JULY 2026 Newsletter
Welcome to our July newsletter! Summer may be in full swing, but the conversation around ethical journalism never takes a holiday.
As the Ethical Journalism Network continues its return to Brussels and builds momentum, we’re delighted to bring you another edition packed with updates, opportunities and insights from across our global community. This month, you’ll find news on what’s happening at EJN, highlights from our partners, and a look ahead at upcoming events designed to tackle some of journalism’s most pressing ethical challenges.
Most importantly, we’d love to hear from you. If you have ideas, experiences or perspectives on strengthening ethics in journalism, please get in touch—or better yet, write something for a future newsletter. And if you know colleagues, friends or organisations who share our commitment to ethical journalism, please encourage them to join our growing network and sign up for EJN updates.
Our newsletter will continue to keep you informed about EJN’s work while showcasing the important efforts of our partners, all helping to keep the ethical flame alive at a time when journalism faces unprecedented challenges.
Thank you for being part of our community. We look forward to hearing from you.
Aidan White
President & Founder
New players in journalism must be ethical
One major ethical challenge facing journalism these days is the increasing visibility and presence of influencer journalists and online news creators. According to the Reuters Institute 2026 Digital News Report quoted by the European Federation of Journalists there is a major trust challenge over the work of influencers and streamers who work without any attachment to professional ethics. According to the report 27 percent of global news consumers now get news from individual creators, but there is major concern over the lack of traditional editorial oversight, fact-checking, and accountability.
Many content providers produce what is clearly journalism, but they do not regard themselves as working journalists, or bound by the constraints of ethical working. Journalists unions and associations across Europe increasingly recognise this. At the EFJ annual meeting in Ankara attended by the EJN last month a resolution was adopted that calls on unions to consider recruiting these new players. By joining professional support groups which promote ethical standards, online content providers can minimise concerns about the spread of unreliable and untrustworthy information.
Journalists unions in Denmark and the Netherlands have pioneered this work and now many more national journalism bodies are expected to find ways of helping these new players accept that good journalism does not come without responsibility to uphold basic standards of truth, independence, transparency and humanity.
Sacked – for asking a question
The case of Italian journalist Gabriele Nunziati, the Brussels correspondent for the Italian Nova news agency, who was sacked by the agency last year after asking a question about Israel’s responsibility for the reconstruction of Gaza at a European Union press briefing, has led to widespread protests. And last month the case went to court in defence of a fundamental principle of ethical journalism – the right to ask questions and hold power to account.
The International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists condemned the dismissal of the journalist and criticised the news agency for having censored Nunziati, preventing him from carrying out his job freely. Nunziati took his case against Nova News Agency to court in Rome last month with the first hearing 9 June. Press freedom defenders, including the national Italian union the FNSI, held a demonstration in support of the journalist outside the courthouse. He said: “I have decided to sue my former company, Agenzia Nova, not only to protect my rights, but also to defend freedom of the press and the rights of all journalists. The risk is self-censorship.” He is supported by Amnesty International Italy, together with Articolo21, FNSI, Usigrai, Rete No Bavaglio and Stampa Romana and the EJN.
Europe’s Democracy Shield: focus on ethics?
A discussion on how the European Union is defending journalism and journalists’ rights was the focus of a meeting held at the Brussels Press Club on June 29. Simona Constantin and Laetitia Close from the European Commission gave a brief overview of the EU’s Democracy Shield and the different initiatives and regulations affecting media including the Media Freedom Act and Anti-Slapp Directive, which are currently being rolled out at national level across the European Union.
These laws – on paper at least – provide the foundation for concrete national actions to ease the pressure on news media from political interests and to create a more professional and free environment for the exercise of journalism. But a lot depends on political will to ensure that these protections are put in place noted the EJN at the meeting. We called for more actions to encourage an ethical working environment across the EU, for more support for public service media and more ethical training for people working in journalism.
Must Read: The Inside Story of Big Tech
Companies like Facebook, now Meta, started with great expectations – to change the world by bringing people together – but the truth is dramatically different. The book Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams is an expose of neglect, greed and ruthless abuse of power. She worked at Facebook for seven years. Her initial enthusiasm for the Mark Zuckerberg project faded as she was drawn into the culture of secrecy, entitlement and recklessness surrounding one of the world’s most powerful media companies. Her book is extraordinary – both readable and revealing – and it led to the Company obtaining a legal order to silence her.