Tom Gibson
at-tgibson.bsky.social
Tom Gibson
@at-tgibson.bsky.social
EU Representative, Committee to Protect Journalists, Brussels-based advocacy.

- Pushing for EU accountability on press freedom.
- Tracking global freedom of expression trends.
- Always seeking to make journalists safer and protect their space to work.
Brussels / Gaza: International Federation of Journalists today launching the Palestinian Media Support Fund. Critical support needed for journalists on the ground. The Palestinian media community must be given the protection, space and means to survive.
September 3, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Latvia are blocking EU action on Gaza. Our efforts as a press freedom community need to be with journalists and activists in these countries. We need full or partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...
Still no EU action on Israel, despite Gaza famine
Israel will not face any EU sanctions despite creating famine in Gaza, massacring 63,000 people, and declaring the end of the two-state solution.
euobserver.com
September 1, 2025 at 8:25 AM
EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers will discuss Gaza tomorrow in Copenhagen. They all know the horror that is taking place. The EU can have significant influence over Israel by partially or fully suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It must act. cpj.org/wp-content/u...
cpj.org
August 29, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Serbia: disturbing report from OCCRP about the government allegedly seeking to silence an independent media outlet covering the protests. www.occrp.org/en/news/audi.... With constant threats and attacks against journalists, press freedom in Serbia is getting worse each week.
Audio Recording Reveals United Group and Telekom Srbija CEOs Discussing Undermining Serbian Broadcaster
The CEOs discussed removing the chief executive of a United Group subsidiary that owns N1, a Serbian TV channel that has documented nine months of anti-government protests.
www.occrp.org
August 28, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Press freedom activists now meeting in Brussels to denounce killings of journalists in Palestine and call for an end to impunity. Failure of the EU to stand up to Israel is a shameful stain on the bloc’s human rights record.
August 26, 2025 at 10:08 AM
The Slovak Spectator reports on the Slovakia entry for the US State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights Practices. Now that the EU's European Media Freedom Act is in force, and the recess is over, does the European Commission have remedial action in mind?

spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
US blasts Slovakia over media freedom backsliding - The Slovak Spectator
US blasts Slovakia over media freedom backsliding
spectator.sme.sk
August 25, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Tom Gibson
The Pfizergate, which directly concerns journalism as it is about news transparency and access to public interest information, is not going away www.ft.com/content/8162... @gpaccardo.bsky.social @at-tgibson.bsky.social @molenews1.bsky.social
Ursula von der Leyen faces no-confidence vote over Pfizergate
Far-right motion relating to pandemic scandal threatens to derail European Commission president’s second-term agenda
www.ft.com
June 26, 2025 at 6:02 AM
CPJ and others have written to PM Mitsotakis about media reforms in Greece.
cpj.org/2025/07/cpj-...

The letter notes the persistence of serious concerns.

The authorities now need to respond in a way which builds trust amongst everyone in the journalist community that real change will happen.
CPJ, other groups urge Greece to create national plan to fight press attacks - Committee to Protect Journalists
On July 16, CPJ and nine other organizations wrote to the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about reforms needed to address ongoing media freedom concerns in the country.  The letter notes the ...
cpj.org
July 17, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reposted by Tom Gibson
CPJ welcomes Tuesday’s order to release Atlanta-based Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who was arrested while livestreaming a protest in an Atlanta suburb on June 14, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, on bond.

Read more⤵️
cpj.org/2025/07/atla...
July 1, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Tom Gibson
🟥 The @europarl.europa.eu adopted a resolution condemning the detention of Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli (Batumelebi&Netgazeti co-founder) as politically motivated. It calls for her immediate release, denounces media crackdown in #Georgia & urges sanctions on those responsible.
#FreeMzia
June 19, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Tom Gibson
Join CPJ’s EU deputy advocacy director Tom Gibson for a panel, “Fighting spyware – Journalism, litigation and policy after the Pegasus Scandal,” about how collective action across journalism, civil society + legal actors can push back against spyware use.

