Category: Discussion Series

Towards a Code of professional integrity for European fact-checkers and OSINT organisations

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Fact-checking organisations should abide by the highest professional standards, especially when their work is funded by public money. In this contribution, the authors propose a lists of principles and concrete measures to ensure the integrity of fact-checkers. Read More …

Orlen’s Takeover of Polska Press: Media Market and Pluralism Issues Are Intertwined

In 2020, amid revenue losses, German Verlagsgruppe Passau sold Polska Press Group (controlling a majority of Polish local and regional press market) to the state-owned PKN Orlen oil company. The takeover has been approved swiftly by the competition authority UOKiK even though this ownership change sustained a monopoly on the regional and local press market (UOKiK, 2021a). UOKiK’s President justified his decision by arguing: Read More …

Better data and responsible political leaders are urgently needed to tackle violence against women journalists

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On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we reflect on abuse and violence against women journalists in Europe. Read More …

archives-FOI

The experience of journalists with the FOI process is often marked by delays, unresponsiveness, or refusals on unverifiable grounds

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Mária Žuffová discusses the role of freedom of information (FOI) laws in journalism. By surveying journalists, interviewing activists and civil servants, and submitting FOI requests to government ministries she identifies a number of problems with the process. Journalists reported that their requests were often refused on questionable grounds, delayed, or not responded to at all. One of the consequences of this is that journalists might choose to use loopholes in the law in order to be able to publish stories that are in the public interest. Read More …