This page gives an overview of the process behind researching and verifying press freedom violations for the Mapping Media Freedom project. It also clarifies who the platform considers as ‘media worker’, and what constitutes a press freedom violation.
About – Mapping Media Freedom
The primary aim of Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF) is to build up an archive of press and media freedom violations in Europe.
The MapMF monitoring mandate covers all EU Member States and candidate countries. Each of the 36 European countries has a distinct press freedom landscape, shaped by its own national and political context.
As part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response project (MFRR), co-financed by the European Commission, the press freedom violations (alerts) monitored on MapMF also inform further support and advocacy activities.
MFRR consortium partners actively involved in the monitoring are the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), and the International Press Institute (IPI). Other MFRR partner organisations additionally act in support of the monitoring efforts.
Verification
The MFRR Monitoring Officers aim to verify press freedom violations based on information obtained from at least two independent and credible sources. A single source is permissible if the source is a trusted partner with their own verification procedures, or if all details can be reliably deduced from the single source (e.g. extensive video evidence or investigative research).
Sources used to verify press freedom violations are public, unless there are safety or privacy concerns.
The Monitoring Officers carry out verification in collaboration with trusted partners and professional journalist associations from across Europe.
Sources for press freedom violations
Monitoring Officers learn about press freedom violations via news and (social) media monitoring, through professional networks and contacts – including journalists, journalist unions and associations – as well as other trusted partners. Some cases are also reported via the ReportIT form.
Sources for press freedom violations are transparently listed below the MapMF alert text. If a case was verified through direct contact (e.g. speaking to the victim, witnesses or another source), only the number of direct contacts is revealed for reasons of security and data protection.
Do you have a press freedom violation that you want to report? Please use the ReportIT form that you can find here.
Who counts as journalist/media worker on MapMF?
A “journalist” is any natural or legal person who is regularly or professionally engaged in the collection and dissemination of information to the public via any means of mass communication. This definition includes professional journalists but also other media actors who contribute to public debate and who perform journalistic activities or fulfil public watchdog functions. (*1)
— Council of Europe
The Mapping Media Freedom platform broadly follows the Council of Europe’s understanding of a journalist (Recommendation No. R (2000)7, or Recommendation CM/Rec (2011)7) – but recognises that definitions can be complex and contested.
The platform covers press freedom violations against a wide range of actors. The focus is on what the actor does (action/intent) rather than their employment status. Any decisions on challenging cases added to the platform are discussed and agreed by consensus by MFRR monitoring partners and, if required, the MFRR Steering Committee. (*2)
The following, non-exhaustive list of media workers and related actors covered on MapMF has naturally grown over time and builds on years of monitoring practice:
- Journalists
- Editors
- Photographers/Camera operators
- Bloggers
- Citizen journalists
- Fixers
- Translators
- Whistleblowers
- Media company or publishing house
- Family member(s) of journalist or media workers
- Other type of journalists/media actors
*1 Recommendation No. R (2000)7 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States.
*2 The MFRR Steering Committee is the decision-making body of the MFRR with representatives of all partner organisations.
What constitutes a press freedom violation on MapMF?
The MapMF project is aligned with European standards that recognise press and media freedom as a part of the European human rights framework. (For example: Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFR / EU Charter).
MapMF documents five main types of attacks on media workers and related actors, that are understood as press freedom violations:
- Physical assault
- Attack to property
- Verbal attack
- Interference
- Legal incidents
For more detailed information on what these types of attacks entail, please have a look at the MapMF category system.
In addition, these general indicators assist Monitoring Officers in identifying if an incident constitutes a press freedom violation.
- Journalists’ work: There must be a connection between the incident and the role or status of the actor as a journalist or media worker. Attacks unrelated to journalism or media work are not recorded.
- Severity: The incident must have a serious impact on the wellbeing or safety of media workers, be considered to seriously restrict the ability of the journalist or media to exercise free and independent journalism and media work, or have larger implications for the countries’ press freedom landscape.
- Legitimacy and proportionality: Excessive use of force by state actors will be evaluated by assessing whether the least restrictive means available that were strictly necessary to de-escalate a given situation were employed, as prescribed by international human rights law.
- Holistic approach and balancing of rights: The exercise of journalistic freedoms can interplay with other rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, such as the right to peaceful assembly and association, consciousness and religion, and similar. While determining violations, it is important to take into consideration the freedom of expression exercised in these situations, and cases should be evaluated as such.
Limitations and challenges
Documenting press freedom violations for all EU Member States and Candidate Countries is an ambitious and challenging task. Due to the diversity of national contexts and the wide range of media actors across Europe, the project recognises the complexities of identifying who is a media worker, and if an attack constitutes a press freedom violation.
The wealth of diverse information available poses further challenges to the research and verification process. Some cases may go unreported or, due to limited capacities within the monitoring team, are published with some delay.
The MFRR partners will continue to assess and refine its monitoring methodology where appropriate and remain open to further discussion on the matter. A Working Group for monitoring methodology has been created within the MFRR to ensure a continuous assessment of the monitoring methodology, and make adjustments where needed.
The MFRR remains committed to the highest standards for both the transparency and accuracy of its monitoring on the MapMF database.
Contact
For questions on the MFRR Monitoring methodology, including removal or adjustment requests, please reach out to: mfrr-monitoring@ecpmf.eu.
Requests for removal or adjustment of alerts published on Mapping Media Freedom will be answered within a two week notice period.
To report a press freedom violation, please use the ReportIt form.
