00:00Press freedom is a pillar of democracy but has been declined in several EU countries.
00:20To address this, the bloc has introduced the Media Freedom Act, which applies to the countries since August.
00:27Some governments are resisting the first-ever EU regulation related to the press.
00:33You Decoded looks into it.
00:36The new rules aim to protect the editorial independence of journalists as well as their sources, including against the use of spyware.
00:44They are also 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.
01:13But recently, members of that parliament warned that some countries are resisting its implementation.
01:20Let's hear what Europeans think about greater press protection.
01:24...
01:37If you want to learn about politics, it is not democracy.
01:43And I think that if you want to learn about it, then you don't want to learn about it.
01:49This role is responsible for social media,
01:55who do not always have a level of certainty in this role.
02:00I absolutely believe that they are under political pressure
02:02and I believe that the workers in these times are, unfortunately, in some way not safe.
02:06Euronews reporter Sandor Giros will help us better understand this legislation.
02:12Signs of declining media freedom was the argument used in 2021
02:18by the European Commission for the need of an European law on this matter.
02:23Can you give us some examples, particularly affecting investigative journalism?
02:29At the end of the last decade, two investigative journalists have been killed,
02:34Jan Kuciak 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.
02:45But 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,
02:56because of business interests and because of spyware being used against journalists.
03:03Let's talk about those cases of spyware against journalists.
03:07What happened and how can this law address those issues?
03:12Well, the most serious breaches have been recorded in Poland and in Hungary,
03:17where opposition figures, investigative journalists have been targeted by spyware.
03:24They hacked their phones and this was clearly for political reasons.
03:29There have been cases also in Greece and in Spain,
03:33but 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
03:45when there is a threat for the national security, otherwise this is forbidden.
03:50In a recent debate in the European Parliament about this law,
03:53three hard-right political groups said, and I quote,
03:57this is a censorship tool used by Brussels to silence divergent voices.
04:02Which 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
04:13who 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.
04:32The 2025 Rule of Law report from the European Commission warns of
04:37deteriorating conditions for journalists in several countries,
04:41smear campaigns by politicians and growing risks from highly concentrated media ownership.
04:47Going 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,
04:58is 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.
05:15Our guest is Julie Marzerzak, head of Brussels Office of Reporters Without Borders.
05:22Should the European Commission open infringement proceedings that could even lead to sanctions against member states
05:32that resist implementing this new law?
05:35Member 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
05:52and, if necessary, to initiate proceedings against the most recalcitrant government.
05:59It's a test of credibility.
06:02Social media and the use of generative artificial intelligence, including in posts by political and business actors themselves,
06:13are increasingly defined the way people get news.
06:17So, 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,
06:32but this doesn't solve the main problem, which is how social networks and their algorithm work
06:41by promoting, polarizing, divisive, shocking content, amplifying disinformation and marginalizing reliable media content.
06:52Concentration of media ownership in a few big corporations is increasing.
06:59What are the main risks of that and does this law address those risks?
07:04The 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,
07:24the economic viability and the parties' commitments to editorial independence.
07:30The European Federation of Journalists stated that influencers and bloggers that follow the ethical rules of journalism
07:39should 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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