🗓️6/18 | 2:30-4PM CET
Fighting spyware - Journalism, litigation and policy after the Pegasus Scandal - European Digital Rights (EDRi)
EDRi, ECNL and Lighthouse Reports are excited to launch a series of online sessions to facilitate collaboration and information sharing between journalists and civil society.
edri.org
June 17, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Today’s letter by CPJ to Commission President von der Leyen and High Representative Kallas requesting the full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in advance of the Foreign Affairs Council on June 23. The EU has leverage and it must uphold international law.

cpj.org/2025/06/cpj-...
cpj.org
June 18, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Gaza’s journalists are starved into silence. The EU’s neutrality is complicity. Writes CPJ's Sara Qudah: www.politico.eu/article/war-...
Gaza’s journalists are starved into silence. The EU’s neutrality is complicity.
If the bloc truly stands by the values it claims to champion, now is the moment to show it.
www.politico.eu
June 11, 2025 at 1:12 PM
More than 120 global leaders of news and press freedom organizations call on world leaders, governments, and international institutions to act immediately to ensure journalists from outside Gaza are given immediate, independent access. cpj.org/2025/06/cpj-...
CPJ and global media leaders call for urgent, unrestricted access to Gaza for journalists - Committee to Protect Journalists
New York, June 5, 2025—More than 120 global leaders of news and press freedom organizations called on world leaders, governments, and international institutions on Thursday to act immediately to ensur...
cpj.org
June 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Journalists bare witness. CPJ feature: ‘Murder weapon’: Hunger ravages Gaza journalists under Israeli siege. cpj.org/2025/05/murd...
‘Murder weapon’: Hunger ravages Gaza journalists under Israeli siege - Committee to Protect Journalists
New York, May 28, 2025—After 19 months of war and Israel’s 11-week total blockade on food, water, fuel, cooking gas, medical supplies, and emergency aid into Gaza, hunger and famine threaten not just ...
cpj.org
May 28, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Journalism in Europe is in crisis. Disinformation is threatening our democratic processes. It is good that Brussels is intervening with the upcoming European Democracy Shield. But existing EU press freedom reforms need 1) political will from member states, and 2)financing. cpj.org/2025/05/eu-m...
EU must make media reforms a reality in European Democracy Shield - Committee to Protect Journalists
May 27, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the European Commission to call on member states to provide both financing and political will to defend media freedom as it moves forward with i...
cpj.org
May 28, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Reposted by Tom Gibson
A group of Jewish UK journalists have issued a call for Israel and Egypt to allow foreign media into Gaza. "To suggest that the safety of journalists cannot be guaranteed is not a reason to deny access. These risks are for them to manage"
pressgazette.co.uk/news/robert-... @at-tgibson.bsky.social
Robert Peston leads Jewish journalists' call for media access into Gaza
Robert Peston leads new open letter urging access for foreign journalists into Gaza through Israel and Egypt.
pressgazette.co.uk
May 27, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Heart-breaking report on children in Gaza. Journalists should play a key role in bringing these stories to the outside world; yet international journalists are blocked from entering. www.bbc.com/news/article...
BBC returns to Gaza baby left hungry by Israeli blockade
Malnourished five-month-old baby Siwar is now out of hospital in Gaza - but as we found, she and her family are struggling.
www.bbc.com
May 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Yesterday’s decision to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement is way too late. A review must now be carried out swiftly and EU member states must be ready to finally hold Israel to account for its unprecedented attack on press freedom and abuses of international law. cpj.org/2025/05/eu-d...
EU decision on Israel must turn into action, CPJ says - Committee to Protect Journalists
New York, May 20, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Tuesday’s decision by European Union foreign ministers to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which sets out the EU’s legal...
cpj.org
May 21, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Editors, newsroom leaders protest against Hungary's soon to be adopted 'foreign agent' law, first of its kind imitating Russia legislation law in an EU country. 85 editors-in-chief and publishing executives from 22 countries: 444.hu/2025/05/20/k...
Közös nyilatkozatban tiltakozik az „átláthatósági” törvény ellen 22 ország 85 főszerkesztője és kiadóvezetője
Olyan nagy médiumok vezetői is aláírták a kiállást, mint a brit Guardian, az osztrák ORF vagy a lengyel Gazeta Wyborcza.
444.hu
May 20, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Keep your eyes on Hungary: Viktor Orban seems set on eliminating the independent media before next year's elections. EU leaders need to work out what to do with such autocracy in the heart of the EU. cpj.org/2025/05/hung...
Hungary’s Russian-style ‘foreign agent’ bill threatens remaining independent media - Committee to Protect Journalists
Brussels, May 15, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on European Union leaders to unequivocally and immediately condemn Hungary’s proposed “foreign agent” law, which would grant its gover...
cpj.org
May 16, 2025 at 7:31 AM
The EPP should feel shame that Italian victims of spyware cannot be represented in the European Parliament. euobserver.com/rule-of-law/.... Victims should always be centre of the debate.
Spyware victims not allowed to testify at MEP event
Victims of mercenary spyware were not allowed to give testimony in the European Parliament's civil liberties committee.
euobserver.com
May 15, 2025 at 10:02 AM