Media

UN freedom of speech rapporteur must wear several hats, says Bulgarian candidate

Iveta Cherneva, a Bulgarian author who writes about security, politics, human rights, and sustainability, and a EURACTIV contributor, has been shortlisted for the position of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of speech.

Commission mulls ‘innovative financial solutions’ to back EU media sector

The European Commission is mulling over plans to introduce 'new and innovative financial solutions' to support the sustainability of the EU's media sector amid the current health crisis.

Press Freedom and Europe: Wolves, vultures, trolls… plus knights and journalists

The media and the EU face similar dangers. Christophe Leclercq, who established Fondation EURACTIV and the EURACTIV media network,  creatively illustrates how characters could cooperate to avoid the worst.

UK media watchdog director joins Facebook

A top official has been poached by Facebook from the UK's media watchdog, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). The move comes at a time in which the UK is readying broad legislation to crack down on offensive content online.

Bulgaria ‘black sheep of the EU’: World Press Freedom Index

Bulgaria has the lowest standards of press freedom in Europe and is ranked 111th globally in terms of press freedom for a third consecutive year in the Reporters Without Borders annual edition of the World Press Freedom index, which called the country "the black sheep of the EU".

Slovenian media fear fallout from government virus campaign

The new government of Slovenia's conservative Prime Minister Janez Janša has so far kept the coronavirus under control -- but critics fear he will exploit the crisis to bring to heel the media he brands "presstitution".

Regulation against fake news ‘very important,’ Reynders says

The European Parliament and Council should work with the Commission to consider how best to implement a potential legal clampdown on fake news online, the EU's Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders has said.

Serbian journalist detained for coronavirus reporting

A Serbian journalist was detained by police on Wednesday (1 April) on charges of causing public unrest and damaging a hospital's reputation after she reported about a shortage of protective medical equipment available for staff at a medical centre in the northern Vojvodina province.

More than 50% of consumers ready to pay for media, WEF report says

Some 53% of consumers are willing to pay for news in the future and as many as 70% for entertainment, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), published on Thursday (2 April).

Coronavirus used to promote anti-EU narrative in Balkans, report finds

The ongoing coronavirus crisis is feeding into the narrative that the EU is “turning its back” on the Western Balkans, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said in an updated report on ongoing disinformation campaigns surrounding the pandemic, published on Wednesday (1 April).

Health, trust and journalism: a Coronavirus Plan for the Media

In this Open Letter to the President of the EU Commission, media stakeholders and experts, in a personal capacity, along with MEPs and former MEPs ask for the Commission to support trust in public action, and to help sustain the media in this testing time.

Eurovision becomes latest victim of coronavirus

Eurovision song contest organisers announced on Wednesday (18 March) that this year's edition - scheduled for May in the Dutch city of Rotterdam - is cancelled because of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The annual contest has run interrupted since its debut in 1956.

Bulgarian investigative journalist assaulted in Sofia

A well-known Bulgarian investigative journalist was assaulted by masked men late Tuesday outside his home on a central Sofia boulevard, sparking angry reactions from journalist organisations.

Power and journalism in Bulgaria: Deflecting embarrassing issues

The Supreme Judicial Council of Bulgaria has blamed an investigative journalist for being “aggressive” in asking questions, disregarding her discovery that the head of the country’s largest court may be holding this post in breach of the law.

EU Rapid Alert System used amid coronavirus disinformation campaign

An EU instrument designed to monitor serious cases of disinformation has been triggered following a series of online campaigns surrounding the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the European Commission has confirmed.

Media freedom and pluralism ‘key’ to Democracy Action Plan

The EU has launched a €5.1m package designed to promote media freedom and pluralism in Europe, the Commission announced on Monday. The announcement comes ahead of the presentation of the Commission's Democracy Action Plan, which will attempt to safeguard elections from malicious interference online.

Online platform regulation: French economy ministry gets up and running

While the European Commission presented its digital strategy last week, France's economy and finance ministry brought together around a hundred experts on Monday (24 February) in an attempt to sketch out ways of regulating online platforms. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.

UK broadcasting watchdog proposed as online harms regulator

The UK government has announced plans to grant the country's broadcasting authority, Ofcom, broad new powers in regulating the spread of harmful content across social media platforms.

UK press freedom worries European journalist organisations, NGOs, politicians

Media freedom watchdogs, journalists associations and politicians have cried foul at the worsening media policies in the UK, following the banning of certain journalists from a press briefing by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and plans to decriminalise failure to pay BBC licence fees.

Alarm over BBC future as UK proposes fee changes

The British government on Wednesday (5 February) announced plans to stop prosecuting people who do not pay the BBC's compulsory subscription fee, sparking concerns about the broadcaster's future funding.

Platform regulation ‘needed’ as part of Democracy Action Plan, Jourová says

Regulation on the activities of online platforms is needed to foster a digital ecosystem that can "defend and promote democracy" the EU's Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová said on Thursday (30 January).

Facebook ‘on the side of free expression’ as EU steps up disinformation fight

Social media giant Facebook has warned against curtailing freedom of expression as the EU considers measures to clamp down on disinformation campaigns across online platforms.

Malta murder scandal exposes EU reluctance to force Muscat out

Malta's Prime Minister Josep Muscat came under increasing pressure on Thursday (12 December) as calls for his immediate resignation intensified in Brussels in an ongoing investigation over the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia.

Democracy and Digital: trusted media and platform regulation 

Democratic debates require trusted information, less economic pressure on media, and more policy pressure on platforms. Supporting citizens’ choices, three concepts will help the von der Leyen Commission: ‘co-regulation’, ‘trust indicators’, ‘systemic publishing platforms’. This open letter to the new...