Amnesty International called ping Media Freedom reported 46 cases judicial procedures against investigative president of the National Association of Several journalists received threats in the the Dutch numbers “worrying”. of censorship in Spanish media. Nemesio journalism, mainly in corruption cases by Hungarian Journalists (MÚOSZ), told aftermath of the failed coup in Turkey and According to Alex Brenninkmeijer, the Rodríguez, president of the Spanish Federa- demands for the right to honour.” Mapping Media Freedom. He added that a diplomatic row between the Netherlands former Dutch ombudsman who led the tion of Journalism Associations (FAPE), Rodríguez also blames governments. “The because MÚOSZ is not a government au- and Turkey in 2017. Political party Denk, investigation, an explanation is the lack of said: “There is evidence of journalists being News Service Council – the body in charge thority, its leverage is limited. a Dutch party accused of having ties with trust in the media. “This is a consequence of pressured to change their information. of guaranteeing internal control and inde- “We raise awareness of the illegalities Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party the attitude of politicians towards journal- Only 21% of journalists declare they have pendence within Spain’s public TV and radio through our statements and petitions, as (AKP), refused critical journalists at their ists. You see this in the US and the UK, and never received pressures to change their corporation – reported hundreds of cases of well as interviews published in the few press conferences. They published a cam- it’s spilled over to the Netherlands,” he said. information. 75.7% believe it is usual that censorship, manipulation, partisanship and remaining free media outlets. We also plan paign video in which they warn their voters “The tone used by politicians has become journalists yield to pressure, which in many other bad practices during Mariano Rajoy’s to file a complaint to the European Com- to “distrust the media, don’t fall for it”. increasingly harsh. These are the people who occasions leads to self-censorship.” government.” Rajoy, the former head of the mission, because the media conglomerate Journalists who write critically about far- should lead by example.” He added that Rodríguez pointed to judicial decisions PP, was Spain’s prime minister from 2011 to serving the interests of the government right parties like Geert Wilders’ Party for journalism has become more polarised and as one of the factors that have limited the 2018. “Also, Catalan television TV3 received is functioning using mainly public funds: Freedom (PVV) and Forum for Democracy politicised over the past few years, like the freedom of information. These decisions de- accusations of informative manipulation and cheap credits and preferentially contracted (FVD) also often receive threatening and society has. “The pressure on journalists has rive from restrictive laws passed during the partiality in favour of a pro-independence state advertising. In our opinion, this is intimidating messages. increased, as if they are forced to take sides, right-wing People’s Party (PP) governments, thesis.” state subsidy, which is forbidden in the EU,” A trend of sexist threats and intimidation left or right. As a result, they become the especially the so-called “Gag Law” – the PDLI pointed out: “We cannot forget Hargitai said. against women journalists reached a low subject of hate and intimidation.” Citizen Security Law – which “contains other threats, such as the reform of the ➔

