27 Mar 18 | Press Releases
Astăzi, este lansat de Centrul European pentru Presă și Libertatea Presei (CEPLP) și de Institutul Internațional de Presă (IIP) un fond de până la 450.000 EUR pentru susținerea jurnalismului de investigație transfrontalieră în Uniunea Europeană.
http://www.ij4eu.net/
Fondul „Jurnalism de investigație pentru Europa” (# IJ4EU) este destinat încurajării și consolidării colaborării dintre jurnaliștii și camerele de presă din Uniunea Europeană privind dezvăluirile de interes public și cu semnificație transfrontalieră. Fondul urmărește să susțină investigațiile ce reflectă rolul de supraveghere al mass-mediei și care ajută publicul să-i tragă la răspundere pe cei aflați la putere pentru acțiunile lor și conform obligațiilor lor. În acest sens, urmărește să contribuie la durabilitatea democrației și a statului de drept în UE.
Fondul va fi gestionat de IIP, o rețea globală de editori, directori media și jurnaliști de frunte care apără libertatea presei încă din 1950.
În 2018, echipele transfrontaliere de reporteri de investigație și / sau mass-media cu sediul în cel puțin două state membre ale UE pot solicita subvenții în valoare maximă de 50.000 EUR pentru a efectua investigații pe teme de interes transfrontalier și de interes public.
Proiectele propuse trebuie să vizeze dezvăluirea de noi informații. Echipele de investigație existente sau create pentru un proiect #IJ4EU sunt la fel de binevenite să solicite subvenție. Investigațiile în curs, dar incomplete, sunt eligibile pentru solicitarea de fonduri pentru a finaliza un reportaj publicabil. Echipele de jurnaliști sau mass-media care se află în afara capitalelor sau a celor mai mari orașe sau în țările în care jurnalismul de investigație prezintă un risc deosebit sunt încurajați în special să candideze.
Programul va lua în considerare finanțarea tuturor platformelor, inclusiv imprimarea, difuzarea, mass-media online, producția de filme documentare și reportajele pe mai multe platforme.
Pentru a fi eligibile pentru finanțare, proiectele propuse trebuie să aibă scopul de a fi publicate (și disponibile în formă publicabilă) de către redacțiile sau platformele de știri respectate din cel puțin două țări ale UE și cel târziu la 31 decembrie 2018.
Termenul limită pentru depunerea candidaturilor este 3 mai 2018, zi care marchează, de asemenea, Ziua Mondială a Libertății Presei. Cererile trebuie să fie depuse în limba engleză. Solicitanții va trebui să furnizeze o descriere detaliată a proiectului, informații despre echipa de investigație, un plan de cercetare și de publicare, un buget și o evaluare a riscurilor.
Un juriu independent va selecta proiectele care vor fi finanțate, cu scopul de a încheia acorduri cu toți solicitanții care vor fi acceptați, până pe 15 iunie 2018.
Pentru a candida și a citi informațiile complete privind eligibilitatea, cererile și procesul de selecție, vă rugăm să vizitați site-ul web al fondului.
„Jurnalismul de investigație, ce realizează un serviciu esențial în orice democrație funcțională, se află sub presiune în întreaga UE”, a declarat Barbara Trionfi, director executiv al IIP. „Acordarea de sprijin financiar proiectelor de investigație este o modalitate de a contribui la asigurarea că informațiile despre chestiuni precum corupția, infracțiunile financiare, abuzurile drepturilor omului și daunele aduse mediului ajung la public.”
A adăugat: „Deoarece astfel de investigații sunt rareori limitate la un singur stat, este esențial ca echipele de jurnaliști să lucreze dincolo de granițe asupra chestiunilor respective. Suntem mândri că #IJ4EU va oferi posibilitatea de a face aceasta.”
For any questions, please contact:
Javier Luque
Head of Digital Media
IPI
Email: [email protected]
Tel.: +43 1 5129011
27 Mar 18 | Awards, Fellowship 2018, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/d-q_4RcHH_0″][vc_column_text]The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC ) is the only organisation in Kenya — where homosexuality is still a criminal offence and attacks on the gay community frequent — using a legal route to challenge LGBTIQ discrimination.
Men who have sex with men in Kenya can be punished by up to 14 years in prison and, although there are no specific laws relating to women, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said in 2010 that women who have sex with women should also be imprisoned. LGBTIQ people also often find themselves subject to violence and blackmail.
NGLHRC was set up in 2012 by six young legal advocates, but its name was officially only recognised two years ago after a long court battle, which is still being appealed. Winning the right even to exist was, according to the International Service for Human Rights, a milestone for all charities campaigning for gay rights on the African continent.
The aim of the commission is to prevent discrimination on account of real or presumed sexual orientation and gender identity, and respond to discrimination when it happens.
The way they address this is by offering legal aid to Kenya’s LGBTIQ community across every city, town, rural area, and county whenever they are faced with discrimination, harassment and violence because of their sexual orientation or gender. They also offer training to public officials and judges.
The main challenge the NGLHRC faces is difficulties in reforming the laws and policies because of delays in court dates. The insensitive messages published by the media about LGBTIQ people is also, they argue, retrograde and increases stigma and violence.
