Freedom of the press
The vision of the Danish Union of Journalists states that the union must contribute actively to setting the agenda for debates about national and international freedom of expression.
In a Danish context, this means that the Danish Union of Journalists constantly endeavours, via tpublic debate or in direct communication with the authorities, to promote knowledge of freedom of the press and freedom of expression. The union also endeavours to draw the attention of the public and the government to instances where new legislation, standard practice or political or commercial enterprises have a negative impact on the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression.
The Danish Union of Journalists often plays an active role in cases where a media company or journalist has been accused of breaking laws in connection with their journalistic work. In this work, the Danish Union of Journalists argues that the freedom of expression and the interests of the general public should always carry the greatest weight. On several occasions, this point of view has been successfully argued in the courts when authorities have accused journalists of breaking laws in connection with journalistic research aimed at drawing the public’s attention to a problem in society.
Internationally, the Danish Union of Journalists is actively involved on many fronts. In our part of the world, journalists enjoy a high degree of freedom of the press and have good working conditions, and therefore we see it as our duty to assist other countries where conditions are less favourable or outright intolerable for advocates of the free press.
That is the reason why the Danish Union of Journalists takes part in different international activities that aim at improving the conditions for the free press. Union building in Eastern Europe and the Middle East is an example of such work. In a broader perspective, the Danish Union of Journalists is also active in the international fight for freedom of the press - often under the auspices of the International Federation of Journalists .
Assistance to foreign journalists:
webmaster@journalistforbundet.dk