Threats to media freedom start WAY before journalists are killed or imprisoned. Some threats have become so commonplace that journalists accept them as a normal part of their work. Yet these threats are not normal. They are wrong and often illegal. They range from harassment on the basis of differences such as gender, LGBTQ, migration history, race, or protesting against climate change to intimidation and physical or legal threats. All these threats, large and small, happen every day and prevent journalists from doing their job. Theycan also discourage others from covering topics that. might result in similar intimidation.
If we do not protect media freedom we are left only with silence. Threats to journalists and media workers are threats to democracy.
But to change this we need everyone’s help. We need a world of watchdogs. That is why ECPMF and other Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners are running the ReportIt campaign.
Where to Report it?
The Mapping Media Freedom platform collates and verifies every threat to media freedom. Since 2014, over 5,173 alerts have been submitted from over 44 countries. This includes physical attacks, online smear or harassment campaigns, attempts to hack journalists’ devices, theft of journalistic equipment, the demonising of ‘the media’ or attempts to block news websites.
This is the reality of journalists’ lives across EU Member States and Candidate Countries. But we all have the power to do something about it. Everything that prevents journalists from doing their job safely is a threat to media freedom and needs to be reported
Every alert that is uploaded gives us a clearer picture of the media landscape and allows us to come together to demand changes, including better protection for journalists or legal reform that defends media freedom. It also helps the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) to offer meaningful support to frontline journalists who need it.
And it couldn’t be easier. Mapping Media Freedom is a crowd-sourcing platform that can be used by anyone; a journalist who sees a colleague in distress, an editor worried about staff reporting from a danger zone, or a passerby witnessing an attack on their way home from the shops.
By telling us what you see, hear or experience, you are helping us to support journalists and media workers in every EU Member State and Candidate Country. Our support includes practical and legal support as well as advocacy. You are ensuring journalists can stand in solidarity with their colleagues across national borders and you are demonstrating that people are watching when journalists are threatened.
So if you see a threat against journalists or media workers…Report It