NGLHRC currently has three cases in court. Its aim is to achieve change by using litigation to ensure legal precedent. The first court case the commission is involved in is about ensuring its very survival: making sure the attorney general does not win a constitutional appeal against the registration of the commission.
The second is to ensure the end of forced anal examinations which is common when a man is accused of having sex with another man.
And the third is to challenge the constitutionality of the penal code which criminalises homosexuality.
One of the biggest campaigning successes of the NGLHRC in the last year was when in September 2017. It won agreement from the Kenya Medical Association to stop forced anal examination of clients “even in the guise of discovering crimes.”
“Being nominated for an 2018 Freedom of Expression Award was quite unexpected,” said NGLHRC. “To be included with likes of so many activists, artists and organisations who are dedicated to the realisation of life-changing work is quite the honour. Many times in the quiet of each of our corners, doing the day to day work needed to make our communities better places, the work can feel isolated. Recognition of this kind reinforces that what the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission does matter.”
See the full shortlist for Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Awards 2018 here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” equal_height=”yes” el_class=”text_white” css=”.vc_custom_1490258749071{background-color: #cb3000 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Support the Index Fellowship.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:28|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2Fnewsite02may%2Fsupport-the-freedom-of-expression-awards%2F|||”][vc_column_text]
By donating to the Freedom of Expression Awards you help us support
individuals and groups at the forefront of tackling censorship.
Find out more
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1521479845471{background-image: url(https://www.indexoncensorship.org/newsite02may/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2017-awards-fellows-1460×490-2_revised.jpg?id=90090) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1522067231973-3405d213-874a-10″ taxonomies=”10735″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
26 Mar 18 | Awards, Fellowship, Fellowship 2018, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/7kseuuaARZQ”][vc_column_text]The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) is one of the only human rights organisations still operating in a country increasingly hostile to dissent and in which countless civil society organisations have been forced to close. The commission coordinates campaigns for those who have been tortured or disappeared, as well as highlighting numerous incidences of human rights abuses.
“Our main goal to achieve in the future, which is stated in our mission, is to empower individuals to acquire their rights, promote a culture of democracy in the Egyptian society, and expand human rights to every home in Egypt,” ECRF told Index. “But in the end of the day we decide to carry out with our work regardless of the challenges because if everyone is silenced this would be the ultimate gain to the current regime, and the ultimate victory to Egypt’s state of fear.”
Between August 2016 and August 2017, the ECRF documented 378 cases of enforced disappearance many of whom were students. The cases of the disappeared are not reported in the heavily censored local media, and the commission’s website and social media sites are some of the few places their plight can be publicised, reported and mapped.
The highly restrictive and repressive environment Egypt has made it increasingly difficult for the organisation to do its work.
Their website was blocked in September in government measures designed to close the organisation down, but the ECRF managed to create a parallel website to maintain their presence and engagement with the public. Twice last year ECRF’s headquarters was raided by security forces with two staff members being arrested. As a result, the staff need help dealing with the risks of being arrested, as well as dealing with the interrogation process and knowing how to protect information.
Over the past 12 months the ECRF has been fighting censorship and defending human rights in two ways. The first is through the criminal justice programme which tackles issues of torture and enforced disappearances in Egypt. It has been particularly focused on the arrest of activists who took part in demonstrations against Egypt’s agreement to cede two uninhabited islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia.
Secondly, ECRF has worked on challenging censorship imposed on student associations in universities. Recently the commission launched an online platform to bring students and practitioners online to discuss a student charter related to freedom of association in universities. The platform was heavily criticised by the ministry of higher education in Cairo, which led to further condemnation of it in official media outlets.
As a direct result of the work ECRF has carried out over the past year, there has been an increased awareness of enforced disappearances, media censorship, the scale of torture, and violations of freedom of association and expression in media and universities.
“ECRF is honored to be shortlisted alongside three peer organizations/campaigns also facing severe human rights challenges in their own countries,” said ECRF. “The international recognition of ECRF’s efforts in campaigning for fundamental freedoms emboldens its members and staff in their resilience to strive for human rights and democracy in Egypt. Regardless of the winner, progress towards equal rights in Russia means progress in Egypt and progress in Kenya means progress in Iran and vice-versa.”
See the full shortlist for Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Awards 2018 here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” equal_height=”yes” el_class=”text_white” css=”.vc_custom_1490258749071{background-color: #cb3000 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Support the Index Fellowship.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:28|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2Fnewsite02may%2Fsupport-the-freedom-of-expression-awards%2F|||”][vc_column_text]
By donating to the Freedom of Expression Awards you help us support
individuals and groups at the forefront of tackling censorship.
