_european_union_2025_-_ep__xlarge.jpg "How free is our press really?")
(c) European Union
How free is our press really?
With all the recent talk about the importance of safeguarding European democratic values, we return this week to the subject of press freedoms across the bloc.
Somewhat alarmingly, the picture that emerges is not simply one of journalists being threatened by criminal organisations or foreign regimes. Increasingly, the threats appear to be coming from the national political arena, and even from citizens themselves.
State-sponsored clampdowns
The European Parliament awarded its Sakharov Prize for 2025 in Strasbourg on 16 December.
The prize shone a spotlight on two journalists jailed for – and here I quote European Parliament president Roberta Metsola – “speaking truth to power” in authoritarian regimes: Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia.
Their cases are emblematic of the risks journalists face around the world and the need for lawyers and international institutions to act to defend press freedoms.
In an interview with France’s euradio, Amaglobeli’s own lawyer, international human rights advocate Caoilfhionn Gallagher, underlines the significance of this year’s award.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher, International Human Rights Lawyer (in English):
“So, I think the Sakharov Prize being awarded to these two jailed journalists sends a very clear message that journalism matters, that arbitrary detention of critical voices won't be tolerated, and that the international community is going to stand up to these kind of bully tactics. A few years ago in 2021, when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to two journalists who were at risk, Dmitry Muratov in Russia and my client Maria Ressa in the Philippines, it was a real clarion call to the international community to say journalism matters and democracy matters. Unfortunately, in 2025, four years later, we're seeing some of the trends of targeting journalists not only continue, but actually worsen. And that's why the European Parliament stepping in right now – and giving this particular award at this particular time – is key.”
Gallagher goes on to detail how Amaglobeli’s case closely mirrors many other cases currently playing out around the world.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher, International Human Rights Lawyer (in English):
“What this case is really about is an attempt to shut down her journalism, but it's dressed up as something different. And we see that all around the world. So, when I represent Maria Ressa, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner in the Philippines, you know, she gets accused of fraud and tax evasion. Jimmy Li in Hong Kong also accused of fraud. Jose Ruben Zamora in Guatemala accused of corruption. But in reality, all of those cases are just a legal pretext to try to shut down their journalism. And the same thing's happening with Mzia. [...] She, in a piece of reporting, said it's ridiculous that people are being arrested for putting a very small sticker on a wall. And she held up a very small sticker by a wall. So she initially was arrested for that. We then know because we've seen the footage that she was physically assaulted by Georgian police officers. And then when she pushed back in a very minor way, she then got arrested for attacking a police officer. So, the legal smoke screen doesn't say she's being prosecuted for journalism, but make no mistake, that's what this is.”
Although cases of journalists being targeted within the EU do not – as things currently stand – constitute clampdowns by authoritarian regimes, there certainly appears to be increasing top-down pressure being applied to certain media outlets and professionals in a number of member states.
One case that is making waves in Bulgaria is that of esteemed journalist Maria Tsantsarova, who was taken off air at the end of December. Tsantsarova was an anchor of the prime-time morning show at bTV, the biggest private television network in Bulgaria.
The case triggered a protest organised by the Bulgarian branch of the Association of European Journalists, and a campaign in support of the many Bulgarian journalists who have been deprived of the opportunity to ask politicians uncomfortable questions.
Vladimir Yonchev, editor-in-chief of independent media outlet OFF News, tells Bulgarian National Radio that the campaign itself has revealed the scale of the problem in Bulgaria.
Vladimir Yonchev, Bulgarian Journalist (in Bulgarian):
“We have missed too many cases similar to that of Maria Tsantsarova. When we were discussing what this campaign would look like, our initial idea was to display the faces of all [the journalists] removed from their positions in this way – in other words, under political pressure. But when we were drawing up a list of people, it turned out that there were so many of them that we could not feature them all on one banner. We would have had to make dozens of banners. And it dawned on us how long we had been silent, how long we let this go on, without providing the necessary protection from other colleagues.”
There is a clear sense among journalists in Bulgaria that Tsantsarova was asking politicians too many difficult questions. Which is exactly the point of a journalist, argues Yonchev.
Vladimir Yonchev, Bulgarian Journalist (in Bulgarian):
“Whoever sits in the chair opposite her certainly feels uncomfortable, and that's actually the role of a questioning journalist – to make you feel uncomfortable, not to provide you with a platform from which to do PR.”
And, he goes on, this is just the latest manifestation of a much wider problem – namely, the increasing popularity of so-called ‘news’ platforms on social media that look at an issue from a single angle, and often a single viewpoint.
Vladimir Yonchev, Bulgarian Journalist (in Bulgarian):
“We have a huge problem in the media environment in general. Politicians are increasingly avoiding debates in the traditional media. It is very rare for two politicians, representing different points of view, on any issue, to sit down together in a studio to debate.”
https://bnrnews.bg/horizont/post/408267/chashata-prelya-i-v-mediite
Turning the screws on public broadcasters
Journalists also took to the streets in Lithuania last month to oppose two proposed changes to the ‘Law on the Lithuanian National Radio and Television’. LRT is Lithuania’s public broadcaster.
The first amendment targets LRT’s budget, which lawmakers have voted to freeze for the next three years, a move that overrides the existing budget-setting mechanism.
The second concerns the rules governing the dismissal of LRT’s director general. The proposed amendment would allow the LRT Council (a supervisory body made up of 12 members who are appointed by the president, the parliament and several national advisory bodies) to remove the head of the broadcaster by simple majority rather than the current two-thirds requirement. Critics fear this would make LRT more vulnerable to assaults on its independence.
Indeed, even the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom is concerned that such a change “would open the door to greater political pressure on the LRT’s management and potentially violate Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act”.
A working group has been set up in the Lithuanian parliament to gather input from a range of experts and institutions.