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➔ Criminal Code, as well as the deteriora- of the media more generally by activists Sweden, which then undermines the profes- threatening is affiliated to the authorities”. tion of working conditions in the press; and and politicians from the insurgent Sweden sional legitimacy of Swedish journalists – a Camović said that authorities need to the safety of journalists (especially women) Democrats (SD) party. phenomenon which became particularly resolve threats against journalists quickly due to threats and harassment in social net- In August 2018, for example, the SD evident during the election campaign. and effectively. She pointed to the case of works would be another relevant factor.” leader Jimmie Åkesson said on air that he Going forward, the Swedish government journalist Sead Sadiković, who was tar- Overall, Rodríguez remarked that “this is would like to close down the public service is taking measures to combat fake news geted twice in as many years with threats not a state of widespread risk for freedom radio channel P3 for being too left-wing, and reform support it provides to online and intimidation. A year after the first of expression and freedom of press. There attracting criticism. In the runup to the and offline publications. incident, an explosive device was thrown is no censorship in Spain, if we understand recent election the party has maintained at his home because the perpetrators were censorship as the aim of a government to a consistent hostility to the established Montenegro upset with his reporting. “If the institu- prevent the dissemination of information commercial and public media, which they Montenegro’s atmosphere of impunity is tions were proactive in the first incident, contrary to its interests.” Nevertheless, he claim are trapped by political correctness cited by reporters within the country as the the second would have never happened,” admitted: “It is much harder to put an end and populated by a leftist elite. On elec- main reason for the high rate of intimida- Camović said. to pressures coming from economic powers, tion night Åkesson audibly lamented the tion against media workers. Nineteen of the Gorjanc-Prelević said that priority should since many media outlets are controlled by number of journalists in the room, and 47 incidents logged in the country between be given to strengthening the rule of law re- financial groups.” the party’s strong showing has raised the May 2014 and August 2018 included garding all kinds of criminal behaviour, but PDLI does not share Rodríguez’s views. prospect of their influencing media legisla- threats against journalists. The threats pressure should also be put on authorities to “There has been an unprecedented deterio- tion in the coming years. Jesper Bengtsson, come from a variety sources, including diligently investigate and sanction those who ration, particularly since the approval of the chairman of Swedish PEN, said that politically connected individuals and politi- are threatening journalists. the ‘Gag Law’, and it needs to be reverted “in Jimmie Åkesson’s world all journalism cians: “Prime minister’s brother threatens HRA recently proposed amendments to urgently.” seems to just be an opinion. How should and swears at journalist” and “Parliament the Montenegrin Criminal Code with the we get away from that idea of journalism?” vice-president threatens and insults journal- aim of increasing the punishment for attacks Sweden This type of scepticism of professional ist” are among them. on journalists, in order to contribute to the Sweden is still home to resilient, diverse journalistic work has also been evident in Marijana Camović, president of the Trade climate of general prevention. and independent media, with relatively the Moderate Party. This summer Hanif Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG), healthy commercial media supplementing Bali, a member of parliament, was heavily told Mapping Media Freedom that the es- a well-funded public service offering over criticised after posting mocked-up pictures calation of threats and intimidation is the TV, radio and online. The past year has of himself on the cover of the computer end result of unresolved assaults and the however seen further evidence that the rise game Call of Duty, indicating that he was at 2004 murder of Duško Jovanović, who was of populist right-wing politics in Sweden war with the newspaper Dagens Nyheter. the director and editor-in-chief of the daily threatens both the operational freedom of Other dangers in the Swedish media in- Dan. “In a society where such things are journalists and their traditional place as clude the increased precarity of work for unpunished, then intimidations are even less an important component in the function- freelancers, who are facing structural chal- punished,” Camović said. ing of Sweden’s parliamentary democracy. lenges to carrying out their work safely, and According to Tea Gorjanc-Prelević, ex- This threat is most obvious in the actions the apparent indifference by some members ecutive director of Human Rights Action of extra-parliamentary hard-right activists of the police to the safety and responsibil- (HRA), an NGO that focuses on freedom pursuing traditional neo-Nazi methods of ity of journalists operating in public spaces. of expression, one of the main reasons for intimidation through marching, physical at- There is also a secondary challenge from the rise in intimidation is that there is little tacks and directly criminal behaviour, but a foreign broadcasters in the US and Russia respect for the country’s laws, authorities or more pervasive threat is the delegitimisation producing inaccurate news reporting on institutions – “especially if the one who is