Find out more
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1521479845471{background-image: url(https://www.indexoncensorship.org/newsite02may/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2017-awards-fellows-1460×490-2_revised.jpg?id=90090) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1522065946315-a2955265-bb40-3″ taxonomies=”10735″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
26 Mar 18 | Press Releases
Od dnešného dňa je k dispozícii nový fond s prostriedkami v hodnote až 450 000 EUR na podporu cezhraničnej investigatívnej žurnalistiky v Európskej únii. Fond sprístupnil Európske centrum pre slobodu tlače a médií (ECPMF) a Medzinárodný tlačový inštitút (IPI).
http://www.ij4eu.net/
Fond Investigatívna žurnalistika pre Európu (#IJ4EU) má podporovať a posilňovať spoluprácu medzi novinármi a redakciami v Európskej únii na odhaleniach vo verejnom záujme, ktorých význam siaha za hranice jedného štátu. Cieľom fondu je podpora zisťovania skutočností ako jednej z úloh médií, ktoré sa majú podieľať na verejnej kontrole moci, a pomáhať verejnosti zabezpečiť, aby osoby v riadiacich pozíciách v štáte niesli zodpovednosť za svoje konanie a povinnosti. V rámci toho sa fond usiluje prispieť k udržateľnosti demokracie a práva v EÚ.
Fond bude spravovať organizácia IPI, čo je globálna sieť vydavateľov, riadiacich pracovníkov z oblasti médií a popredných novinárov, ktorá chráni slobodu tlače od roku 1950.
V roku 2018 sa môžu cezhraničné tímy investigatívnych reportérov a/alebo mediálne kanály z najmenej dvoch štátov EÚ uchádzať o granty v maximálnej výške 50 000 EUR, ktoré použijú na zisťovanie skutočností o téme, ktorá má cezhraničný význam a je vo verejnom záujme.
Cieľom navrhovaných projektov musí byť odhalenie nových informácií. O grant sa môžu uchádzať už existujúce investigatívne tímy, ako aj tie, ktoré boli založené na účely projektu #IJ4EU. Prostriedky môžu získať aj už prebiehajúce, no ešte neukončené zisťovania skutočností, aby mohol vzniknúť príbeh, ktorý sa dá publikovať. Obzvlášť vítané sú tímy novinárov alebo mediálne kanály, ktoré sa nachádzajú mimo hlavných alebo najväčších miest alebo v štátoch, v ktorých je investigatívna žurnalistika obzvlášť rizikovou činnosťou.
Program bude posudzovať možnosť financovania všetkých platforiem vrátane tlače, rozhlasu, internetových médií, tvorby dokumentárnych filmov a príbehov, pri ktorých sa využívajú viaceré platformy.
Podmienkou, aby navrhované projekty mohli získať financie, je ich zverejnenie (a dostupnosť v publikovateľnej forme) v renomovaných mediálnych kanáloch alebo na platformách aspoň v dvoch štátoch EÚ najneskôr do 31. decembra 2018.
Konečným termínom podávania prihlášok je 3. máj 2018, ktorý je zároveň Svetovým dňom slobody tlače. Prihlášky musia byť v anglickom jazyku. Uchádzači budú musieť uviesť podrobný opis projektu, informácie o investigatívnom tíme, plán výskumu a publikovania, rozpočet a hodnotenie rizík.
Projekty, ktoré získajú financie, vyberie nezávislá porota a zmluvy s úspešnými uchádzačmi by mali byť uzatvorené do 15. júna 2018.
Ak chcete podať prihlášku a prečítať si všetky informácie o spôsobilosti, prihláškach a výberovom procese, navštívte webovú lokalitu fondu.
„Investigatívna žurnalistika, ktorá plní základnú službu zabezpečujúcu fungovanie demokracie, je v celej EÚ pod tlakom,“ povedala výkonná riaditeľka inštitútu IPI Barbara Trionfiová. „Poskytovanie finančnej podpory investigatívnym projektom je spôsob, ako možno zaistiť, aby sa k verejnosti dostali informácie o takých témach, ako sú korupcia, finančná trestná činnosť, zneužívanie ľudských práv a poškodzovanie životného prostredia.“
Dodala: „Keďže takéto zisťovanie skutočností sa dnes len zriedka obmedzuje na jeden štát, pre tímy novinárov je kľúčové, aby ich práca na témach siahala za hranice. Sme hrdí, že vďaka fondu #IJ4EU budú mať takúto možnosť.“
For any questions, please contact:
Javier Luque
Head of Digital Media
IPI
Email: [email protected]
Tel.: +43 1 5129011
23 Mar 18 | Events
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Daphne Caruana Galizia
On 16 April, we will be holding a vigil at Malta House in London to mark six months since Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder and to continue calls for justice.
The vigil is co-sponsored by English PEN, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Index on Censorship and Il-Kenniesa.
#DaphneCaruanaGalizia #JusticeForDaphne #Malta[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
When: Monday 16 April 1-2 pm
Where: Malta House, 36-38 Piccadilly, W1J 0DP (Directions)
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23 Mar 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Statements, Turkey, Turkey Statements
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Şahin Alpay and Mehmet Altan
Turkey should immediately implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and release the veteran journalists Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay without delay, a coalition of nongovernmental groups said on 23 March 2018. Furthermore, Turkey must ensure that domestic remedies for human rights violations are effective, in particular by ensuring the urgent review of all cases of journalists and writers currently pending before its Constitutional Court.
The organizations, which had intervened as third parties in the cases before the court, included PEN International, ARTICLE 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, European Federation of Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Index on Censorship, International Press Institute, International Senior Lawyers Project and Reporters Without Borders. The coalition welcomed the judgments announced on March 20, 2018. The rulings are the first by the court in the cases of journalists arrested and detained on charges in relation to the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. They set an important precedent for the other cases of 154 detained journalists in Turkey.
