press freedom

Podcasts

Authoritarian Regimes Learn from Each Other – In Conversation with Mikal Hem

In our new podcast, Mikal Hem discusses what modern dictators and autocrats seem to have learned from their predecessors, reflects on what might drive voters toward leaders with autocratic tendencies, considers what democratic societies can learn from the survival strategies of dictators, and contemplates how the resilience of free media could be strengthened in autocracies.

12.11.2024

News

Media Freedom Is in Peril Across the EU, and We Need More Than a New Law to Save It

By Jonathan Day The European Media Freedom Act aims to protect independent news organizations and journalists in EU member states, but it contains too many loopholes ripe for abuse. EU bodies must keep a constant eye on how key provisions will be enforced, but it is also the responsibility of civil society, self-regulatory bodies and journalists’ associations to play an active role in monitoring the implementation. Russia’s recent decision to ban 81 news outlets from European Union countries is a timely reminder that accurate, unbiased reporting is a source of dread for authoritarian governments – and an essential pillar of democracy. Yet despite its importance, media freedom is facing an existential crisis even within the EU. To survive, it needs more than just new legislation.  That legislation, the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), entered into force this May with the aim of better protecting independent journalists and media outlets in member states. Although legislative [...]

15.07.2024