News

Axel Springer establishes Freedom Foundation

2023-03-29. Axel Springer Group has established a foundation to support freedom, human rights and democracy, continuing a tradition started by its founder.

Ukrainian Media Fund: EUR 887 000 raised, 36 editorial offices and more than 170 journalists funded

2023-03-22. In early March, a convoy with equipment worth almost 250 000 Polish Zloty (Euros 53 000) arrived in Ukraine, loaded with everything needed to ensure that at least 36 local editorial offices can meet publishing deadlines, despite the war. It is only one of the many initiatives rolled out by the Ukrainian Media Fund in the 12 months since the project’s inception.

One year at war

2023-02-23. Ukraine has been at war for one year to the day, and it affects us all. It is a dark anniversary. As an international organisation with a human rights mandate, WAN-IFRA’s duty is to stand in solidarity with our colleagues in distress. Since February 2022, WAN-IFRA and its international members have mobilised to support our Ukrainian colleagues. On this occasion, UMBA, one of WAN-IFRA’s two member associations in Ukraine, takes stock of the aid provided in 2022 and why it is vital to continue our solidarity support.

Helping Ukraine’s women journalists to keep telling their stories

2023-02-14. A year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, destroying lives and livelihoods. A partnership between the Ukrainian Independent Regional Publishers’ Association (AIRPPU) and WAN-IFRA’s Women in News programme awarded reporting grants to ensure the stories of women in Ukraine and their everyday struggles – and triumphs – continued to be told.

World’s press condemns 8-year sentence for Andrzej Poczobut, calls for his immediate release

2023-02-09. Journalist Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison in what observers have denounced as a politically motivated verdict against a long-standing critic.

UNESCO: Killings of journalists up 50% in 2022, half targeted off duty

2023-01-18. Eighty-six journalists and media workers were killed around the world in 2022 – one every four days, according to UNESCO data – highlighting the grave risks and vulnerabilities that journalists face in the course of their work.

Rappler and Maria Ressa acquitted of tax evasion

2023-01-18. Charged with four counts of “alleged wilful and unlawful failure to supply correct and accurate information” in relation to investments and tax filings dating from 2015, Rappler and Maria Ressa were finally acquitted on Wednesday in a verdict handed down by the Philippine Court of Tax Appeals.

A Pact Against Disinformation

2023-01-10. The attack against Brazilian democracy that the world witnessed on Sunday, 8 January, when a horde of fanatics invaded and plundered the headquarters of the three powers in Brasília was not an event sprouted by spontaneous generation. The thousands of rioters who marched into the heart of Brazilian democracy with the intention of strangling it represent the tip of a phenomenon of global extension that threatens the very stability of the planet, writes Marcelo Rech.

The turning point for a Russian journalist

23-01-06. A Russian journalist writes frankly about reporting on the war in Ukraine and the moment, while abroad, they learnt they could not return home. At least 500 journalists are estimated to have fled Russia since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.  Amidst a climate of intimidation, censorship, blocking and outright banning, most independent media outlets have relocated abroad.

Fighting SLAPPS: Speaking Out, Solidarity, and Profiling Claimants

2023-01-06. For many journalists, getting sued is a nerve-wracking and frightening experience. The bullying tactics used by claimant lawyers are designed to silence them, including about the fact that they are under threat. A new report by the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) offers suggestions on how to fight intimidatory lawsuits.