“The Turkish government must take action to implement the European Court of Human Rights’ judgement. The ongoing trials are a serious breach of human rights and freedom of expression by the government. Turkey must cease its judicial harassment of journalists, academics and lawyers,” said Joy Hyvarinen, head of advocacy of Index on Censorship said.
In its two judgments, the European Court found violations of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of expression. The court made clear that criticism of governments should not attract criminal charges since, in addition to pre-trial detention, this would inevitably have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and would silence dissenting voices.
“We welcome these rulings, in particular the European Court’s recognition that a state of emergency must not be abused as a pretext for limiting freedom of expression,” said Carles Torner, executive director of PEN International.
While acknowledging the threat posed to Turkey by the attempted coup, the court crucially noted that “the existence of a ‘public emergency threatening the life of the nation’ must not serve as a pretext for limiting freedom of political debate, which is at the very core of the concept of a democratic society.”
The European Court has also found that the journalists’ detention was unlawful under the right to liberty protected by Article 5 (1) of the European Convention. The European Court endorsed the January 2018 ruling of Turkey’s Constitutional Court, which held that there was not sufficient evidence to keep the defendants in detention and ordered their release.
The judgment further sharply criticized the lower courts for refusing to carry out the Constitutional Court’s decision. In particular, the applicants’ continued pre-trial detention raised serious doubts as to the ability of the domestic legal system in providing an effective remedy for human rights violations, stating: “For another court to call into question the powers conferred on a constitutional court to give final and binding judgments on individual applications runs counter to the fundamental principles of the rule of law and legal certainty.”
“We welcome the court’s finding that the right to liberty of the applicants was violated,” said Caroline Stockford, Turkey Advocacy Coordinator for the International Press Institute. “The Court rightly criticised the refusal by the lower domestic courts to implement the Turkish Constitutional Court’s decisions and to release Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay.”
The European Court decided not to examine the applicants’ complaint that the detention of the applicants was politically motivated, under Article 18 of the convention.
“In deciding not to rule on Article 18, the European Court dodges an important question at the core of this litigation, which is whether Turkey’s prosecutions of journalists just for doing their work is part of a larger campaign to crack down on independent journalism?”, said Torner.
“The decision stated that ‘the investigating authorities had been unable to demonstrate any factual basis’that indicate that both journalists had committed the offenses with which he was charged’. The Court repeats what we have been saying with our affiliates for years to Turkish authorities that journalism is not a crime and journalists, like writers or academicians in the country, must not be prosecuted for their work or opinions,” said Ricardo Gutiérrez, EFJ General Secretary.
What the judgments mean for other cases
The judgments contain some important statements of principle on unlawful detention and freedom of expression. In particular, the European Court emphasised that it is not permissible to prosecute individuals on the basis of expression that is critical of the government.
However, in practice, the judgments also imply that the European Court will wait for the Constitutional Court to rule on the other pending cases of Turkish journalists before proceeding to its own review. This is because the European Court still considers the Constitutional Court an effective remedy in general.
Although the European Court was prepared to accept the length of time the Constitutional Court took to review these cases, the judgment is effectively putting the Constitutional Court on notice, saying that it will keep the situation under review and that it cannot continue taking this long to decide on cases.
The coalition repeats its call for the immediate implementation of these two judgments and for the release of Mehmet Altan from prison and Şahin Alpay from house arrest.
“These judgments are an important affirmation of the right to free expression and clearly state that the state of emergency is not a good enough reason to hold journalists and writers in detention for what they say,” said Gabrielle Guillemin, Senior Legal Officer at ARTICLE 19. “The Turkish authorities must now immediately release them both and the Turkish courts should apply these principles to the many other cases of detained journalists in Turkey,” she added.
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23 Mar 18 | Campaigns -- Featured, Malta, Statements
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Daphne Caruana Galizia
We, the undersigning international organisations are closely monitoring the investigation of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and the related court proceedings in Malta.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was a journalist, a blogger, a mother of three. For years, she reported on corruption in her home country, despite being threatened continuously. She was still reporting, even when the Maltese police and other authorities failed to protect her adequately. Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated on 16 October 2017 by a car bomb. At the time, she was investigating complex allegations of corruption in an EU Member State.
The killing of a journalist on European soil, likely in retaliation for investigative reporting is unacceptable. Journalism should not be a dangerous profession right in the heart of the European Union. This murder signals the urgent need to strengthen the protection of journalists in the EU Member States and to document and promote accountability for violations of press freedom.
Currently, there are at least three legal proceedings taking place in Malta in an attempt to investigate Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, namely the case filed before the Constitutional Court to remove the deputy police commissioner from the investigation because of conflict of interest, the Court of Magistrates’ inquiry, and the Malta police investigation. The Malta police have identified three suspects. The pre-trial procedure to collect present evidence against them is currently taking place.
We urge you, as a diplomat of your country, to monitor the court proceedings and collect evidence on whether they are being carried out in line with the best international standards.
The next four compilation of evidence hearings will take place on 26 March, and on 12, 20, and 26 April 2018. The next hearing at the Constitutional Court is on 12 April 2018.
