EESC info

On 17 and 18 October, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held its top annual communication event, Connecting EU, which brings together communicators from civil society organisations. Held under the title "A bastion of democracy: helping journalism survive and thrive", the seminar this year focused on the media's current situation and its place in society. It pointed to journalists facing increasing pressure from governments and private interests that curb media freedom. Alongside the familiar obstacles, they now face the rise of generative AI, which despite its benefits, threatens the economic foundations of journalism.

"What is truth? This age-old question has resurfaced with AI, in the context of fake news, conspiracy theories and authoritarian governments, all of which systematically undermine informed debate, accuracy and respectful discussion. It is so timely that we come together to look for questions and answers that unite us in the EU," said EESC President Oliver Röpke.

"20 years ago, few could have predicted that in 2024 most of us would no longer read the morning paper with our morning coffee, but would browse through our phones to read news on the news websites and increasingly so - on social media," said Aurel Laurenţiu Plosceanu, EESC Vice-President for Communication, "But beyond new challenges, old ones remain. Journalists still battle their old enemies: censorship, opaque media ownership, insufficient funding and anti-media laws, to name but a few."

Ricardo Gutiérrez, General Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, stressed that the work of journalists should be treated as a “public service” or “public good” threatened by economic challenges, harassing lawsuits (SLAPPs) and direct violence (14 journalists killed in the EU since 2015).

"Journalism is becoming a more dangerous profession than ever," argued Jerzy Pomianowski, Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy, citing the persecution of journalists in Belarus. Andrey Gnyot, a Belarusian filmmaker, activist and journalist under house arrest in Belgrade and at risk of extradition, shared in his video message that the greatest threat to journalism is "a brute force intent on destroying truth and decency." Similarly, Belarusian journalist Hanna Liubakova, sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia, noted that in Belarus, 33 journalists are imprisoned, and that even subscribing to her social media channel could result in jail time.

Dr Alexandra Borchardt, senior journalist, independent advisor,  media researcher and lead author of the EBU report "Trusted Journalism in the Age of Generative AI", made what she called the “provocative” claim that “journalism and generative AI are at odds because journalism is about facts, and generative AI calculates probabilities, so it's not about facts. That's why it needs to be fact-checked," she said in her keynote speech 'Trusted Information in the Age of Generative AI'.

Ms Borchardt warned the media against a 'digital divide', where part of society embraces the age of AI and the rest resists it. If media fail to adapt, they risk losing in the battle to use AI to modernize and reach audiences. Among the challenges for the media arising from generative AI is the loss of visibility for journalists in an AI-based business model and the lack of control over content.

The overabundance of information that AI can mass-produce can lead to audience overload. “Will young people want to become journalists if it means competing with AI?" asked Ms Borchardt. (ll)

One of the speakers at Connecting EU 2024's panel on investigative journalism was Lukáš Diko, director of the Ján Kuciak Investigative Centre. He spoke to us about the work of investigative reporters in Slovakia today, where the initial support for free press and the fight against corruption after Ján Kuciak’s murder has shifted to a lack of trust in independent media and a hostile atmosphere towards journalists.

1.  The murder of your colleague Ján Kuciak, the first assassination of a journalist in Slovakia since its independence, sent shockwaves through not only your country but also the EU. What is the latest in the legal case about the perpetrators?

It is six and half years since Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were murdered due to Ján's investigative work. Despite this, the trial is still ongoing and may last even longer. As of today, the assassin, his driver, and the middleman have been sentenced to long prison terms. However, the trials of the alleged mastermind, businessman Marian Kočner, and his close associate Alena Zsuzsová, who, according to the investigation, ordered the murder, are awaiting appeal decisions from the Supreme Court. Zsuzsová was convicted by the first-instance court, while Kočner was acquitted. A retrial is also a possibility depending on the upcoming decision. Both Kočner and Zsuzsová had already been serving long jail terms for other crimes. We at the Ján Kuciak Investigative center (ICJK) have been following the trial very closely as one of our main goals is to preserve the legacy of Ján by continuing his investigative work.

