Pros and Cons of the European Media Freedom Act Published: 9 November 2022 Článek Czechia has firsthand experience with a prominent politician controlling his media. Therefore, we must not stay on the sidelines. It is of the utmost importance that Czechia support the creation of this legislation, MEP Marcel Kolaja (Czech Pirate Party, Greens/EFA) says regarding the Media Freedom Act. By Marcel Kolaja
Media pluralism at risk in Greece Published: 22 November 2021 Analysis Media pluralism is experiencing a rapid downslide in Greece. A look at the events and political developments that have accumulated in the last months. By Michalis Goudis
COVID-19: Tips for a Saner Digital Diet in These Viral Times Published: 4 March 2020 Article A virus riding on another virus. That is how the ‘infodemic’ is raging in online spaces around the outbreak of the novel coronavirus called COVID-19, which has been on just about everyone’s radar since late January 2020. As grave as the quest to manage the respiratory disease and cure those ill with it is not only the challenge of using facts versus fear - but how to create and keep avenues of information that withstand the unrelenting drip of skewed, confused, partially true to totally false information, to racist and prejudiced views, or a cocktail of these. By Johanna Son
Born out of crisis: New online newspapers are shaking up Spain’s media landscape Published: 25 March 2019 Background Spain’s political topography and consequently its media landscape have undergone radical change as a consequence of the economic and political crisis of 2008. By Thilo Schäfer
Media Capture Central European Style Published: 31 January 2019 With foreign owners leaving the market, Central European oligarchs are buying whatever they can get their hands on. The region is an object lesson in how vested interests can create a quasi-media monopoly on information. By Krisztián Simon
“All we want is to work in partnership with our readers” Published: 9 January 2019 Interview Journalism is in a serious crisis. Nevertheless, alternative left-wing media are still out there in Europe, providing quality news and analysis with financial backing not from oligarchs or big business but from their readers. An exchange between the makers of merce.hu (Hungary), republik.ch (Switzerland), oko.press (Poland), and taz.de (Germany). By Krisztián Simon
Political action for fundamental right of information and a democratic public sphere Published: 19 December 2018 Interview Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, explains the vision of how to secure the public space of communication.
Connecting Europe: The Calling of Trans-European Media Published: 4 December 2018 Interview In a Europe threatened with rising nationalism, trans-European media could present an ambitious project to transcend borders and language barriers, connecting citizens. By Laurent Standaert
Europe Must Do More for Media and Democracy Published: 29 November 2018 Background While the European Commission is supporting restrictive measures to tackle the spread of false news online, independent and critical media are being left to survive on their own in the face of hostility. By Maryia Sadouskaya-Komlach
Media pluralism further declines in Hungary Published: 2 May 2018 Media pluralism has suffered another major blow in Hungary. Magyar Nemzet, a newspaper that represented a brand of conservatism that was still able to critically evaluate the governing of Viktor Orbán, was shut down following the Prime Minister’s most recent election victory. By Krisztián Simon
Time for a Pushback in Media Spaces Published: 27 February 2018 Digital, online and social-media avenues undoubtedly offer an alternative or complementary channel for news, because of the inherent difficulty in censoring these spaces. Their wide reach and levels of engagement have saved lives during disasters or emergencies.
Re-thinking media reform in Southeast Asia: promoting a participatory approach Published: 14 February 2018 Instead of top-down reforms for the media, the countries in Southeast Asia need policies that prioritize the public’s interests. By Gayathry Venkiteswaran
The curious case of vox populi 2.0: ASEAN’s complicated romance with social media Published: 14 February 2018 Social media in ASEAN has quickly evolved from being a passive tool for knowledge consumption and entertainment to an active mechanism for change. By Joel Mark Baysa Barredo and Jose Santos P. Ardivilla
Hostile takeover: How Orbán is subjugating the media in Hungary Published: 22 August 2017 Viktor Orbán and his closest allies have taken control of most of the Hungarian media. Journalists at loyal outlets are expected to closely follow instructions from the state apparatus; in exchange, they receive advertising money from government institutions. By Krisztián Simon and Tibor Rácz
Macedonia: a captured society Published: 14 December 2016 The hostile environment created by the government makes the work of civil society actors practically impossible. To be a human rights activist in Macedonia is to be a person that is constantly threatened, attacked, and demonized. By Xhabir Deralla
Let’s hear it for fringe sports Published: 26 October 2016 Game over. The Rio Olympics gave us many things: sexist reporting, burkinis and bikinis, forced outings. But it was above all a celebration of the fringiest of the fringe – here’s a recap from a queer feminist perspective. By Azada Hassany and Susanne Diehr
Nominated: Syrian Candidates for the Golden Raspberry Awards Published: 13 September 2016 How many supporters does Assad actually still have? Obviously not even enough to cast different extras for two short television clips. By Bente Scheller
Putinist trolls in Hungary are a threat to objective journalism Published: 12 July 2016 Putinist trolls are having a good time in Hungary these days. Articles published by pro-Kremlin, anti-immigrant news sites are shared by thousands of readers, often mistaken for actual news stories. Objective journalism has thus been degraded to just one of many possible narratives for interpreting the world around us. By Krisztián Simon
On Cologne, #Einearmlaenge and the Instrumentalization of the Feminist Movement Published: 7 January 2016 The mass-scale sexual assaults in Cologne, Germany have inspired a political blame-game—but condemning women’s conduct or Europe’s open border policies won’t serve the victims of Cologne or the refugees who continue to need our protection. By Mackenzie Nelson
Democraturas are flourishing in EU's yard Published: 13 August 2015 At the panel discussion "Media (un) freedom in South Eastern Europe" on July 9, 2015 journalists from Bulgaria, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia reported on the highly critical situation of the media system in their countries. By Adelina Marini
