L'UE peut-elle mettre en œuvre sa nouvelle loi sur la liberté de la presse ?
La liberté de la presse est un pilier fondamental de la démocratie, mais elle a été restreinte dans plusieurs États membres de l'UE. Depuis le mois d'août, les gouvernements doivent appliquer intégralement la loi sur la liberté des médias.
00:30The new rules aim to protect the editorial independence of journalists as well as their sources, including against the use of spyware.
00:44They all sell provisions to ensure the independence of public service media from state interference and to enhance transparency of media ownership.
00:52The regulation includes guidelines to protect against the unjustified removal of online content produced by media outlets.
01:00This applies to major platforms such as Google, YouTube and social media apps.
01:05The European Parliament broadly supported the law approved last year, and some governments have begun adopting their national laws.
01:14But recently, members of that parliament warned that some countries are resisting its implementation.
01:21Let's hear what Europeans think about greater press protection.
01:44The European Parliament is responsible for social media, who do not always have a level of certainty in this function.
02:00I absolutely believe that they are under the political pressure and that the workers in these times are in some way unsafe.
02:07Euronews reporter Shandoz Jiruz will help us better understand this legislation.
02:13Signs of declining media freedom was the argument used in 2021 by the European Commission for the need of an European law on this matter.
02:24Can you give us some examples, particularly affecting investigative journalism?
02:29At the end of the last decade, two investigative journalists have been killed.
02:35Jan Kuczyak in Slovakia and Daphne Korana Galicia in Malta.
02:39And this was a wake-up call for the European Union that the media freedom was in danger.
02:46But this was only the tip of the iceberg because the Commission saw that media freedom is declining
02:52in almost all of the member states because of political pressure, because of business interests and because of spyware being used against journalists.
03:04Let's talk about those cases of spyware against journalists.
03:08What happened and how can this law address those issues?
03:12Well, the most serious breaches have been recorded in Poland and in Hungary where opposition figures, investigative journalists have been targeted by spyware.
03:25They hacked their phones and this was clearly for political reasons.
03:30There have been cases also in Greece and in Spain, but those cases have not been a systemic risk against the opposition and against journalists.
03:40Now the new law says that spyware can be only used against journalists when there is a threat for the national security.
03:49Otherwise, this is forbidden.
03:51In a recent debate in the European Parliament about this law, three hard-right political groups said, and I quote,
03:58this is a censorship tool used by Brussels to silence divergent voices.
04:03Which countries are more likely to resist the implementation of the law?
04:07Well, we surely see a problem in Hungary where we have a very hard-right government who is heavily influencing media and distorting the media market.
04:18What might change is also depends on, you know, how each and every member state applies this law
04:25and how the European Commission will put pressure on the member states to really take this law seriously.
04:33The 2025 Rule of Law report from the European Commission warns of deteriorating conditions for journalists in several countries,
04:42smear campaigns by politicians, and growing risks from highly concentrated media ownership.
04:48Going into details, the Commission highlights concerns about journalists' safety in Bulgaria and Malta.
04:53The report points out that political pressure, including the distribution of state advertising,
04:59is a serious concern in Hungary and Romania.
05:02Media ownership lacks transparency chiefly in Bulgaria, Checha, Netherlands, Cyprus and Spain.
05:09The report cites issues with independent regulation in Hungary, Greece and Poland.
05:16Our guest is Julie Marzasek, head of Brussels Office of Reporters Without Borders.
05:22Should the European Commission open infringement proceedings that could even lead to sanctions
05:30against member states that resist implementing this new law?
05:36Member states have had more than a year to update their national laws, but most of them haven't yet done it.
05:45So, yes, I think it is time for the Commission to show its determination and, if necessary,
05:54to initiate proceedings against the most recalcitrant government.
06:00It's a test of credibility.
06:02Social media and the use of generative artificial intelligence, including in posts by political
06:11and business actors themselves, are increasingly defined the way people get news.
06:18So, isn't this law weak in addressing the problem of misinformation through those channels?
06:25There is one article in the MFA which supplements the Digital Services Act, but this doesn't solve
06:35the main problem, which is how social networks and their algorithm work by promoting, polarizing,
06:45divisive, shocking content, amplifying disinformation and marginalizing reliable media content.
06:53Concentration of media ownership in a few big corporations is increasing.
07:00What are the main risks of that and does this law address those risks?
07:05The EMFA introduces a new way to look at mergers.
07:10The assessment of mergers will have to take into account a number of criteria,
07:15such as the expected effect on pluralism, and the parties' interest in other media sectors,
07:25the economic viability, and the parties' commitments to editorial independence.
07:32The European Federation of Journalists stated that influencers and bloggers that follow the
07:37ethical rules of journalism should be considered media service providers.
07:42Others argue that this could lead to abuse of a law designed for controlled and recognized media outlets.
07:49The future seems somehow misty for the media sector and the law intended to protect it.
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