Published on Wednesday 5 March by the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, the ‘Annual Report on Press Freedom in Europe’ is entitled ‘2024: Confronting political pressure, disinformation and the erosion of media independence’.
It noted 266 reports - a figure comparable to 2023 - and expressed concern about the increase in attacks on the physical integrity of journalists, linked in particular to the war in Ukraine.
As regards this conflict, two journalists have been killed, one journalist has died in custody in Russia and the platform has recorded at least seven incidents in which journalists have been shot at.
The repercussions of the Gaza war on public opinion in Europe have also affected press freedom, as demonstrated by the numerous cases of harassment and threats against journalists in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Georgia saw the biggest increase in alerts in 2024 - more than tripling - mainly due to attacks on journalists during pro-EU demonstrations.
The countries with the most reports were Ukraine (40), where most of the violations occurred in Russian-occupied territories or were attributed to Russian forces; Russia (32); Turkey (28); Serbia (20); and Georgia (18).
The report also identifies as serious threats the digital surveillance of journalists, their transnational repression - mainly by Russia and Belarus - and the tendency of governments in certain countries to appropriate the media.
It warns against disinformation, particularly generated by artificial intelligence, and against state propaganda.
In their recommendations, the platform’s partner organisations (press freedom NGOs and journalists’ associations) call for a firm commitment to press freedom from the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the Member States. In particular by making better use of the ‘EU Rule of Law Report’ with regard to the implementation of the anti-SLAPP Directive and the European Regulation on Freedom of the Media, to which can be added the Council of Europe’s ‘Recommendation against SLAPP proceedings’.
Link to the ‘2024 Report’: https://aeur.eu/f/fqr (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)