ORGANISERS
The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC) is an independent, non-partisan international affairs think tank based in the UK. FPC’s mission is to inform both the British and global debate, seeking sustainable solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges.
FPC takes a global perspective, informed by the values of democracy, human rights, good governance and conflict resolution. Media freedom is a core theme for FPC, particularly through the work conducted as part of its Unsafe for Scrutiny project, which examines issues at the nexus of safety of journalists and anti-corruption. Notably, FPC published the 2022 landmark report ‘London Calling’: The issue of legal intimidation and SLAPPs against media emanating from the United Kingdom’, with ARTICLE 19.
The Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ) is a London-based charity whose mission is to fight impunity for attacks against the media. JFJ monitors attacks against media workers and funds investigations worldwide into violence and abuse against professional and citizen journalists. JFJ also organises media security training and creates educational materials to raise awareness about the dangers to media freedom and methods of protection from them.
JFJ’s activity consists of three main components:
- Media risk mapping via monitoring, analysing and publicising violence and abuse against media workers;
- Training and education via online and offline media safety trainings in Orkhan Dzhemal Media Safety Academy;
- Raising public awareness about the realities of media work worldwide via visual and print materials, as well as conferences, roundtables, seminars.
International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) works with the global legal community to promote and protect human rights and the independence of the legal profession worldwide. Since 2019, IBAHRI has acted as the Secretariat to The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, the independent advisory body of the Media Freedom Coalition. The High Level Panel comprises a diverse group of leading international lawyers tasked with providing legal advice for the purposes of promoting and protecting a vibrant, free, and independent media.
In partnership with
International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute
Based in the heart of London, City St George’s, University of London is a short walk from both historic Fleet Street and the Inns of Court. City’s Department of Journalism is a nationally renowned centre for journalism education and research. Founded in 1976, the Department has over 7000+ alumni at the top of newsrooms around the world, from the BBC and the Washington Post to the Times of India, Al Jazeera and Tik Tok. City is ranked 1st in the UK for Journalism, 1st in the UK for Media and Communications, and 1st in the UK for graduate jobs and employability in media.
SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS
Global Media Defence Fund, UNESCO
The Global Media Defence Fund supports local, regional and global not-for-profit organizations working to bolster journalists’ legal protection and/or enhance media freedom through relevant investigative journalism and strategic litigation. Organizations can apply for funding by submitting proposals to the Fund’s annual Calls for Partnerships. The Fund is administered by UNESCO and helps advancing its work to #ProtectJournalists and #DefendMediaFreedom.
Safety of Journalists Platform, Council of Europe
The Safety of Journalists Platform is a collaborative effort between the Council of Europe and a network of prominent press freedom organisations. Its primary objective is to be a real-time mechanism for monitoring and addressing threats against journalists and media professionals, ranging from harassment and physical attacks to legal and political pressures.
The Platform operates by collecting and verifying alerts on serious threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists. These alerts, submitted by the Platform’s partner organisations, are published to raise awareness and prompt action from national authorities. By making these alerts public, the Platform seeks to ensure accountability and encourage member states to fulfill their commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights to protect freedom of expression. It also facilitates dialogue between journalists, civil society, and governments to address systemic issues affecting media freedom.
Additionally, the Safety of Journalists Platform serves as an advocacy and reporting tool, offering an evidence-based overview of trends and challenges to journalists’ safety and media freedom within Europe. Its annual reports and data inform the Council of Europe’s policies and actions, providing a foundation for broader efforts to counter threats to press freedom.
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) consists of 57 States from Europe, Central Asia and North America, and works for stability, peace and democracy for more than a billion people, through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work that contributes to sustainable progress. The OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security covers the politico-military; the economic and environmental; and the human dimensions.
SPONSORED BY
RPC is an international law firm specialising in media and technology, retail and consumer, insurance, commercial and financial disputes and regulatory, with offices in London, Bristol, Hong Kong and Singapore. It has the largest and one of the most highly regarded media defence teams in the UK, recognised in the market as the “go to” firm for publishers and journalists facing media litigation, with long-standing experience of defending public interest reporting.