The Media Freedom Coalition promotes the adoption and reform of policies and legislation that enable media freedom and support journalists under threat. This is in line with the Global Pledge, which highlights the need for member countries to act both at home and abroad.
As part of their membership, MFC member states are actively encouraged and supported to review their own legislation and look for ways to improve their domestic media freedom environment. Reforms might also support journalists from other countries, or journalists from the member state who are working overseas.
The Media Freedom Coalition is guided in this work by the recommendations of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom. The High Level Panel is an independent and diverse group of lawyers and judges that provides expert advice to MFC member states. Read more about the High Level Panel here.
Media freedom is affected by a wide range of laws and policies, at domestic and international level, in areas such as human rights, media law, freedom of expression, defamation, and the ease of doing business. MFC member countries can request technical legal assistance from the High Level Panel for any legal matter related to media freedom.
The High Level Panel has also produced a series of four enforcement reports for the Media Freedom Coalition that focus on improving international mechanisms to enforce international human rights norms. The reports cover:
- the use of targeted sanctions to protect journalists
- strengthening consular support to journalists at risk
- providing safe refuge to journalists at risk
- promoting more effective investigations into abuses against journalists
You can read and download the High Level Panel’s reports here.