What Countries Are Doing Practice To Support Journalistic Freedom
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Member-states have taken a series of measures, ranging from direct protection to active support of journalists on the firing line, as part of the Council of Europe’s ‘Journalists Matter’ campaign that was launched last year and will run until 2027.
The CoE campaign, which aims “to raise awareness and stimulate effective tackling of pressing issues with the ultimate objective of increasing the safety of journalists” has prompted most member-states to put measures in place as well as issue safety advice.
In Spain, for instance, the State Security Forces and Corps has been offering journalists training courses on self-protection, reaction techniques and procedures to be followed in conflict zones. These courses are offered periodically.
Ireland has also worked along similar lines. In 2023 it provided training seminars on crime prevention with police presenting means of personal protection as well as suggesting ways of interacting with a hostile group. It set up online platforms offering practical tools that increase journalists’ online safety. The National Union of Journalists also has officials providing advice, assistance and training to members.
In Belgium a hotline was set up for reporting aggression against journalists, while in the UK the journalists’ union is set to create an online tool that enables journalists to report abuse. This is part of a refreshed National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists which included the expanding of public order training for police officers to prevent the unlawful arrest of journalists.
Sweden saw the issue of safety more generally, presenting a unified National Strategy Against Violent Extremism and Terrorism in which acts that threaten democracy were highlighted. One of its aims is that safety of journalists will be prioritised by the relevant authorities.
There is a similar action plan in Lithuania which recommends meetings between police and journalists ahead of demonstrations. The plan also recommends training sessions for police, prosecutors and judges on issues of journalists’ safety, investigation and law enforcement practices.
In May, Armenia’s ministry of internal affairs organised a ‘Crisis Communication and Crisis Reporting’ training course aimed at strengthening cooperation and communication skills during emergencies and ensure effective interaction with the media.
The ‘Closer to the News’ project, introduced this year in The Netherlands has tried to bring journalists closer to people, the aim being connecting parties so as to strengthen and enlarge the reach of the initiatives. The project, which currently has more than 1300 partners involved, recently focused on citizen dialogues. The idea is that connecting journalists with citizens could build trust.
Finland has pioneered a Journalists’ Support Fund which provides financial grants to journalist who were subjected to threats and harassment. Journalists who have been subjected to repeated threats, undue pressure, harassment or online hate because of stories they have been covering can apply for a grant.
Cash assistance by the fund could be given to cover the costs of crisis therapy with specialists familiar with threats against journalists and for the installation of security equipment when the journalist is under threat. It also funds legal advice for filing a criminal report and the hiring of an assistant for collecting information related to the investigation request, as well as conditional assistance for legal proceedings, faced by a journalist.
Legal proceedings are another way of intimidating journalists and suppressing free speech. This emerging threat to journalists has come to be known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
The UK has set up a SLAPPs Taskforce to tackle the “pernicious legislative threats against journalists”. This Taskforce, which includes government, civil society, groups representing journalists and legal services stakeholders, aims, among other things, to provide journalists with guidance on how to defend themselves against SLAPPs. It also wants to promote professional standards and ethical conduct among the legal services and improve awareness of SLAPPs.
Under proposals in the UK’s National Action Plan, “defendants will be able to use a new early dismissal mechanism where their case falls within the statutory definition of SLAPPs, as determined by the court, and the claimant cannot prove that the claim is likely to succeed.” When a SLAPP case is allowed by the court to proceed, a cost protection regime would apply, doing away with the risk of the defendant facing excessive costs.
Croatia has been ahead of the game in this regard, having established the Expert Working Group for the Suppression of SLAPP in 2021. Apart from journalists the group includes representatives from the Judicial Academy, the Bar Association, the academic community and government ministries. The group’s brief was to “develop effective strategies to combat SLAPP lawsuits through dialogue, knowledge exchange and education”.
In its recommendations, the working group advocates for practical improvements such as increasing awareness of SLAPPs by the judiciary to allow the early recognition and dismissal of abusive lawsuits. It also proposed the creation of a mechanism for early identification and dismissal of SLAPP lawsuits. As there is no legal definition for SLAPP lawsuits, Croatia is making efforts to identify such cases through study of court records.
Ukraine’s protection of journalists has also focused on the provision of legal support. Its Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, in cooperation with the NGO, Human Rights Platform, has introduced the provision of free legal help to journalists. It offers legal support to journalists in civil, administrative and criminal cases as well as representation for media workers at the European Court of Human Rights.
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