Published on Tuesday, 5 March, on the occasion of a press conference in Thessaloniki, the “2024 report” by the “Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists” warns of the growing use of spyware against the press, malicious prosecution of journalists, and the fates of journalists in exile.
In 2023, the platform’s partner organisations (including the European Federation of Journalists) published 285 alerts on serious threats to or attacks on media freedom in Europe (289 alerts in 2022).
However, the report explains that even though the number of journalists killed or assaulted fell last year, these alerts reveal a growing diversity of threats, pressures, and constraints inflicted on the profession.
Particularly highlighted are the following issues: “the ongoing use of advanced spyware” targeting journalists and media professionals; the tendency to use abusive lawsuits known as “SLAPPs”, which are initiated by political or economic players; and the “unprecedented” number of media professionals (in particular, Russians and Belarusians) forced into exile.
“We need determined action from states to protect journalists and counter threats to media freedom”, Marija Pejčinović Burić stated in response to the report, calling for the “Journalists matter” campaign to be promoted in each of the organisation’s Member States.
This call was echoed by the platform’s partners, which are also calling for national reforms to the police and justice systems in order to comply with the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the “protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors” (2016).
The report also gives a brief report on the action taken by the European Union (progress and shortcomings in the Media Freedom Act and the “Anti-SLAPP” Directive, the internal EU measures related to empowering the media, the risks of technological surveillance linked to the “Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse”, the fourth Rule of Law Report on media pluralism and freedom being put in perspective, the “inadequate” political will to follow up on the recommendations made by the European Parliament’s PEGA committee of inquiry into spyware, and the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The report concludes with a call to consider the possibility of giving a vice-president of the future European Commission a clear mandate with regard to freedom of the press—a mandate that should be accompanied by a firm political commitment in terms of staff and budget.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/b4v (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)