Annual Report (2023) by the partner organisations to the Council of Europe Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of JournalistsSafety of Journalists Platform 2023 report: a war on journalism in parts of Europe, increased number of journalists in detentionThis report examines the main threats to media freedom in Europe and addresses recommendations to the Council of Europe, the European Union and their member states on actions needed to improve the situation. During 2022, the platform published 289 alerts on serious threats or attacks to media freedom across 37 states, with journalists being murdered, imprisoned, attacked, legally harassed and subjected to smear campaigns. This number includes alerts concerning Russia, since the partner organisations decided to continue monitoring the state of media freedom and attacks against journalists after its expulsion from the Council of Europe in March 2022.
The Safety of Journalists Platform was set up in 2015 by the Council of Europe in co-operation with leading international NGOs active in the field of the freedom of expression and associations of journalists, with the objective of improving the protection of journalists and better addressing threats and violence against media professionals in Europe. The Platform facilitates the dissemination of information on serious threats to media freedom, reinforces the Council of Europe’s response to the threats and the accountability of its member states. It enables the Council of Europe to be alerted in a timely and systematic way to these threats and to take co-ordinated and prompt action and policy responses when necessary.
