BRATISLAVA, May 3 (IPS) – A new report warns that media freedom in the European Union is nearing “breaking point” in many states amid rising authoritarianism across the continent.
In its latest annual report covering 2023, the Berlin-based European Union for Civil Liberties highlighted widespread intimidation, intimidation and violence against journalists and attacks on the independence of public broadcasters in the EU, saying press freedom: Zoomed out. “Intentional harm or neglect by a national government”.
The group said its findings confirm the continuation of worrying trends seen in previous years, including excessive concentration of media ownership, lack of ownership transparency rules and threats to the independence and finances of public service media.
And they warn that the decline in press freedom in many EU member states has the potential to pose a direct threat to democracy.
“Media freedom is declining across Europe. What we are seeing, not just in Europe but in many places around the world, is that where media freedom is declining, the rule of law is also declining,” said Eva Simon, senior advocacy officer at Liberties. said. IPS.
The Freedom Report, prepared jointly by 37 rights groups from 19 countries, said other press freedom watchdogs and rights groups have highlighted the growing concentration of media ownership, lack of ownership transparency, surveillance and violence against journalists in EU countries, government arrests of public broadcasters, and restrictions on freedom of expression. This is rising.
Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) today (3 April 2024) published its annual World Press Freedom Index, warning that politicians in some EU countries are seeking to suppress independent journalism. They singled out a number of leaders “at the forefront of this dangerous trend,” including Hungary’s pro-Kremlin Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.
It also highlights concerns about press freedom in other regions such as Malta, Greece and Italy, the latter of which fell in the index rankings this year, and points out that members of the ruling parliamentary coalition are trying to gain the second largest press freedom . The news agency (AGI) is raising concerns about future media independence.
“One of the main themes of this year is that media freedom is being undermined by institutions that are supposed to protect it, such as governments,” Pavol Szalai, RSF’s EU/Balkans director, told IPS.
Like Liberties, RSF noted particular concerns about media freedom in Hungary and Slovakia among EU countries.
Critics say media freedom has been declining in Hungary for more than a decade as authoritarian leader Orbán has steadily cracked down on independent journalism. His party, Fidesz, controls virtually 80% of the country’s media, and while independent media outlets still exist, sustainable funding is threatened as state advertising flows into pro-government media outlets.
Effective government control of Hungary’s public broadcasters is another major concern.
“Capturing public broadcasters limits access to information, which can have a huge impact on forming political opinions and how people vote,” Simon said.
Hungary is also accused of using the controversial Pegasus software to arbitrarily monitor journalists.
Both RSF and Liberties said their concerns were not only about what was happening to press freedom in Hungary, but that what Orbán had done provided a blueprint for other authoritarian leaders to follow.
“Leaders in Europe have taken inspiration from Orban’s war on independent media. Look at Fico in Slovakia, who declared war on independent media,” Szalai said.
Over the years, Fico has repeatedly attacked and denigrated independent media and journalists.
In 2018, investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova were murdered while investigating allegations of corruption by people close to Fico’s government. Critics said Fico’s investigation into journalists contributed to creating a climate in society where those behind the killings could believe they could act with impunity.
Independent journalists continue to be harassed and abused by Smer lawmakers today.
Since being elected prime minister for a fourth time last fall, the coalition government led by Fico and his Smer party has gone on the offensive. They also refuse to communicate with critical media, claiming they are biased.
It also approved a bill that is expected to be passed by Congress in the coming weeks. The bill would completely overhaul the country’s public broadcaster, RTVS, effectively placing it under government control, critics say.
“If this bill is passed and signed into law in its current form, RTVS will become a mouthpiece for government propaganda,” Szalai said.
The government dismissed criticism of the bill and argued that changes to RTVS were necessary because it was no longer objective and was not fulfilling its duty as a public broadcaster to provide balanced, objective information and diverse opinions that were consistently critical of the government. . A senior official at Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture, one of the favorites to take over as head of a new type of public broadcaster, has suggested that supporters of the flat Earth theory should be invited on the show to air their opinions on the broadcaster. .
The bill has led to public protests and threats of mass strikes by current RTVS employees.
But despite this grim picture, media watchdogs say new EU legislation offers hope for improved press freedom.
The recently passed European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), which comes into effect across the EU next August, will, among other things, ban governments from distributing spyware to track journalists to reveal their sources and force media to disclose full ownership information. do. Introduce transparency measures for state advertising and check media concentration. It also provides mechanisms to prevent very large online platforms from arbitrarily restricting free speech.
Another key measure of the bill is to ensure the editorial independence of public service media, specifying that leaders and board members of public media organizations are elected through “transparent and non-discriminatory processes for sufficiently long terms.”
“It’s a good law that creates a very important foundation to build on in the future. More protections may be added in the future,” Simon said.
Szalai agreed, emphasizing that the legislation is legally binding on member states. He acknowledged that the bill had some shortcomings (for example, in some exceptions journalists may be required to disclose their sources), but that the bill overrides all national laws and “therefore the government may try to ignore or circumvent it.” “There is none,” he emphasized.
But its implementation will depend on individual governments and authorities, which media freedom groups said should be monitored closely.
A new EU body, the European Board for Media Services, will be established to oversee implementation of the law.
“It is important that this law thwarts forces attacking media freedom. It is up to the European Commission to hold governments accountable for its implementation, and the Commission must consider press freedom a priority after the European Parliament elections and ensure implementation of EMFA and take action against any countries that violate it. “Szalai said.
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© Interpress Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Interpress Service
