Government increases support to vulnerable and persecuted journalists
Published
The Government has decided to support the Reporters Shield initiative with SEK 5 million over a two-year period. Reporters Shield is a new long-term support programme that provides legal support to journalists and other media actors operating in repressive environments when they are targeted by baseless lawsuits.
“Journalists engaged in investigative journalism in repressive environments are increasingly subject to legal proceedings as a means to silence them. The Government has therefore decided to provide SEK 5 million in support to Reporters Shield. Reinforcing freedom of expression and democracy is an important part of the Government’s reform agenda for development assistance. Our support to Reporters Shield is part of that work,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell.
Sweden has also previously increased support to organisations that support independent journalists around the world. The Government has recently decided to significantly increase assistance to two organisations working specifically to support journalists and human rights defenders in repressive environments, including Eastern Europe. The European Endowment for Democracy (EED) has received SEK 15 million this year and support to the Prague Civil Society Centre has doubled from 10 to SEK 20 million.
Reporters Shield
Reporters Shield was founded in 2022 and is an independent, non-profit organisation based in the United States. The organisation is funded through membership fees and donations.
The overall goal of the organisation is to build up a global programme in support of journalists in vulnerable circumstances. In this way, the organisation wants to ensure that journalists and media actors operating in repressive environments receive support in the form of legal expertise, trainings and the possibility of legal assistance in the event of baseless legal proceedings.
The Government has now decided upon a two-year grant, divided into SEK 2 million in 2024 and SEK 3 million in 2025. Other donors to Reporters Shield include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Press contact
Political Adviser to Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell
Phone +46 8-405 10 00
Mobile +46 76-1089971
email to Anna Ståhlgren Nislander
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