Protecting Journalists and Media Workers: Good Practice

Andreas Lamm

26 June 2020

No Comments

In 2019, the UK Government announced plans to form the National Committee and Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists to “ensure that those who threaten journalists are held to account.” This committee will be the responsibility of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Home Office.

To support and help shape the direction of this much needed initiative, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) here outlines examples of good practice from The Netherlands, Sweden, South East Europe (Including Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and North Macedonia), Serbia and Italy that can be incorporated into the committee’s approach to this complex topic to encourage greater collaboration and coordination to protect journalists and media workers across the UK.

MFRR_ECPMF part of MFRR txt_2400px

This statement is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a mechanism, which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. This project provides legal and practical support, public advocacy and information to protect journalists and media workers. The MFRR is organised by an consortium led by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) with ARTICLE 19, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), the Institute for Applied Informatics at the University of Leipzig (InfAI), International Press Institute (IPI) and CCI/Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT). The project is co-funded by the European Commission. www.mfrr.eu

Read news by categories:

Related news

Statement

Kosovo: Reversing the decline in media freedom

A Council of Europe Platform mission finds media freedom in Kosovo has declined, citing political pressure, attacks on journalists and concerns over media independence.

READ MORE
Statement

Serbia: A dangerous spiral of violence against journalists

Record levels of physical violence against journalists, death threats and online smear campaigns, entrenched impunity, and tight political control over the media landscape – media freedom in Serbia is in a deepening crisis with a rapidly closing window for independent journalism to operate.

READ MORE
Statement

Italy: MFRR report highlights continuing media freedom backsliding

On 9-10 March 2026, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium conducted its third visit to Rome in five years. The MFRR mission found that Italy has continued on a negative trajectory, resulting in a further erosion of media freedom.

READ MORE
Statement

Türkiye: Media freedom groups demand release of journalists detained ahead of NATO Summit

ECPMF is joined by 26 other organisations representing media freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations in expressing profound alarm at the recent wave of detentions and arrests of journalists and civil society representatives in Türkiye in the immediate lead-up to the NATO Summit in Ankara on 7-8 July.

READ MORE
Statement

Das Reformpaket der Bundesregierung höhlt das Informationsfreiheitsgesetz aus und greift die Pressefreiheit an

Das ECPMF kritisiert die geplante Reform des Informationsfreiheitsgesetzes (IFG). Die Änderungen gefährden Pressefreiheit, Transparenz und den Zugang zu staatlichen Informationen.

READ MORE
Statement

Joint Letter: Drop the criminal complaint against CIN-CG journalists in Montenegro

The undersigned press freedom, freedom of expression, journalists’ and human rights organisations strongly condemn the criminal complaint filed against investigative journalists Andrea Perišić and Đurđa Radulović of the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) in Podgorica, Montenegro, in connection with their legitimate journalistic work in the public interest.

READ MORE