Besides showing solidarity, we believe it is crucial to make clear that a case like this cannot be followed by impunity. We are continuing to watch the developments in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s case closely. Malta is a member state of the European Union. Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family are entitled to full justice. The Maltese authorities have the responsibility to provide it. In addition, EU diplomats have the special responsibility to send a strong signal in support of media freedom and respect for human rights and democratic principles.
So far, the European institutions and member-states do not sufficiently monitor the court hearings in Malta. There have been concerns expressed by the victim’s family, journalists, and other civil society actors with regard to the independence and professionalism of the judicial and the prosecutorial system in Malta. International lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers have advised Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family that the investigation into her assassination violates procedural requirements of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Please find the lawyers’ advice here.
We would be happy to provide you with further information and contacts on the ground. Your engagement in this case is setting a standard and precedent for what is permissible in the European Union.
Yours sincerely,
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
Article19
Committee to Protect Journalists
European Federation of Journalists
Index on Censorship
PEN International
PEN England
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23 Mar 18 | Press Releases
Ein Fonds in Höhe von EUR 450.000 zur Unterstützung des grenzüberschreitenden, investigativen Journalismus in der Europäischen Union wird heute vom Europäischen Zentrum für Presse- und Medienfreiheit (ECPMF) und dem Internationalen Presse-Institut (IPI) präsentiert.
http://www.ij4eu.net/
Der Fonds Investigativer Journalismus für Europa (# IJ4EU) soll die Zusammenarbeit zwischen JournalistInnen und Nachrichtenredaktionen in der Europäischen Union fördern und stärken, die im öffentlichen Interesse und von grenzüberschreitender Bedeutung sind. Der Fonds zielt darauf ab, Untersuchungen zu unterstützen, die die Überwachungsfunktion der Medien widerspiegeln und die Öffentlichkeit dabei unterstützen, die Verantwortlichen für ihr Handeln und ihre Verpflichtungen zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen. Damit soll ein Beitrag zur Nachhaltigkeit von Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit in der EU geleistet werden.
Der Fonds wird von IPI verwaltet, einem globalen Netzwerk von RedakteurInnen, MedienvertreterInnen und führenden JournalistInnen, die sich seit 1950 der Verteidigung der Pressefreiheit widmen.
2018 können grenzübergreifende Teams aus InvestigativjournalistInnen und/oder Medien aus mindestens zwei EU-Ländern Zuschüsse bis zu einem Höchstbetrag von 50.000 EUR beantragen, um Untersuchungen zu einem Thema von grenzüberschreitender Relevanz und von öffentlichem Interesse durchzuführen.
Vorgeschlagene Projekte müssen darauf abzielen, neue Informationen aufzudecken. Bereits bestehende oder neu für ein # IJ4EU-Projekt gebildete Investigativgruppen können sich gleichfalls bewerben. Bereits laufende, aber unvollständige Ermittlungen ermöglichen es ebenfalls, Mittel für die Veröffentlichung einer zu veröffentlichen Reportage zu beantragen. Besonders ermutigt werden sollen Teams von JournalistInnen oder Medien, die auf lokaler Ebene außerhalb der Hauptstädte oder in Ländern arbeiten, in denen investigativer Journalismus besonders bedroht ist.
Das Programm plant alle Plattformen zu finanzieren, einschließlich Print, Rundfunk, Online-Medien, Dokumentarfilm und Multi-Plattform-Storytelling.
Um förderfähig zu sein, müssen die vorgeschlagenen Projekte darauf abzielen, bis spätestens 31. Dezember 2018 in mindestens zwei EU-Ländern von angesehenen Nachrichtenagenturen oder Plattformen veröffentlicht (und in veröffentlichbarer Form verfügbar) zu sein
Bewerbungsschluss ist der 3. Mai 2018, an dem auch der weltweite Tag der Pressefreiheit stattfindet. Bewerbungen müssen in englischer Sprache eingereicht werden. Antragsteller müssen eine detaillierte Projektbeschreibung, Informationen zum Untersuchungsteam, einen Forschungs- und Veröffentlichungsplan, ein Budget und eine Risikobewertung vorlegen.
Eine unabhängige Jury wird die zu finanzierenden Projekte auswählen und mit allen erfolgreichen Bewerbern bis zum 15. Juni 2018 Verträge abschließen.
Um vollständige Informationen über Förderfähigkeit, Bewerbungen und den Auswahlprozess zu erhalten, besuchen Sie bitte die Website des Fonds: http://www.ij4eu.net/
“Der investigative Journalismus, der in einer funktionierenden Demokratie einen unverzichtbaren Dienst leistet, steht in der EU unter Druck”, sagte Barbara Trionfi, Exekutivdirektorin des IPI. “Die Bereitstellung von finanzieller Unterstützung für Investigativprojekte trägt dazu bei, dass Informationen über Themen wie Korruption, Finanzkriminalität, Menschenrechtsverletzungen und Umweltschäden in die Öffentlichkeit gelangen.”
