About Us
The Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) is an inter-disciplinary research centre with global outreach on issues of media freedom, independence and plurality, hosted in the School of Information, Journalism and Communication at the University of Sheffield. CFOM aims to inform and advise governments, policy-makers and stakeholders internationally on countering threats to media freedom, and to bring about positive changes to laws, policy and practice and raise standards of journalism safety worldwide.
CFOM has been involved in a number of research and advocacy projects throughout the years, working with a number of partners to deliver research and events in the area of media freedom and journalism safety. CFOM is also home of the Journalism Safety Research Network (JSRN), a global network of over 300 researchers in academia, journalism and civil society organisations that brings together researchers with a common interest, concern or engagement with the safety of journalists, the issue of impunity and the promotion of free and independent journalism.
CFOM’s legal hub, led by Dr. Gemma Horton, works on research concerning legislative threats against journalists and journalism, including SLAPPs and how the law is being weaponised to shut down critical reporting and silence journalists. This website has been developed following a one-day workshop hosted by the legal hub. In the workshop, it was emphasised that a training resource for those who might not have any formal training on SLAPPs would be beneficial. The CFOM legal hub team proceeded to then develop SLAPP’s Training. The website is intended to be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information on SLAPPs. It does not replace professional legal advice. The website has been granted ethics approval by the University of Sheffield.
This resource pulls together handy tips, real-world examples, and advice that’s becoming more crucial than ever, especially with all the rise in legal tactics aimed at shutting down important journalism and investigations. By gathering info on SLAPPs, potential legal pitfalls, and where to get help it makes it easier for reporters, researchers, and community advocates to grasp the risks and figure out how to push back.
This training platform is an invaluable resource for journalists and publishers who are often time‑poor and under significant pressure when confronted with SLAPP threats. Having access to a high‑quality, clearly structured and entirely free guidance will make a meaningful difference to publishers’ ability to understand, identify and respond appropriately to abusive legal tactics.
We were pleased to contribute to the development of this resource and believe it will play an important role in supporting a more resilient democratic media environment. We look forward to seeing its uptake and expansion over time
SLAPPS are a modern-day evil that pose a serious threat to all those who write about and publish on matters of public interest, from investigative reporters, through to academics, activists and campaigners. CFOM’s new SLAPP training website is a welcome and valuable addition to the all too small number of resources that are available to these individuals to help them be aware of and fight these insidious threats. The website is user friendly, free to use, easy to access, and contains clear, current and useful legal and practical tools and guidance.
Project Team
Contact Us
SLAPPs Training
Centre for Freedom of the Media
School of Information, Journalism and Communication
The Wave
2 Whitman Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
cfom@sheffield.ac.uk