Why does it matter?
Covering our work with the EU and international bodies on securing media independence and the protection of journalists, the key initiative in this area is the EU’s flagship legislation, the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA).
The EMFA is an opportunity for Europe to spell out the key principles that will shield media and journalists from threats and interference, both online and offline. The EBU supports the EMFA’s objective to promote the independence and pluralism of media in Europe.
What are we doing about it?
To ensure that the EMFA will help to tackle threats to media independence and improve audiences’ ability to access the media that matters most to them we advocate for:
- Enhancing the independence of public service media
- Promoting the prominence of general interest media services
- Empowering users to identify media service providers
- Putting limitations on platforms’ meddling with media content
- Ensuring access to audience measurement for media service providers
Media services cannot be treated like any other business. The outcome of the EMFA legislative process must preserve a dynamic that respects the uniqueness of the media sector, its pluralism and independence from interference, whether by governments or online platforms.
