On World Press Freedom Day, the ETUC and the EFJ stand in solidarity with journalists and media workers everywhere and reaffirm our commitment to defending press freedom across Europe.
Across Europe, journalists and media workers are regularly stopped from doing their job. Among EU Member States and candidate countries alone, over 1,000 media freedom violations have been documented. Belarus has one of the most oppressive media climates in the world. The most recent figures report 36 media professionals in Belarus were behind bars at the beginning of this year.
The crucial role of journalists in exposing the reality of war must also be recognised. In Ukraine, 149 media freedom violations were recorded in the past year, including the murder of two journalists.
We salute journalists in Gaza, whose work is a crucial service to humanity and democracy, and their union PJS and congratulate them on being awarded the UNESCO Freedom Prize 2024 today.
“Europe needs to safeguard journalism as a fundamental pillar for democracy. The commitment of media professionals to uncovering the truth must be met by an equal commitment by all governments to ensure they are safe and free to do their job,” said Esther Lynch, ETUC General Secretary.
“Journalists and media workers face more threats than ever before. We call on governments to take concrete action to implement national action plans for the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists, including safe and improved working conditions,” said Ricardo Gutiérrez, General Secretary of the EFJ.