Sie fügte hinzu: “Da solche Ermittlungen heutzutage selten auf einen einzelnen Staat beschränkt sind, ist es für Teams von Journalisten von entscheidender Bedeutung, über Grenzen hinweg an Themen zu arbeiten. Wir sind stolz darauf, dass # IJ4EU eine Gelegenheit dazu bieten wird.”
Für weitere Informationen kontaktieren Sie bitte:
Javier Luque
Head of Digital Media
IPI
Email: [email protected]
Tel.: +43 1 5129011
22 Mar 18 | Austria, Europe and Central Asia, Mapping Media Freedom, Media Freedom, media freedom featured, News and features
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The new populist government wants to bring major change to Austrian society. Major shifts are expected in the country’s media landscape.
Many experts such as the president of the Austrian Journalism Club (ÖJC), Fred Turnheim, voiced their concerns and warned of the dangers of a democracy-hostile information policy: “This enforced conformity of information coming from the individual ministries and departments of the Federal Government is an authoritarian measure of the Federal Chancellery and contradicts pluralistic media work in a democratic society.”
Since the government’s inauguration in December 2018, journalists have been publicly attacked by politicians and media outlets defamed for critical journalism. Financial cuts on public media outlets are also on the government’s agenda. Hannes Tretter, co-founder of the think tank Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights, says: “According to Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights and Article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, governments must not only respect but guarantee the freedom of the media that is based on the principles of pluralism, diversity, tolerance and broadmindedness. Only these principles can enable citizens to have access to a variety of information and opinions which is essential for a living democratic society. Thus, any attacks against journalists have to be examined diligently on the basis of these measures.”
Changes in Austria’s media policy became apparent at the first joint press conference of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the People’s Party (ÖVP) and vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), when they announced they would no longer meet directly with the press, as has been the tradition in Austria. Instead, former diplomat Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal has been named an official government spokesperson. While this structure is not uncommon around the world, the Austrian arm of Reporters Without Borders and ÖJC raised concerns, saying that the decision could be a way for politicians to avoid questions and undermine the public’s right to information. ÖJC president Fred Turnheim addressed the chancellor directly in a press release: “As journalists, our work is based on first-hand information. If you want to avoid false interpretations, you need to dissolve the function of the governmental spokesperson.”
Concerns for restrictions on access to information for journalists intensified in February 2018 when Kurz declared the dissolution of the Federal Press Service (Bundespressedienst), which was founded in 1920 and serves as the focal point of communication between the Federal Chancellery and the press.
Concerning the former far-right opposition party, FPÖ has been well known for criticising the press for what it sees as a liberal bias and lack of objectivity. This criticism of the media came as the party has appointed the former editor-in-chief of online portal unzensuriert.at, Alexander Höferl, as head of communications at the interior ministry. Unzensuriert publishes a stream of manipulative and conspiracy-driven news pieces that mainly target migrants, Muslims and political opponents of the FPÖ, as an analysis of the magazine Profil shows.
Now, as a coalition partner, FPÖ threatens to use its clout in the government to significantly cut Austria’s public media as indicated in the government programme. President of Reporters Without Borders, Rubina Möhring, tells Media Mapping Freedom: “The established professionalised media policy hampers access to information and is as much concerning as the attacks of public media outlets. It is important to note that public media, which is not to be confused with state media, holds the mandate of political independence in service of informing the public and needs to be protected.”
Defaming media outlets and accusing them of manipulating information or suppressing the word of the state has become a tactic to diminish the public’s trust in the press. Several FPÖ ministers, including the infrastructure minister, have declared their dislike for government funding of the country’s public service broadcasting corporation ORF. The vice-chancellor has been most direct by calling the ORF “a place where lies become news”, as Index on Censorship’s Media Mapping Freedom project reported. Terms like “fake news” and “lügenpresse” (lying press) have been taken up not only by nationalist movements but have found their way into Austrian public debates and online forums.
ORF — Austria’s largest media outlet with up to four million viewers in a country of 8.7 million people — is primarily financed through a tax, which the government wants to scrap. While ÖVP has only confirmed plans to reform ORF as indicated in the government programme, Strache said: “We want to abolish the ORF excise tax. This is one of the major goals of this government”. ORF editor committee, as well as journalists such as Daniela Kittner, suspect that this is part of the government’s — in particular FPÖ’s — intention to gain political influence through the media sector. On 20 February 2018 the chairmanship of the new ORF supervisory board was consigned to the FPÖ. The current executive committee, which was put in place by the last government, is planned to be restructured as well. Some expect these structural changes of ORF to be part of an effort to weaken public-service broadcasting altogether as media minister Gernot Blümel publicly announced on several occasions that the government intends to strengthen private broadcasters while remaining vague on plans regarding ORF reforms.
Print media — the second biggest source of information in Austria — is also facing difficulties. Wiener Zeitung, the country’s oldest daily newspaper, derives most of its income from public notices that all companies must publish. The coalition government has announced that it intends to end the mandatory requirement. Additionally, the concentrated ownership of the existing 14 daily newspapers and strength of tabloid newspapers undermine the country’s media plurality. The dominant newspaper, tabloid Kronenzeitung, reaches about a third of Austrians. Along with many other print media outlets in Austria, it is reliant on government and political advertising. In 2016 around €16 million was spent by government ministries for advertisement in media outlets. In comparison, Germany spent slightly less despite its significant size difference. Altogether, government ministries, public institutions and enterprises invested around €177 million in political and economic media advertisements in 2016. On the top of the list of beneficiaries is Kronenzeitung. Between April and June 2017, they received €5 million, followed by ORF with €4.9 million. The other two other major tabloid newspapers Österreich and Heute received $3 million each. While concentrated ownership is a structural obstacle to a free and pluralistic media, the large-scale political and economic advertisement industry in Austria adds to the vulnerability of the press to influence by the interests of their donors.
