Advocacy

With the growing number of attacks against journalists and media freedom violations observed in Europe, as well as globally, and new emerging challenges, it is imperative to keep press and media freedom high on the political agenda.

Advocacy is crucial to raise awareness and provide direct responses to media freedom threats and alerts, building upon monitoring results and analyses. It can take the form of direct advocacy, advocacy missions on the ground and awareness-raising campaigns, whereby all activities mutually enrich each other.

Advocacy actions, statements and open letters

 

Depending on the specific threat or media freedom violation, ECPMF responds with tailored joint statements, open letters or direct diplomacy. The aim is to target national authorities and political stakeholders across the EU and CC and raise public pressure on the states to protect media freedom.

Advocacy mission results

 

When media freedom violations occur, or long-lasting problematic processes persist, or in those situations where a close co-operation between local and international players is key to any solution, advocacy missions represent an important intervention on the ground.

In the course of such missions, representatives of the consortium spend a few days in a country with the dual goal of fact-finding and advocacy. In conversation with local players, problems are framed, solutions identified, and joint strategies developed. At the same time, the presence of an international delegation in the country gives visibility to the problem and allows for dialogue with representatives of state institutions whose responsibilities are relevant to the problem. Advocacy and fast-reaction missions are joint efforts of the freedom of expression community.

Statement

World Environment Day 2026 Fact Sheet

On this 2026 World Environment Day, the MFRR is publishing a fact sheet analysing attacks on environmental reporting documented between 2020 to 2025 in EU Member States and candidate countries. Journalists and media workers reporting on climate and environmental issues suffered physical attacks, verbal abuse, legal threats or were otherwise obstructed in their work. 

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Statement

France: MFRR partners and RSF to carry out media freedom mission in Paris

Partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), together with Reporters Without Borders (RSF), will travel to Paris from 9 to 11 June 2026 to assess the current state of media freedom in France less than a year before the presidential elections.

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Statement

Turkey: ECPMF and partner organisations call for the release of journalist İsmail Arı ahead of June 5 court hearing

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations call for the immediate release of BirGün journalist İsmail Arı, who has been behind bars for 75 days. Arı is due to appear before an Ankara court on June 5, after being jailed under Turkey’s so-called “disinformation law” in connection with his investigative journalism.

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Statement

Solidarity with Daniele Fabbri, who is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by Giorgia Meloni

Following the conclusion of the third hearing in the defamation case filed in 2021 by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against Daniele Fabbri, CASE Italia expresses its solidarity with the Italian stand-up comedian

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Statement

Serbia: Solidarity with Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation following another setback in its quest for justice

The undersigned media freedom and journalist organisations stand in full solidarity with the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, which has been ordered to pay over one million dinars (€8,812) in damages in a defamation case brought by those acquitted of the murder of the Serbian editor and newspaper founder, Slavko Ćuruvija. For 27 years, the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation has fought for justice for the assassination of Ćuruvija, who was gunned down outside his apartment in Belgrade in 1999.

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Statement

Greece: Abusive lawsuit against independent newsrooms should be dismissed

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners condemn the filing of abusive legal action by Air Mediterranean against the Greek investigative newsroom Mediterranean Institute for Investigative Reporting (MIIR), the newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn) as well as their editors and directors.

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