Switzerland will be on strike on Wednesday 14 June to demand better working conditions for women, including in the media sector. Four years after the first national feminist strike in 2019, women are still demanding better protection against harassment, more women in positions of responsibility and journalism free of sexism and racism. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) have given their full support to the Swiss unions syndicom and impressum and their members.

“No women, no news – more women, more news’. This slogan with which the Swiss journalists’ unions are preparing to take to the streets to amplify demands about issues that have changed little since 2019:

• Better protection against harassment
• Equal pay
• Reconciliation between work, family and mental health
• Women in positions of responsibility
• No sexism, no racism and more diversity in the media

Swiss newsrooms are not immune to the misogynist culture: the figures show that women journalists still earn less than their male colleagues, men continue to be in charge of certain news, women still experience more harassment in the workplace, in the field and on the Internet, and the profession is still seen by many as incompatible with the desire to start a family – with the result that many women are leaving for other professions.

For Melina Schröter, regional secretary of the media sector at syndicom, the recent advances are not enough:

“Since 2019, the date of the previous major feminist strike, a few lines have moved in the Swiss media. Many female media professionals have publicly denounced the harassment, macho culture and mobbing that are rife in editorial departments. There have been a few developments, such as more women in senior positions, external structures for reporting cases of harassment in certain media, and the more frequent use of the term feminicide rather than crime of passion. Despite these modest advances, great strides towards greater equality still need to be made”.

In a statement issued on 13 June, the IFJ Gender Council expressed alarm at the decline in women’s rights around the world and reiterated the urgent need to “take concrete steps to end sexism and racism”. The President of the Council, María Ángeles Samperio, said: “Without equality between men and women, there can be no justice or democracy. This also applies to the situation of women journalists, who all too often still work in more precarious conditions than men. We need to change this dynamic, not only to strengthen equality in the newsrooms but also to offer a more inclusive media discourse in favour of women and free of racism”.

The EFJ and its Expert Group on Gender and Diversity (GENDEG) also sent support to the unions and all striking journalists in their fight for equality: “In 2023 we can no longer accept gender inequalities in newsrooms. We stand up with Swiss women journalists to fight for their rights and advance towards real equality in the media. On 14 June, we call on all European journalists to send support on social media to their Swiss colleagues,” said Elena Tarifa, the chair of GENDEG.

Follow the campaign on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #Nowomennonews2023.

Nenad Milanovic filed a defamation lawsuit against BIRN Serbia for publishing an investigation on his negotiations with Turkish company Kentkart – the fourth SLAPP lawsuit it received this year.

Nenad Milanovic, chief of cabinet of Belgrade mayor Aleksandar Sapic, filed a defamation lawsuit against BIRN Serbia before the Higher Court in Belgrade, seeking 200.000 dinars (1,705 euros) in damages for mental anguish.

The lawsuit claims his reputation and honour has been damaged by the BIRN article, “Audios Reveal that Sapic’s Chief of Cabinet Offered to Fix Procurement to Kentkart”. The lawsuit states that the article is “full of absolute falsehoods”, but does not elaborate to explain which information Milanovic believes to be incorrect.

“The news published on website birn.rs was very disturbing to the plaintiff because the incriminating expressions used by the defendant were disparaging and have contributed to the damages for the plaintiff’s honour and reputation, especially in the plaintiff’s work environment, and then in the environment in which the plaintiff lives.

“Namely, the plaintiff is very successful in his job, and the insinuations mentioned in the text can have an extremely negative impact on the plaintiff’s reputation at his work and in the private sphere as well”, reads the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is filed against BIRN Serbia and its editor-in-chief Milorad Ivanovic.

Ivanovic says this is the fourth SLAPP lawsuit this year.

“This is forth SLAPP lawsuit filed against our newsroom this year. These lawsuits are not being filed in honest attempt to receive any kind of justice, but to exhaust journalists and newsroom.

“The lawsuit does not deny any fact we have published in the article. Mental anguish of public officials, their reputation and honour, cannot be above the truth,” said Ivanovic.

So-called SLAPPs aim to drain the target’s financial and psychological resources and chill critical voices, to the detriment of public participation, according to a report on SLAPP lawsuits in Serbia published in 2022 by Article 19, the American Bar Association Centre for Human Rights and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, NUNS.

Aleksandar Sapic, the mayor of the Serbian capital, has filed two separate defamation lawsuits against BIRN Serbia, its editor and journalists in March, claiming that their reporting damaged his reputation and caused him mental anguish. He is seeking six million Serbian dinars (around 50,000 euros) in damages in each case – a total of around 100,000 euros.

Predrag Koluvija, who is on trial for alleged illicit marijuana production, in February accused BIRN of incorrectly reporting on one of his court hearings and thus damaging his reputation and causing him mental anguish. He is seeking 200,000 dinars (around 1,700 euros) in damages.

In Zveçan, the ATV team, consisting of journalist Fatlum Jashari, camera operator Blend Thaçi, and driver Enis Sherifi, was attacked with stones while covering the latest developments in the municipality.