Harald Fiedler, a journalist for Der Standard who regularly writes about the media, highly doubts that Wiener Zeitung will be able to survive. Wolfgang Riedler, the executive director of the newspaper, confirmed in an interview with the newspaper Der Standard that immediate restructuring would be necessary “should the mandatory announcements of companies be abolished. […] If you do not want to lose a quality medium that appears all over Austria, you have to look for a model that will ensure further funding”.
According to anonymous sources of the left-leaning weekly newspaper Der Falter, which itself is continually attacked for its investigative journalism and dismissed as “lügenpresse”, the government plans to close down the public national radio station FM4 due to its “failure to fulfil its educational mandate”. FM4 is well known as an alternative radio station to ORF for young people. While the alleged plans have been dismissed by the ORF and the government, the NGO #aufstehn and Reporters without Borders Austria have started a petition against FM4’s potential shutdown.
Aside from threats to the country’s public media outlets, individual journalists have been singled out for defamation, cyberbullying and restricted access to information.
In the first few weeks of 2018, FPÖ and affiliated youth organisations have published photos and contact details of journalists and actively encouraged its followers to target journalists online. The articles, which were mostly written by far-right media outlets such as Wochenblick, Info-Direkt and unzensuriert.at, were then shared on Facebook by high-ranking FPÖ politicians, including the vice chancellor. As a result, the journalists involved received numerous difficulties, including Colette Schmidt, a journalist at newspaper Der Standard, and Hanna Herbst, deputy editor-in-chief of the news outlet Vice in Austria, who were both subject to cyberbullying campaigns.
“It is clear to me that the intention is to silence journalists who are critical of the new government. FPÖ in particular has a strong network online which it uses systematically to intimidate journalists. This is the first time I have received threats of such an intensity,” Herbst told Mapping Media Freedom.
She characterised the harassment as gender specific. “Female journalists are more likely to be objectified and sexually harassed, but to me, it is important to show that those attacks won’t silence me. I have received a lot of solidarity and I plan to take legal action in order to show the illegitimacy of such acts.”
Tretter adds: “Uncovering anti-Semitic and racist statements and activities of fraternities is a legally required obligation of the State, which is based on the Austrian Prohibition Act of 1947 and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Since it is the media’s task in a democratic society to serve as a ‘public watchdog’, journalists shall not be hindered in fulfilling their role.”
In another troubling development, selected media outlets are being excluded from political meetings. Starting in October 2017, when ÖVP denied photographers access to proximity talks, the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) has now denied two newspapers access to a background discussion regarding a topic which both newspapers have previously critically reported on.
Rubina Möhring, president of Reporters without Borders Austria, voices her concerns for the government’s new political direction, but hopes for a strong civil movement to hold against the new political wind. “Attacks on journalists and media outlets are attacks against the right to information and attempts of intimidation are the first steps to an enforced conformity of the media,” she tells Mapping Media Freedom. “During World War II, Austria was stripped of press freedom as the protection of censorship by law was repealed. Critical journalism was brutally silenced while the Nazis made excessive use of propaganda news. We don’t want history to repeat itself. This is why now, more than ever, it is important to stand up for our rights as journalists and citizens.”
This article was updated on 9 April 2018 to reflect the correct title of an FPO minister. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1523273223680-be701832-3026-6″ taxonomies=”6564″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
22 Mar 18 | Press Releases
Un fonds de jusqu’à 450 000€ consacré au soutien du journalisme d’enquête transfrontalier dans l’Union Européenne a été lancé aujourd’hui par l’European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) et l’International Press Institute (IPI).
http://www.ij4eu.net/
Le fonds « Investigative Journalism for Europe » (#IJ4EU) vise à encourager et renforcer la collaboration entre les journalistes et les salles de rédaction établis dans l’Union Européenne concernant les révélations d’intérêt public et ayant une porté transfrontalière. L’objectif du fonds est de soutenir les enquêtes qui reflètent le rôle de garde-fou des médias et qui aident le public à tenir les dirigeants responsables de leurs actions et à leur faire respecter leurs obligations. De ce fait, il vise à contribuer à la durabilité de la démocratie et de l’État de droit dans l’UE.
Le fonds sera géré par l’IPI, un réseau international de rédacteurs, de responsables des médias et de journalistes de renom qui défend la liberté de la presse depuis 1950.
En 2018, les équipes transfrontalières de journalistes et/ou organes de presse consacrés au journalisme d’enquête basés dans au moins deux pays de l’UE pourront soumettre une demande de subvention d’un montant maximal de 50 000€ afin de produire des enquêtes sur un sujet d’intérêt public et transfrontalier.
