Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash
Members of the European Parliament have voted on the new European Media Freedom Act.
This is aimed at protecting the independence of journalists and the plurality of media across Europe.
The move won wide political support in a plenary vote in Strasbourg.
The Greens/EFA Group is among those who have fought for EU-level rules to address various related issues.
These include media market monopolies, the fair allocation of state funding and the independence of public service media and national regulatory authorities.
The Group said it has managed to include strong safeguards in regards to the protection of journalistic sources.
Comment came from Diana Riba I Giner, Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur in the Culture Committee.
The MEP commented, “It is a known fact that media freedom and journalistic freedom is currently under threat, not just in the world but also within the EU.”
“For years we have watched Member States erode free media and blur lines between public service and state media. I am therefore glad that we are today taking steps to safeguard journalistic freedom and independence within the EU. Free media is one of the fundamentals of a free and democratic society and cannot be compromised.”
“In spite of the big wins we have achieved as a group during the negotiations, the text regretfully does not include a complete ban on the use of spyware against journalists.”
“We are also concerned about the privileged treatment some media outlets will enjoy as it may distort the market creating different categories of media outlets and may also open the door to abuses in the form of dissemination of disinformation on social media. The Greens/EFA Group will keep pushing to find solutions to these weaknesses in order to ensure a more transparent and plural media system in the EU.”