Žinių Radijas asks Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the leader of Lithuania’s social democrats, the largest party in the ruling coalition, about his take on the affair, and if this new working group is just a paper exercise. Sinkevičius is clearly keen to play down the situation, suggesting that it has all been overly dramatic.
Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (in Lithuanian):
“I think that the situation may have gone beyond the framework of lawmaking, but now it has returned to normal, orderly limits. There is a working group, there is no rush, there are discussions, and everyone who wants to talk is being included. […] Yes, everything that happened at the Seimas, the bonfires, the protests, the speeches… Well, they did not go unnoticed.”
Behind closed doors, though, some in the social democrat party have voiced concerns about meddling with the public broadcaster in this way for fear of attracting the ire of the European Parliament. Sinkevičius is also coming under pressure to cut ties with the party’s populist coalition partner Nemunas Dawn, the instigator of the proposed change in the law.
https://www.ziniuradijas.lt/laidos/pozicija/kaip-socdemai-zada-susigrazinti-pasitikejima?video=1
A changing mindset
Political scientist and journalist Martin Wassermair is secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders Austria. He is asked by our colleagues at Agora how he sees the current media landscape in Austria.
Martin Wassermair, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders Austria (in German):
“Overall, media freedom in Austria is not yet in such a bad state. Nevertheless, there are always incidents that give pause for thought. I recall, for example, that a few years ago, the Klagenfurt investigative journalist Franz Miklautz set out to investigate inconsistencies in the financial management of the city of Klagenfurt. As a result, the public prosecutor's office paid him a visit and actually confiscated his work equipment, his notebook and his smartphone. This is a massive impairment of journalistic work and, of course, a clear violation of press freedom.”
Then, in early 2025, during the coalition negotiations following the victory of the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) in the country’s general election, the party’s leader Herbert Kickl made it explicit that he intended to take direct action against the independent press. While the FPÖ was ultimately kept out of government, this is indicative of a worrying trend, says Wassermair.
Martin Wassermair, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders Austria (in German):
“It became very clear that the FPÖ wanted to do away with independent, critical journalism, and also wanted to undermine its economic foundations. This nightmare eventually came to an end. Unfortunately, what has remained in our country is this mindset of behaving in a very derogatory and disparaging manner toward independent journalism. This is a very widespread phenomenon that can be heard time and again at demonstrations, with criticisms of the ‘lying press’ or ‘legacy media’. Creating the foundations here so that independent journalism and media freedom can be permanently enshrined in law is certainly a priority goal for the next two or three years.”
In neighbouring Italy, one night in the middle of October, a bomb exploded under the car of prominent Italian investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci. With his investigations touching on topics such as drug trafficking, he was already under police protection – and this was another clear act of intimidation.
Roberto Saviano is a fellow Italian journalist who has also been under police protection for years, after being threatened by the mafia-style criminal organisation known as the Camorra. He tells Radio 24 that criminal gangs are no longer the only thing journalists need to be concerned about. Echoing Martin Wassermair, he notes a worrying change in mindset among both politicians and the general public.
Roberto Saviano, Investigative Journalist (in Italian):
“What is happening in Italy is very frightening, and it is not only happening in Italy: isolation, politicians targeting individuals, never responding to the issues they raise but attacking the individual... Attacking the individual seems to be a fatal reflex, and everyone feels entitled to attack that individual. Because it now appears to be natural to consider those who put their head above the parapet as responsible for any harm that comes to them. Nowadays, a 16-year-old I meet thinks that because I have chosen to criticise the government, I deserve to be physically targeted. That if I didn't want this treatment, I shouldn't have criticised the government.”
https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/una-bomba-distrugge-l-auto-sigfrido-ranucci-e-figlia-AHMWrdDD
German EPP member Sabine Verheyen raised a similar point at a European Parliament hearing on the European Media Freedom Act, or EMFA, back in December.
Sabine Verheyen, Member of the European Parliament – EPP, Germany (in English):
“We need also a change in the approach in societies. For example, all these threats we are facing against journalists, especially in Italy or in other countries, are also a question of what is accepted in society and what's not. It's not always just a state issue, but a mindset issue. I think we need a stronger engagement in all member states, and perhaps also supported by programmes and by the Commission, so that we can get another mindset when it comes to media freedom, to the independence of the media. And that is for me a part of media literacy and democratic understanding. And there we have to do much more than we did in the past. I think one important step is EMFA.”
The Media Freedom Act has been gradually implemented since May 2024, with its main provisions coming into force on 8 August 2025. These provisions relate to transparency of media ownership and advertising, independence from political interference, the protection of journalists and their sources, and the supervision of digital platforms.
Plurality of the media
But it’s not all bad news when it comes to public perceptions of the media. Journalists working for one of Portugal's most respected news magazines, Visão, have launched a crowdfunding campaign in an attempt to collectively buy the struggling magazine at auction. The aim is to prevent it from closing down... or from being taken over by one of the big media groups.
In its first week, the crowdfunding campaign had received some 3,000 donations totalling well over 100,000 euros, which means they are already more than halfway to their 200,000-euro target. The response from readers has exceeded all expectations.
In an interview with Renascença, the magazine's director, Rui Tavares Guedes, underlines the wider importance of this initiative, explaining that it is not good news for press freedom if only the big press groups survive.
Rui Tavares Guedes, Director of Visao Magazine (in Portuguese):
“Visão is a space for press freedom. It is a newsroom where ethical rules are scrupulously followed. If only the strongest survive, we have less plurality, and press freedom is put at risk. This is obvious. Because if information is controlled by just two or three players, two or three groups, all with the same style, things become complicated. That is why we want to demonstrate that there can be other ways.”
So, here’s hoping the donations continue to pour in!