Les projets proposés doivent viser à révéler de nouvelles informations. Les équipes d’enquête déjà existantes ainsi que celles formées pour un projet #IJ4EU sont invitées à soumettre leur demande. Les enquêtes en cours mais incomplètes peuvent solliciter des fonds pour compléter un reportage pouvant être publié. En particulier, les équipes de journalistes ou les organes de presse basés en dehors de capitales ou de grandes villes ou dans des pays où le journalisme d’enquête est particulièrement menacé sont invités à soumettre leur demande.
Le programme envisagera le financement de toutes les plateformes, y compris l’impression, la diffusion, les médias en ligne, la réalisation documentaire et les récits multiplateformes.
Pour être éligible au financement, les projets proposés doivent viser à être publiés (et être disponibles dans un format publiable) par des médias ou plateformes respectés dans au moins deux pays de l’UE d’ici le 31 décembre 2018 au plus tard.
L’échéance pour les demandes est le 3 mai 2018, la Journée mondiale de la liberté de la presse. Les candidatures doivent être soumises en anglais. Les candidats devront communiquer une description détaillée du projet, des informations sur l’équipe d’enquête, un plan de recherche et de publication, un budget et une évaluation des risques.
Un jury indépendant sélectionnera les projets à financer dans le but de conclure des accords avec les candidats retenus d’ici le 15 juin 2018.
Veuillez visiter le site web du fonds pour soumettre votre candidature et lire les informations complètes concernant l’éligibilité et les processus de candidature et de sélection.
« Le journalisme d’enquête, qui joue un rôle essentiel dans toute démocratie qui fonctionne, est mis sous pression dans toute l’UE », dit Barbara Trionfi, directrice générale de l’IPI. « Apporter un soutien financier pour soutenir les projets est une manière d’aider à assurer que les informations concernant des sujets tels que la corruption, le crime financier, les violations des droits de l’homme et les dommages environnementaux atteignent le public. »
Elle ajoute : « Comme de nos jours, de telles enquêtes se limitent rarement à un seul pays, il est essentiel que les équipes de journalistes puissent travailler sur ces sujets à l’échelle transfrontalière. Nous sommes heureux que #IJ4EU puisse offrir une telle opportunité. »
For any questions, please contact:
Javier Luque
Head of Digital Media
IPI
Email: [email protected]
Tel.: +43 1 5129011
22 Mar 18 | Awards, Fellowship 2018, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/WzJkJikmYe8″][vc_column_text]Abbad Yahya is a 29-year-old Palestinian novelist whose fourth novel Crime in Ramallah was banned by the Palestinian authority in the West Bank in 2017. The novel includes depictions of gay sex, as well as political commentary about fanaticism and religious extremism — subjects largely considered taboo in the region. All copies of the book were confiscated by the attorney general in February this year, on the grounds it contained texts that threatened public decency.
When the controversy arose, Yahya was abroad in Qatar. He was so afraid for his life that he did not to go back to his native Ramallah and spent time in other countries in the Middle East and Europe. Threats were issued to him and his family via social media and copies of the book burnt on the Gaza strip. The Public Prosecutor issued a summons for questioning against Yahya and detained the distributor of the novel.
Despite this, Yahya has spent the last year giving interviews to the international and Arab press and raising awareness of freedom of expression and the lives of young people in the West Bank and Gaza, particularly in relation to their sexuality.
“In my point of view, the most important impact of all of this, was raising the awareness amongst the youth and their decisions that are related to their sexual lives, as well as making a public discussion about the issue,” says Yahya.
Crime in Ramallah follows the lives of three young Palestinian men and the different ways they cope with living in the claustrophobic society of Ramallah. The passage in the novel most cited as causing outrage is when one of the characters sees a picture of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat with a gun and imagines it as a penis.
The novel was criticised by some of Yahya’s own colleagues. According to AP, the head of the Palestinian Writers Union, Murad Sudani, said it was a: “silly novel that violates the national and religious values of the society in order to appease the West and win prizes.”
“The job of the writer in our occupied country is to raise the hope and enlighten people — not to break the national and religious symbols,” Sudani added. “My freedom as a writer ends when the freedom of the country begins.”
But Yahya does not agree. “Censors proclaim themselves to be the representatives of the public and their opinion, while present us as an obscure minority, insignificant in its voice and influence,” Yahya tells Index on Censorship. “This nomination proves the exact opposite, as it comes as a recognition of what we do and the things we stand for, and a proof that our voice is indeed heard. Freedom is contagious, and being one of the nominees strengthens my unshakable conviction in the ideals of freedom and freedom of expression.
See the full shortlist for Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Awards 2018 here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content” equal_height=”yes” el_class=”text_white” css=”.vc_custom_1490258749071{background-color: #cb3000 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”Support the Index Fellowship.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:28|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2Fnewsite02may%2Fsupport-the-freedom-of-expression-awards%2F|||”][vc_column_text]
By donating to the Freedom of Expression Awards you help us support
individuals and groups at the forefront of tackling censorship.
Find out more
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21 Mar 18 | Index in the Press
Thousands of people gathered in Slovakia’s capital city Friday night to protest against the government and pay tribute to murdered Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak. Read the full article