According to the media, several masked individuals targeted the moving vehicle, resulting in minor injuries to journalist Fatlum Jashari and camera operator Blend Thaçi, as well as the shattering of the car’s windows.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo continues to be concerned about media teams reporting from the northern part of the country, and therefore, we urge the Kosovo Police and the international presence there to create better conditions for them.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) today sent a letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, prompted by his announcement of a new Media Law on Friday in Split. The letter is presented below.

Dear Prime Minister Plenković,

We consider it necessary to respond to your statement given at the celebration of the anniversary of Slobodna Dalmacija in Split, where you stated that the Ministry of Culture and Media team is preparing a new Media Law and explained: “This will mark a step forward after about twenty years of the existing Media Law, and we are also considering new powers for the Electronic Media Council, thinking about respecting professionalism in journalism, and through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, criteria for verifying data and the truthfulness of information.”

The Croatian Journalists’ Association reminds you that the last discussion with the Ministry of Culture and Media about the new Media Law took place at the end of 2021 when, as part of a working group, it submitted its proposals for a new overarching law to protect professional journalism. We still have no information today about what has been adopted from our proposals and what the final draft of the law, whose adoption the Government announces for this year, looks like.

The CJA supports, and has finally proposed, an independent regulator responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Media Law, as well as the Electronic Media Law because if such a regulator does not exist, the Media Law will remain a dead letter as it has been for the past 20 years. Except when it comes to filing lawsuits against journalists and the media.

When we talk about an independent regulatory body that should oversee the implementation of the two most important laws for media freedom and pluralism, then it cannot be a political body like the Electronic Media Council is today. We remind you that more than three years ago, in comments on amendments to the Electronic Media Law, we requested that the CJA, as the umbrella journalists’ organization, propose two members of the Council to the Croatian Parliament, or that the proposal for members of the body regulating compliance with media laws ceases to be the discretionary right of the Government.

We are also concerned about how the issue of lawsuits against journalists and the media (SLAPP) will be addressed in the Media Law, as announced by the Ministry of Culture and Media, considering that in the debate of the Council of the European Union, the Croatian government came out with a position that significantly dilutes the proposal of the European Directive to combat SLAPP.

We also warn that criteria for verifying information exist as an international professional standard contained in the Code of Honor of Croatian Journalists of the CJA, or in universal journalistic ethical principles, which all true journalists adhere to. Therefore, there is no need to rediscover long-established rules of the journalistic profession, especially if it poses a threat to freedom of speech, which, along with independent and responsible media, is another cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Therefore, we believe that the tasks of the Government are as follows:

initiate the work of a working group preparing amendments to the Media Law and make its work transparent
finally ensure the real independence of the media regulator
finally ensure the real independence of editorial offices from owners, or management structures, by implementing the Media Law and respecting editorial statutes
through transparent allocation of public funds, finally ensure systematic support for the sustainability of those media outlets that operate in the public interest and responsibly fulfill their function of informing, educating, and socially integrating.
For the Executive Board,

Hrvoje Zovko, President of the CJA

Chiara Bilić, Vice President of the CJA

Dragutin Hedl, Vice President of the CJA

The dilution of the SLAPP directive at the Council of the European Union has been met with dismay by numerous professional organizations and trade unions. Therefore, the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists (TUCJ) has sent an open letter to the President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, Minister of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, and Minister of Justice and Administration, Ivan Malenica, as announced by TUCJ, and the letter is reproduced in its entirety.

Dear Prime Minister Plenković, Minister Obuljen Koržinek, and Minister Malenica,

During the celebration of Slobodna Dalmacija’s anniversary, Prime Minister, you mentioned that a new Media Law is being prepared, and you also announced changes related to the Electronic Media Council.

We take this opportunity to remind you that the European Commission’s Rule of Law Report warned that: “Council members are appointed by a simple majority vote in parliament for a five-year term, which can be renewed. The appointment of bodies under the control of the parliamentary majority continues to be considered a potential threat to the political independence of regulators.”

We believe that it is the Government’s primary task to finally ensure the independence of regulators, and we expect changes in that direction.

In the same report, the European Commission emphasizes that “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) targeting journalists remain a significant concern. SLAPP continues to pose a significant financial risk to journalists and has a chilling effect on the media. These lawsuits, which often target journalists personally (rather than media houses), continue to have a strong impact on the media, threatening the survival of smaller, local media and independent journalists.

There are still numerous examples of lawsuits against journalists initiated by politicians or public officials, including judges.” “Many SLAPP cases against journalists are based on allegations of defamation, humiliation, or insult.”

Therefore, we are quite surprised that during the debate at the Council of the European Union, the representative of the Croatian government and the Ministry of Justice and Administration supported the common position on the Anti-SLAPP directive.