2. After the initial shock and protests against the murders which led to the demise of the then PM Robert Fico, what has, in your view, shifted in the public opinion for Mr Fico to be able to regain power?

After the murder of Ján and Martina in 2018, the whole society was in shock. Slovakia saw its largest popular protests since the 1989 Velvet Revolution which had led to the fall of communism. The protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico and Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák. People supported journalists, everyone wanted to be an investigative journalist and people cared about corruption. Riding this wave, the opposition won the election in 2020 with an anti-corruption agenda. But soon afterwards, the Covid-19 pandemic started with all its problems and mismanagement and political turmoil. As an experienced politician, Robert Fico capitalised on anti-vaccination protests, which gave him momentum. With the start of the war in Ukraine, he also intensified his pro-Russian narratives, which helped his party, Smer, regain support. Slovakia is particularly vulnerable to propaganda and hoaxes, and these factors contributed to Robert Fico and his party winning the 2023 elections.

3. How dangerous is it to be an investigative journalist in Slovakia today? What new threats are you facing in your work?

Over the last few years four investigative journalists were murdered in EU member states. Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta in 2017, Ján Kuciak in Slovakia in 2018, Giorgos Karaivaz in Greece in 2021 and Peter de Vries in the Netherlands in 2021. Being an investigative journalist has become dangerous in Europe. But we can also see that murdering of one journalist will not silence the truth and the truth will come to light. We saw it in all those countries.

Despite these horrendous murders, we can still see an increasing number of verbal or online attacks against journalists in Slovakia, often incited by politicians including the prime minister, and often inciting harassment and smear campaigns against journalists. This hostile atmosphere against journalists and independent media leads to other acts against them. Recently, we have seen an increase in SLAPPs, with for example, prime minister Fico suing the editor-in-chief of Aktuality.sk for using his photo on the cover of a book. And the most recent case involved the misuse of law enforcement to intimidate journalists, which happened to our colleague at ICJK. All of these attacks lead to public trust in the independent media being undermined as well as an overall hostile atmosphere towards journalists. As a consequence, the number of investigative journalists in the country is decreasing, and not many young people are aspiring to become investigative journalists. On a positive note, we at ICJK started the project Safe.journalism.sk, which provides training in personal and digital security for journalists as well as legal and psychosocial help to journalists who face threats and attacks.

Lukáš Diko is the editor-in-chief and chairman at the Investigative Centre of Ján Kuciak (ICJK). Lukáš is an investigative journalist and media leader with more than 20 years' experience. He worked as a director of news, sports and public affairs of Slovak public broadcaster RTVS. Lukáš is also co-author of Code of Ethics of Slovak journalists adopted in 2011.

Connecting EU 2024 was organised with the support of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism. Awarded by the European Parliament in October each year, the prize recognises courageous investigative journalism. Find out more about the prize and 2024 award ceremony taking place on 23 October!

At a glance

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism was launched in 2021 as a tribute to the Maltese journalist and blogger assassinated in 2017. It is awarded, on an annual basis, to outstanding journalistic work reflecting core principles and values of the European Union, such as freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights.

The 2024 laureate will be announced in the Award Ceremony taking place at 6pm on 23 October at the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg. You can follow it live here. An independent European-wide jury, composed of journalists and communication experts, selected 13 finalist works.

EP Vice-President Pina Picierno (responsible for the Prize) will welcome participants, giving the floor to EP President Roberta Metsola for her opening speech. A member of the jury will then provide an overview of the Prize, after which the trophy will be given to the winner by a representative of last year’s laureates.

In retrospective

In its inaugural edition, the Prize was awarded to “The Pegasus Project”, coordinated by the Forbidden Stories consortium, whereas the 2022 winners were Clément Di Roma and Carol Valade, for a documentary on “The Central African Republic under Russian Influence”. A joint investigation on the Pylos migrant boat shipreck - by the Greek investigative outlet Solomon, in collaboration with Forensis, the German public broadcaster StrgF/ARD, and the British newspaper The Guardian - won the Prize in 2023.

