UK MEDIA FREEDOM FORUM
The Justice for Journalists Foundation, the Foreign Policy Centre, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute are delighted to announce that the third edition of the UK Media Freedom Forum will take place on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 March 2027, in partnership with City St George’s, University of London.
Bringing together journalists, policymakers, legal experts, academics, civil society organisations and international institutions, the two-day Forum will provide a space to examine the most pressing threats to media freedom and develop practical responses to strengthen protections for journalists and independent media.
The UK Media Freedom Forum 2027 will bring domestic and international perspectives together to examine these challenges and identify practical legal, regulatory and policy responses. Themes will include SLAPPs and lawfare; transnational repression; foreign influence and foreign agents laws; misinformation, disinformation and AI; media literacy; democratic resilience; threats against journalists; and the sustainability and future of local and public-interest journalism.
We are delighted to have the continued support of RPC and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the UK Media Freedom Forum 2027, and to welcome RiskPal as a new sponsor for this year’s edition. Their support will help make the Forum possible, with further partner and sponsor announcements anticipated in the coming months.
Register your interest to be among the first to receive access to conference registration, alongside updates on the programme, speakers and other announcements in the lead-up to the Forum.
JOURNALISTS IN RUSSIAN PRISONS
On 30 October, Russia marks the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression. The occasion also serves as a reminder of the ongoing repression of journalists and media workers in Russia. According to data documented by JFJ, 75 media workers are currently imprisoned in Russia, including 46 Russian journalists, 18 Crimean citizen journalists, and 11 Ukrainian journalists and Telegram channel administrators. Of those imprisoned, 16 are women. The prison sentences handed down to media workers are exceptionally severe:
- 15 have been sentenced to between 11 and 19 years for ‘alleged participation in a terrorist organisation’;
- 13 have received sentences of five to eight and a half years for ‘disseminating allegedly false information about the Russian Armed Forces’;
- 13 have been sentenced to between six and 14 years for ‘propaganda of terrorism’;
- Seven have received sentences of up to eight years for ‘participation in an extremist organisation’;
- Seven media workers have been charged with or convicted of ‘espionage’, with sentences ranging from 13 to 26 years;
- Seven have been sentenced to up to 22 years for ‘high treason’.
Russia’s repression of media workers extends to Ukrainian journalists in the occupied territories and foreign media workers. On 4 September, 64-year-old Ukrainian journalist Iryna Levchenko was sentenced to 15 years in prison on ‘espionage’ charges. On 13 October, Japanese journalist Yuki Imai for the newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun was arrested by the Lefortovo District Court on suspicion of ‘espionage’ for Japanese intelligence.
On 29 October, the leading Russian independent media Novaya Gazeta was given just six working days to vacate the office it had occupied since 1997.
In addition, while not incarcerated, at least 346 media workers have been designated ‘foreign agents’, and at least 50 have been placed on the list of ‘terrorists and extremists’. In addition, 28 media outlets have been declared ‘undesirable organisations’.
These figures demonstrate the scale and severity of Russia’s persecution of journalists and underscore the urgent need for international advocacy, accountability and the release of imprisoned media workers.
EVENTS
- On 13 October, JFJ attended an event hosted by Pushkin House in London, UK, featuring a conversation between Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Russian journalist and former editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, and film director Patrick Forbes.
- On 14 October, JFJ joined Novaya Gazeta’s Dmitry Muratov for a roundtable discussion hosted by the APPG on RussiaWatch in the UK Parliament. The discussion focused on journalists’ safety and freedom of expression in Russia, the situation with political prisoners, and the treatment of prisoners of war in Russia and Ukraine.
- On 2 November, on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Ambassador Jan Braathu, will host an event for participating States, jointly organised with the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform. The exchange will provide an opportunity for OSCE participating States and media freedom organisations to exchange experiences and identify practical steps to strengthen both protection and accountability, while respecting judicial independence and fair-trial guarantees.
- On 3 November, JFJ will participate in the annual meeting of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform in Vienna together with its 15 partner organisations.
- On 4-5 November, JFJ will attend the annual Trust Conference organised by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in London, UK. The conference will bring together representatives from civil society, the media, the private sector and governments worldwide to explore ways to strengthen democracy, protect civic space and shape responsible business practices.
- On 5 November, JFJ will participate in the annual meeting of the members of the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists in London, UK. Discussion will focus on strengthening the criminal justice system’s response to crimes against journalists, protecting media professionals from legal intimidation, and addressing online abuse and digital threats.
- On 9 November, the EU-UK London FIMI Forum, co-organised by the EU Delegation to the UK and the FCDO, will take place in London. Key topics will include disrupting information manipulation and interference, the role of regulation in countering these threats, and the importance of independent media in building resilience against FIMI.
- On 20 November, JFJ will participate in a consultation on national frameworks for journalists’ safety in Brussels, presenting a contribution focused on imprisoned media workers in Russia. The consultation will bring together journalists, media organisations, civil society representatives, national human rights institutions and other experts to assess existing national and subnational safety mechanisms. Discussions will explore ways to strengthen prevention, protection and accountability in line with international human rights standards.
EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEDIA WORKERS
- CORRECTIV.Exile invites exiled journalists, writers, and artists living in Germany to share a 5-minute story in English at an evening of storytelling, music, and exchange in Berlin. Selected participants will receive an honorarium, with travel expenses to Berlin and accommodation also covered. The application deadline is November 1. More details can be found here.
- The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) offers temporary shelter for journalists, media workers, documentarists, and press photographers based in the EU or one of the candidate countries. The Journalists-in-Residence programme is implemented by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom and is designed to help those facing harassment and intimidation as a direct result of their work, as well as those who are working under pressure and/or are in need of a break. The application deadline is November 15.
- On 12-13 November, Baltic Media AI Forum will take place in Riga, Latvia. The Forum will bring together media professionals, technology experts and innovators from across Europe to explore the opportunities, challenges and practical implications of artificial intelligence in journalism.