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Methodology ARREST/DETENTION: Media worker ar- ymous sources ●● Journalist 2-3 trusted and independent sources, which rested or detained as a result of their ATTACKING FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION: Union- ●● Broadcaster include but are not limited to local and work busting by media outlet management ●● Photographer national media outlets, journalists’ unions, INTERROGATION: Media worker ques- ●● Documentarist police reports and the social media accounts tioned by authorities as a result of their Case of Censorship ●● Cameraperson of the individuals directly involved. work Did this incident include content produced ●● Editor When violations are self-reported or clari- What is Mapping Media Freedom? INTIMIDATION: Media worker menaced as a by a journalist/media worker? What hap- ●● Blogger/Citizen Journalist fication is needed, Index staff also verify The map is a collection of narrative reports result of their work pened to that content? ●● Other incidents with the media worker(s) affected about incidents targeting journalists/media COLLATERAL TARGETS: Threats made against ●● Article/Work didn’t appear at all by getting first-hand testimony, and/or speak workers in 43 countries. While visualised those associated with a journalist, ie family ●● Article/Work was heavily cut omitting im- Gender to journalists’ unions. as a map, it is a news service and database or friends portant information What is the gender of the journalist/media Our verification process is a multilayered verifying, collating and recording threats to ATTACK TO PROPERTY: Computers, cameras or ●● Article/Work was slightly but significantly worker involved in the incident? one in which staff work with a team of inde- media freedom that have been reported to other tools damaged changed ●● Female pendent journalists to verify and report in- it by a network of correspondents, partners CIVIL CHARGES: Media worker sued as a re- ●● Article/Work was framed in a misleading ●● Male cidents submitted to the website. The goal is and journalists. The strength of Mapping sult of their work way ●● Nonbinary the most complete narrative of the incident Media Freedom is that it contains a wealth CRIMINAL CHARGES: Media worker charged in ●● Self-censorship ●● Not Applicable that reflects the objective events. of details about the types of incidents affect- connection with their work ●● Soft censorship ing journalists. LEGAL MEASURES: Laws or court orders cur- ●● Commercial interference Support Needed Who is considered a journalist/media tailing media outlets or workers If known, what could unions or media out- worker? What kinds of incidents are reported? LOSS OF EMPLOYMENT: Termination, job cuts Source of the Threat/Violation/Abuse lets help the journalist with? A media worker is anyone partaking in the Mapping Media Freedom monitors limita- BLOCKED ACCESS: Media worker prevented ●● Who targeted the journalist/media ●● Legal Aid gathering, assessing, creating and presenting tions, threats and violations that affect from covering a story or speaking to a worker? ●● Physical Protection of news and information. journalists as they do their job. We strive to source ●● Employer/Publisher/Colleague(s) ●● Training have a complete narrative of the objective DEFAMATION/DISCREDIT: Media worker pub- ●● Police/State Security ●● Informational Resources What countries are monitored? facts of incidents without bias against news licly ridiculed ●● Government/State Agency/Public ●● Publicity Mapping Media Freedom monitors a total outlets or journalists. PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE: Verbal harassment, Official(s) ●● Union Intervention of 43 countries which include the EU mem- Each incident is categorised by the offline bullying ●● Court/Judicial ●● Solidarity ber states, candidates and potential can- following: SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Media worker targeted ●● Political Party didates for EU membership, non-EU EEA for gender or sexual identity ●● Corporation/Company EU Membership states and four former Soviet bloc nations. Limitation to Media Freedom TROLLING/CYBERBULLYING: Media worker har- ●● Private Security To which category does the country in ●● Albania | Austria | Azerbaijan | Belarus | Did the incident happen to a media worker assed online ●● Known Private Individual(s) which the incident took place belong? Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bul- while they were carrying out their profes- DDOS/HACKING: News site or journalist tar- ●● Criminal Organisation ●● EU Member States garia | Croatia | Cyprus (Northern Cyprus) sional duties? If so, what categories fit the geted ●● Another Media ●● Candidate Countries | Czech Republic | Denmark | Estonia facts of the incident? VIOLATION OF ANONYMITY: Publicly naming a ●● Other/Unknown ●● Potential Candidates | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | DEATH: Media worker killed as a result of source Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Kosovo their work BRIBERY/PAYMENTS: Money proffered to influ- Type of Journalist How do we verify the incidents submit- | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Mac- PHYSICAL ASSAULTS: Media worker subjected ence coverage What type of journalist/media worker was ted? edonia | Malta | Montenegro | Netherlands to violence as a result of their work IMPUNITY: Incidents where crimes against involved? In the case of bloggers/citizen The platform’s methodology complies with | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania INJURY: Media worker injured as a result of journalists go unpunished journalists: were they involved in journalis- the journalistic standards employed by | Russia | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia | their work TARGETING WHISTLEBLOWERS: Targeting anon- tic activities? Reuters and AP. Each report is verified by Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Turkey ➔

15 INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG MAPPINGMEDIAFREEDOM.ORG INDEX

➔ | Ukraine (Crimea) | United Kingdom | Vatican

European Union candidate states ●● Albania | Macedonia | Montenegro | Serbia | Turkey

European Union potential candidate states ●● Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kosovo