Media Release
7 May 2007
EFJ Says New Study Shows EU Needs Better Laws to=
Protect Investigative Journalism
At a time when the press is increasingly under surveillance and=
widespread tightening of security and surveillance measures have=
endangered the “watchdog” role of journalists, the=
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the regional group of=
the International Federation of Journalists, welcomes the=
recently published survey on media access to information=
published by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in=
Europe (OSCE).
The study comes just as the European Union reviews its own=
instrument on access to documents, EC regulation 1049 of 30 May=
2001, and the European Parliament considers a resolution on the=
protection of sources.
“At a time when governments are prosecuting journalists in=
order to find and silence whistleblowers, we think that there=
needs to be European-wide agreement that protection of sources=
is a basic right and necessary to have true media freedom in a=
country,” said EFJ General Secretary Aidan White.=
“Journalists should be able to offer their readers and=
viewers a clear and independent look at the workings of=
government without fear of prosecution.”
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos Haraszti=
said that the study shows that the public has more access to=
information than ever before, but weak laws and recent=
prosecutions of reporters and media organisations have=
diminished journalists' investigative abilities.
During 2006 the European Federation of Journalists complained to=
the European Commission and Parliament about a number of=
instances of illegal tapping of journalists’ phones in the=
Netherlands, about the placing of spies in the newsrooms of=
German media and about the prosecution of journalists in Denmark=
who wrote stories that embarrassed the government.
Access to Information, transparency and protection of sources are=
main elements of the EFJ/IFJ quality in journalism campaign. To=
find out more about the campaign, go to: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Issue=3DQUALITY&=
;Language=3DEN
The OSCE survey in full, with all country reports, is= available at: http://www.osce.org/documents/rfm/2007/05/24251_= en.pdf
Further information: + 32 2 235 22 00
The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in more=
than 30 countries