Tom Gibson/CPJ EU Representative

Tom Gibson is CPJ's lead advocate in Brussels, covering the EU. Before joining CPJ, Gibson managed Protection International's Burundi and Congo desks, advocating for stronger state accountability for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists. Gibson was also part of Amnesty International's Africa program in London and Nairobi.

CPJ joins call for human rights protections in EU Digital Services Act

CPJ joined 71 civil society organizations in a March 1 letter calling on European Union member states to ensure that the Digital Services Act protects human rights as final negotiations on the text begin. The DSA is a legislative framework which could limit the spreading of hate speech, disinformation, and other illegal content on the…

Read More ›

CPJ, rights groups call on EU to uphold Burundi human rights commitments, including press freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists and other human rights groups today called on European Union High Representative Josep Borrell and EU foreign ministers in a letter to uphold benchmarks set in 2016 when the EU suspended direct financial support to the Burundian government over its failure to protect human rights, democratic principles, and the rule…

Read More ›

CPJ, partner organizations call on Council of Europe to take action against SLAPP lawsuits

CPJ has joined over 100 civil society organizations to call on the Council of Europe to issue a recommendation to address strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in Europe. SLAPPs are abusive lawsuits filed by powerful officials, businesspeople, or corporations against individuals, including critical journalists or news outlets, to restrict or censor critical reporting. They…

Read More ›

Lawmakers are shown seated at desks in rows facing a podium and EU flags in a large parliamentary building.

CPJ reminds EU that ‘e-evidence’ rules should protect journalists

CPJ today prompted the European Parliament to safeguard press freedom and human rights in a proposed regulation known as the ‘e-evidence’ proposal, co-signing a letter with European Digital Rights and other digital and media organizations.  CPJ has expressed concern about the lack of safeguards in the proposed Regulation on European Production and Preservation Orders, which…

Read More ›

How will the EU’s Digital Services Act impact journalism?

The European Union is reviewing the legal framework for digital information, goods and services—a process with the potential to change the course of internet history for journalists and everybody else.  In June, the European Commission launched public consultations about the upcoming Digital Services Act (DSA), an initiative to review and expand rules established 20 years…

Read More ›

EUobserver reporter Eszter Zalan on covering the EU amid coronavirus, disinformation, and economic crisis

Eszter Zalan is a correspondent for the Brussels-based EUobserver. She covered conflict and war zones for Népszabadság, the now-shuttered Hungarian daily, for several years, and covered Hungary for Agence France-Presse, before joining EUobserver in 2015. Recently, she has reported on EU affairs, including Brexit, Hungary, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. CPJ spoke with Zalan via…

Read More ›

Broadcast equipment is placed on a poster during a protest in Istanbul in October 2017 over Turkey's press freedom crackdown. CPJ is joining a call for Turkish authorities to release all journalists jailed for their work. (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

CPJ joins call for Turkey to release jailed journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 47 members of the European Parliament and other press freedom organizations to call on Turkey to end its crackdown on the press and the mass imprisonment of journalists.

Read More ›

The European Parliament prepares for a debate on press freedom in Strasbourg in March, following the murder of Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak. The Council of Europe's platform on journalist safety finds the media increasingly faces hostility. (AFP/Frederick Florin)

Council of Europe report finds journalists face obstruction, violence

The Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists today published its annual report, “Democracy at Risk.”

Read More ›