"Strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, are lawsuits taken against media organizations or activists with the sole purpose of silencing them. They typically involve a huge disparity in resources and the claimant’s tactic is to use the lawsuit, or threat of a lawsuit, to divert
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a journalist or media organization’s resources. Cases are reported in increasing numbers across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The damage done by SLAPPs is far-reaching and curbing it is an imperative for media freedom. In many countries, law reform is critical but not the only response. This report discusses tactics that journalists, activists, and defense lawyers can use to defang SLAPPs, including setting up mutual insurance mechanisms, pooling resources, and advocating for changes to court rules. These measures strengthen the resilience of independent media outlets and, as a carefully targeted package, they can do much to alleviate the burden of defending SLAPPs." (Key findings)
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"This study looks into the safety and security needs, resources and environment of visual storytellers and journalists, with a focus on independent documentary filmmakers. The study was commissioned by the International Resource for Impact and Study (IRIS) and the Ford Foundation out of a concern th
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at while there are significant threats to the safety of visual storytellers and journalists, few safety and protection resources are available to them particularly in emergency situations." (Summary)
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"With attacks against storytellers increasing year-on-year, concern has grown about the lack of safety and security resources available to them. This is the focus of our study. Through a series of 120 interviews with artists, filmmakers, journalists, funders, activists, academics and others, along w
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ith desk research, we have sought to identify how storytellers can be better resourced to continue to confront and speak truth to power. The study is global in its overview, with a spotlight on Central and South America where in-depth research and interviews were conducted." (Abstract)
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"This guide aims to provide practical information and guidance to civil society organisations who consider intervening in cases before national or international courts as so-called ‘amicus curiae’ or ‘third party intervener’. It is focused on interventions in cases concerning freedom of expr
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ession and the safety of journalists, but the information it provides is broadly applicable to other human rights cases as well. The legal term often used for these interventions is ‘amicus curiae intervention’. ‘Amicus curiae’ is a Latin term that literally means ‘friend of the court’. It indicates a person or organisation who participates in the case to provide an external perspective, independent from the parties. There are different interpretations as to what the ‘proper’ role of an amicus curiae is. This guide uses the term to describe a civil society organisation that intervenes in a case which is closely connected with that organisation’s mission (for example, a media freedom NGO intervening in the case of a journalist standing trial for defamation) to provide their perspective on the case. In some countries and before some courts, the term ‘third party’ or ‘third party intervener’ is preferred." (Introduction)
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"This volume brings together leading experts from a variety of fields to critically evaluate the extent to which global norms on freedom of expression and information have been established and which actors and institutions have contributed to their diffusion. The contributors also consider ongoing a
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nd new challenges to these norms, from conflicts over hate speech and the rise of populism to authoritarian governments, as well as the profound disruption introduced by the internet. Together, these essays lay the groundwork for an international legal doctrine on global freedom of expression that considers issues such as access to government-held information, media diversity, and political speech." (Publisher description)
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"There is a growing and urgent threat to the safety of journalists across Europe which constitutes a terminal threat to democracy and urgent action by Council of Europe Member States is required. At the international level, detailed guidance and standards for the protection of journalists have been
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developed, based on the binding legal requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights. Member States should now put in place National Action Plans to ensure that these international standards are implemented in practice. The foregoing paragraphs summarize the most urgent action points along with examples of State practice. There is much that Member States can learn from each other, and from countries outside Europe who have taken action to protect the safety of journalists. It is recommended that Member States conduct a thorough review of the threats to journalists’ safety in their countries and engage in genuine partnership with journalists and civil society to remedy these risks. All-encompassing National Action Plans should be drawn up, implemented, and kept under regular review. These Plans must contain ‘SMART’ (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) action points that respond to the needs on the ground – for example, providing police protection, or supporting evacuation mechanisms for journalists. Underpinning the National Action Plan must be a positive and genuine commitment to the importance of the right to freedom of expression: political leaders and public officials should explicitly recognize that violence against journalists constitutes a threat to democracy, unequivocally condemn violent attacks, and stop denigrating the media. A positive message needs to come from the top that freedom of expression is vital to democracy." (Conclusion and recommendations, page 20)
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"This report provides an overview of the different kinds of laws that affect the media and explains how they are used in many countries to influence the operations of news outlets and the information they offer. It focuses on restrictive laws more than on those of the enabling and empowering variety
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, for the simple reason that enabling laws are–unfortunately–relatively rare. It also considers how Internet-based outlets are affected by laws, and how the legal regime in a country affects the ability of individual bloggers or citizen journalists to hold their governments to account. This is a particularly significant area of inquiry as the reach of digital media spreads around the world, increasing in importance as the means by which citizens receive their news and information. While the focus of this report is on the impact of laws on media in the developing world, it also considers the use of laws–particularly on terrorism and libel–in other parts of the world. Many countries have inherited their libel laws from Britain or France, for example, and legal developments there continue to be influential elsewhere. Similarly, many countries have taken a copycat approach to introducing new anti-terrorism laws from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Western Europe and have applied them to clamp down on those who criticize the government." (Introduction, page 4)
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