JFJ INVESTIGATIVE GRANT PROGRAMME
- On September 30, the Centre for Democracy and Law Miko Tripalo, in cooperation with the Croatian Journalists Association, organised a conference in Zagreb, Croatia, where the findings of the project SLAPPs and Media Freedom – Rule of Law Report were presented. JFJ’s Director, Maria Ordzhonikikdze, participated in the conference, stressing how “SLAPPs became a tool of repression in the hands of state actors”. During the research project, an impressive database of 1,333 obtained civil and criminal court decisions against journalists and media from 2016 to 2023 was created. Out of those, 40% contain at least one SLAPP indicator, while more than 50% contain several of them.
- On October 12, the documentary Of Caravan and the Dogs, supported by the JFJ Investigative Grant Programme, will premier in Berlin at the Dokumentale – Berlin’s new international documentary film and media festival. Join the screening, followed by the Q&A session, to support independent journalism and learn more about the situation in Russia.
EVENTS AND ADVOCACY
- On September 12, JFJ’s Director Maria Ordzhonikidze participated in the informal exchange of the Committee of Ministers on Freedom of Expression in Strasbourg, France, focusing on the challenges the exiled journalists are facing and what should be the approach of the Council of Europe and member states to help exiled media workers to continue their reporting work and ensure their safety.
- On September 19, JFJ and members of the Global Forum for Media Development commended the United Nations and its Member States for the important progress made in the finalisation of both the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact (GDC).
- On September 20, JFJ became a member of the Global Forum for Media Development and joined the vibrant community of journalism support and media development organisations.
- On October 1, the Justice for Journalists Foundation joined international press freedom, journalists and human rights organisations in strongly condemning Georgia’s recently adopted Family Values Bill. This legislation imposes censorship on media by banning broadcasters from freely reporting on LGBT+ issues. The Georgian government must stop its legal attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression.
- On October 1-2, JFJ’s Research Manager, Valeriya Chudarova, participated in the fact-finding Mission of the Partner Organisations of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform and members of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) to Georgia. The aim of the mission was to collect information on Georgia’s implementation of its freedom of expression and freedom of the media commitments, including in relation to the on-going election campaign. The interim findings of the mission were presented during the Press Conference and can be found here.
DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AT THE FRONTLINE CLUB
‘On the Frontier: The Heroic Story of the Journalist from the Frontline Newspaper’ presented by the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), followed by a Q&A session
DATE: 25 OCTOBER, 2024
LOCATION: FRONTLINE CLUB
SPEAKERS:
- Maria Ordzhonikidze, Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ)
- Sergiy Tomilenko, National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU)
- Katerina Sergatskova, 2404 Foundation, Daily Humanity
Sergey Tomilenko will present the 42-minute-long documentary shot by the NUJU information service crew – Nataliya Shumak and Yevhen Cherevko. The film tells the story of Vasyl Miroshnyk, the editor-in-chief of the front-line newspaper Zorya from Zolochiv, Kharkiv Region. Every week, Vasyl delivers the latest edition of Zorya to his readers, driving his car to settlements, including those on the shooting line of the Russian snipers.
During the panel discussion, Katerina Sergatskova, Executive Director of the 2402 Foundation, will share the results of the Hostile Environment First Aid Training programme already undertaken by more than 1,000 journalists, producers, documentarians and news managers working in Ukraine.
Maria Ordzhonikidze, the Head of JFJ that supports both NUJU and 2402 Foundation, will speak about open-source evidence and satellite imagery of attacks on media workers during the war in Ukraine and how this data helped in tailoring safety recommendations, risk assessments and HEFAT training for journalists in the war zone.
The event will highlight the challenges faced by journalists in Ukraine and the innovative solutions ensuring the continued flow of vital information to communities affected by war.
ORKHAN DZHEMAL MEDIA SAFETY ACADEMY
In Kyiv, Ukraine, during September, the 2402 Foundation conducted Hostile Environment First Aid Training (HEFAT) tailored for Ukrainian journalists, international journalists operating in Ukraine, and media personnel.
In September, the Media Safety Academy carried out two webinars for Russian-speaking journalists and media workers, which covered the legal aspects of crossing the Russian border in both directions, possible problems and scenarios at border control and options for behaviour, as well as strategies for protecting devices and the information they contain in the event of inspection and/or seizure when crossing the border.
Later in October, the Media Safety Academy will organise three-day offline OSINT training for journalists in an undisclosed location. Training will help participants to obtain additional professional skills for future career development.
If you are a media worker and require safety training of any kind, please do not hesitate to write a request to academy@jfj.fund.