"For this assessment more than 390 surveys were made in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey [...] In addition to the survey a further 150 in-depth interviews were held, complemented by a Focus Group in each country, which
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provided useful background and analytical information for the narrative parts of this report. The baseline assessment focused on the 4 objectives of the Guidelines: 1. Enabling environment and resulting responsibilities of main actors, 2. Advancing media to a modern level of internal governance, 3. Qualitative and trustworthy investigative journalism available to citizens and 4. Increasing capacity and representativeness of journalist professional organisations. In respect of the enabling environment the survey findings show that most countries have made reasonable or good progress in the field of establishing legislation and most have sufficient provisions to guarantee freedom of expression. However, there remains a serious problem in the proper implementation of the legislation ..." (Page 10)
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"The three case studies depict a range of repressive efforts that are calibrated to achieve particular ends. Sometimes, the authorities choose to co-opt independent voices. In other instances, the regime may create new government-backed versions of media initiatives or civic organizations which mimi
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c the form but not the substance of their authentic counterparts. Some techniques emphasize regulatory controls, while others utilize economic or financial pressure. All three regimes rely on broadly worded laws to punish critics and encourage self-censorship. State-run media remain dominant sources of information for most of the population in each country, and are used by the authorities as a weapon to tarnish and subvert the work of civil society activists and independent journalists." (Introduction, page 8)
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"Recommendations revolve around five building blocks of a co-ordinated strategy that calls for: 1. A regional news hub for the Russian language that embodies the values of fairness, accuracy and watchdog reporting, and builds a network of partners to leverage high-quality news content to wider audie
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nces across platforms [...] 2. A content sharing platform (“content factory”) to encourage the production and distribution of highquality programming on television and online, with particular emphasis on content that reflects local issues and local lives [...] 3. A centre for media excellence in the Russian language that co-ordinates the work of governments, NGOs and educational institutions in ongoing market research and media monitoring, media literacy programmes, professional training and peer-to-peer exchanges. 4. Alongside the three main building blocks, a basket fund should be established to provide a critical mass of funding for the building blocks [...] 5. On top of the three main building blocks should sit a multimedia distribution platform that guarantees a degree of “buy in” and ensures content generated by the news exchange and content factory reaches the widest possible audience." (Page 4)
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"The first section is dedicated to the definition of the concept of freedom of expression. First, international and regional texts are analyzed. Then, an overview of the bodies involved in the process of defining and protecting freedom of expression throughout the world is presented. The following s
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ections focus on specific matters related to the need to balance freedom of expression with other fundamental rights. Section two is devoted to the risk of incurring defamation, and how the issue is regulated in different regions of the world and under different circumstances. Section three analyses the relationship between freedom of expression and the right to privacy both in the texts and in the case law of the relevant international bodies. Section four deals with the limitation of freedom of expression for reasons of public order or public morals. Examples of restrictions grounded on public morals and public order are offered. Lastly, section five focuses on the relationship between freedom of expression and public security." (Pages 16-17)
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"At the request of the LIBE committee, this study provides an overview of the legal framework applicable to hate speech and hate crime on the one hand and to blasphemy and religious insult on the other hand. It also evaluates the effectiveness of existing legislation in selected Member States and ex
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plores opportunities to strengthen the current EU legal framework, whilst fully respecting the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The study also provides the European Parliament with guidelines on dealing with hate speech within the EU institutions." (Abstract)
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"Drawing on his experience defending journalists on the front lines, Joel Simon calls for a global freedom-of-expression agenda. He proposes ten key priorities, including combating the murder of journalists, ending censorship, and a global free-expression charter to challenge the criminal and corrup
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t forces that seek to manipulate the world's news." (Publisher description)
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"Afghanistan once housed tourists from around the world intrigued by the Silk Road stories, the poetic and mystic culture, the majestic landscape and the hospitable people. Their experience in Afghanistan was frequently captured through journalism and photojournalism of the early 1900s. However, Afg
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hanistan’s very own media culture was born during this same time with Seraj-ul-Akhbar being the country’s first newspaper, published on 11 January 1906." (Abstract)
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"Die wichtigsten Medien in der Ukraine sind die zahlreichen Fernsehsender, deren Interessen- und Besitzverhältnisse jedoch häufig intransparent sind. Zumeist stehen Oligarchen hinter den diversen privaten Fernsehsendern. Seit 2013 haben Journalisten unabhängige Medien gegründet, die im Laufe des
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Euromajdan große Beliebtheit erlangt haben und sich durch Crowdfunding finanzieren. Zudem versuchen sie, dem weit verbreiteten patriotischen Diskurs durch objektive Berichterstattung Gegensteuer zu geben." (Seite 7)
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