The EU Council significantly dilutes the European Commission’s proposal, and the EU Council’s proposal falls far short of the original purpose of the act: to protect journalists and the right to information in the European Union and is far below what the European Commission has proposed so far. The EU Council’s position does not offer an effective and efficient framework for stopping SLAPPs because:

• it intends to limit the scope of the directive to purely “cross-border” cases, i.e., cases where criminal prosecution takes place in another EU member state;
• it excludes civil claims brought in criminal proceedings from the scope of the directive;
• it significantly weakens the mechanism of early dismissal of the lawsuit by proposing a restrictive definition of “manifestly unfounded cases” and excluding the possibility of appealing decisions rejecting the early dismissal of the lawsuit;
• the provision on compensation for those targeted by SLAPP lawsuits is deleted.

During the Council meeting, representatives of Croatia supported the Council’s position. They agreed with the “balanced” approach, as well as allowing the necessary “flexibility” at the national level and giving “more discretion to national courts.” The extent of this discretion in national courts is best evidenced by the large number of SLAPP lawsuits in Croatia, which ranks it among the top in Europe, and often nonsensical judgments against journalists.

Support for strong and independent journalism should not be merely declarative. We expect the Croatian Government, at both the national and European levels, to contribute to strengthening the protection of journalists’ free work and support a system that will protect them from SLAPP lawsuits.

Maja Sever, President of the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists

Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, participating on Friday in Split at the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Slobodna Dalmacija, announced the adoption of a new media law, emphasizing that it will mark a step forward after about 20 years of the existing media law and that consideration is also being given to new powers for the Electronic Media Council.

“We are thinking about respecting professionalism in journalism and, through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, about criteria for verifying data and the truthfulness of information,” Plenković said and emphasized that in the internet and conflictual times, we live in a world of hybrid wars, reported Hina.

“Therefore, as a state, we support the independence of the media and their financial sustainability, thus strengthening what is most important, and that is Croatian democracy,” Prime Minister Plenković emphasized, adding that in this regard, Slobodna Dalmacija makes a significant contribution.

“This is a great jubilee of one of the key and most influential Croatian newspapers, which not only represents a culture of living but also has a broader impact on the entire political, economic, and cultural context in Croatia,” said Prime Minister Plenković at tonight’s ceremony at the Ivan Meštrović Gallery in Split.

He reminded that Slobodna Dalmacija covered local, national, and global issues as well as sports, and through this daily newspaper, top journalism and literary talents have passed.

Many guests from the political and public life, sports, media, popular music, economy, and culture attended the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Slobodna Dalmacija. Traditional awards for journalists were also presented at the ceremony of Slobodna Dalmacija, and Damir Tolj received the annual journalism award.

The Council of the European Union adopted today a common position (general approach) on the so-called Anti-SLAPP directive. This legislation, proposed by the European Commission in 2022, is meant to tackle the growing problem of strategic lawsuits targeting journalists, activists, and other public watchdogs across Europe. However, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) considers that the text, which has been considerably watered down, falls far short of the legislation’s original objective: to protect journalists and the right to information in the European Union.

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) are a form of legal harassment used to intimidate and silence those speaking out in the public interest. A report published in 2022 by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), of which EFJ is a member, shows a cumulative upward trend in SLAPPs since 2015. In response to the Commission’s legislative proposal to protect targets of SLAPPs and prevent the spread of the phenomenon in the EU, the European Parliament and the EU Council are finalising their position.

Well below what the European Commission has proposed so far, the Council fails to promise an effective and adequate framework to end the rise of SLAPPs:

• it intends to limit the scope of the directive to pure “cross-border” cases, ie. cases where prosecution takes place in another EU Member State;
• it excludes from the directive’s scope civil claims brought in criminal proceedings;
• it significantly weakens the early dismissal mechanism by proposing a restrictive definition of “manifestly unfounded cases” and by ruling out the possibility to appeal decisions refusing early dismissal;
• it deletes the provision on damage compensation in favour of SLAPP targets.

Commenting on the Council’s text, the EFJ considers that such a position does not show a strong political will to act in favour of freedom of expression: “It is far too restrictive to have a meaningful impact. Let’s be clear: very few cases fall within the scope of what the council is proposing. Once again, Member States’ public commitments are not being translated into concrete action when it comes to providing a favourable environment for journalists and media outlets,” said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez.

During the Justice and Home Affairs Council’s meeting, ministers of Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Germany, Poland, Italy, Croatia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Estonia, Bulgaria and Greece largely supported the Council’s position. They highlighted the “balanced” approach ensuring the right of access to justice, as well as allowing necessary “flexibility” at the national level and giving “more discretion to national courts”. Both Malta and Ireland stressed, however, that the text could have been more ambitious.

EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, would also have liked to see stronger provisions. He said: “I would like to express my regret concerning the weakening of the remedies against abusive court proceedings, in particular the deletion of the provision on compensation of damage and the weakening of the provision on award of costs.”

The European Parliament is due to adopt its opinion on 27 June before the three institutions begin trialogue negotiations.