Decline of Media Freedom in the EU

SOURCE www.theguardian.com
Media freedom is declining across the EU due to deliberate harm or neglect by national governments, with threats against journalists, attacks on public broadcasters, and concentration of media ownership posing serious challenges.

Key Points

  • Media freedom decline linked to decline in the rule of law.
  • New EU Media Freedom Act and directive against Slapps could lead to improvements.
  • Journalists facing physical attacks, surveillance, and exclusion from official events in various countries.

Pros

  • New EU-wide legislation offers hope of improvement in media freedom.

Cons

  • Heavy concentration of media ownership threatens diversity of voices.
  • Threats, intimidation, surveillance, and violence against journalists persist in several EU member states.
  • Restrictions on freedom of expression and access to information are prevalent across the bloc.