One key strength of a government-led Coalition such as the Media Freedom Coalition is the wide network of embassies and diplomatic missions its members have around the world.
The embassies of MFC member states are able to closely monitor the media freedom situation in the countries where they are based and take a range of actions to protect and advance media freedom.
The actions taken by MFC member embassies can be public or private, and carried out either by individual embassies or by several embassies acting together. The MFC encourages embassies to take joint actions where possible, and to coordinate with journalists, civil society, and other stakeholders in the countries where they are based, to ensure any actions taken are informed by the people most affected by, and most at risk from, restrictions on media freedom.
Actions taken by MFC member embassies are planned based on the individual country context, meaning that they can vary significantly from one country to the next. They can include:
- Joint statements on thematic issues and specific cases of concern
- Other public actions on media freedom cases, such as meeting the journalists involved in cases of concern or highlighting cases of concern via social media
- Engagement with host governments, including private diplomacy on media freedom cases
- Events to highlight media freedom issues and the work of media professionals
- Monitoring the court cases of media professionals
- Communications activities on media freedom, including op-eds, videos and online campaigns
- Capacity building programmes for journalists
- Referring journalists to specific support programmes
- Facilitating interventions on domestic media freedom issues at relevant regional or multilateral bodies
In addition, embassies of MFC members can also engage with other MFC member governments to exchange information and support domestic reforms.
If you work for an embassy of an MFC member country and wish to engage in this work, please contact the MFC Secretariat. Embassies can also consult the MFC’s Diplomatic Toolkit for more information on the Embassy Networks Initiative (also known as the Diplomatic Networks Initiative) and the different actions they can take to protect and promote media freedom. The MFC Secretariat can provide a copy to member governments and embassy staff on request. Contact us for more information.
