Demokratie & Medienpolitik

Spain’s political topography and consequently its media landscape have undergone radical change as a consequence of the economic and political crisis of 2008.

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.

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).

Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, explains the vision of how to secure the public space of communication.

In a Europe threatened with rising nationalism, trans-European media could present an ambitious project to transcend borders and language barriers, connecting citizens. 

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.