Press Seminar

Ahead the Award Ceremony, the Media Services Unit of the European Parliament will hold a press seminar on “Safeguarding Media Freedom” (23 October, 3pm). Around 65 journalists are expected to attend, engaging in insightful speeches and discussions in the presence of Matthew Caruana Galizia, journalist and son of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The programme will feature testimonies from journalists who have faced threats in their line of work. One of them is Stefania Battistini, an Italian journalist who has recently been added to Russia's wanted list further to a report about the war. The Seminar will be web-streamed here.

One of the programmes presented at the 2024 EESC Connecting EU seminar dedicated to journalism was the Hannah Arendt Initiative. It is a network of civil society organisations supporting and protecting journalists who work under extreme pressure and are subject to censorship, harassment and persecution. A protection programme funded by the German Federal Government, the initiative offers all kinds of precious help to journalists worldwide – from Afghanistan and Sudan to Russia and Ukraine – be it in their home countries or in exile.

When critical voices are silenced, journalists imprisoned and whole media outlets shut down, the public no longer has access to independent information. Yet such information is essential to enable people to freely develop their opinions and for democracy to function.

Two years after the Hannah Arendt Initiative was launched by the German Federal Government, there is no less cause for concern – in fact, there is more. The latest World Press Freedom Index drawn up by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows that conditions for media professionals have worsened worldwide. There are currently more countries – 36 in total – in the bottom category (where the situation is classed as ‘very serious’) than there have been in over a decade. Journalists from a number of the countries in this category, including Russia, Afghanistan and Sudan, are supported by several projects run by the Hannah Arendt Initiative’s partner organisations.

Thanks to the Hannah Arendt Initiative – a protection programme which is funded by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media – media workers can receive many different kinds of help, either in their home country or in exile. Sometimes help is even possible where at first glance it seems impossible. For example, a project under the initiative supports female journalists in Afghanistan: they receive safety training, scholarships and native-language mentoring. A particularly large number of women in the media have lost their jobs since the Taliban took power in 2021, which means there are now hardly any women left working in radio or television. Since that time, the whole sector has contracted sharply.

Russian and Sudanese media professionals can benefit from the Hannah Arendt Initiative in neighbouring countries. Special centres have been set up to serve as contact points for exiled media workers, run or supported by partners of the initiative. The Exile Media Hubs and the Casa para el Periodismo Libre (a space for exiled journalists) in Central America are also safe spaces that offer psychological and legal advice. The hubs are also places that provide further training and are a starting point for networking among media professionals who are persecuted in their home countries for various reasons.

Rebuilding sustainable editorial structures in exile is another approach followed under the Hannah Arendt Initiative. This is about ensuring that people in the journalists’ totalitarian home countries continue to receive independent information.

Afghanistan, Russia and Sudan are not the only countries whose journalists receive support. The initiative’s scope is essentially worldwide, and it can respond flexibly to worsening security situations. At present, support is mainly being provided to media professionals from Belarus, Central America, Myanmar, North Africa and Ukraine. In this respect, Ukraine is a special case, as the aim of the project work there is to guarantee continued reporting in the ongoing war. This requires material and technical assistance, as well as specific training and insurance for frontline operations.

The following four civil society organisations are partners of the Hannah Arendt Initiative: DW Akademie, the European Fund for Journalism in Exile (JX-Fund), Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT), and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). The programme requires independence from state control as well as state neutrality. Funding is granted solely on the basis of unbiased criteria, by independent juries free of state influence.

For further information, go to https://hannah-arendt-initiative.de/hannah-arendt-initiative-english/ or write to info@hannah-arendt-initiative.de.

The Hannah Arendt Initiative is a network for the protection of journalists and media worldwide. It was set up in 2022 at the initiative of and with funding from Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. 

Journalists with disabilities can do their jobs equally well and can also bring different and fresh perspectives – why then are so few working in the media? Lars Bosselmann from the European Blind Union writes about underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the media industry and the need to stop the stereotypical portrayals of them in the news.

All democracies are built on key principles, and one of the most important is freedom of the press. This freedom helps ensure that the actions of political leaders are transparent to the public. It also allows us to access information without outside interference.

However, there are still aspects of media practice that need to be improved, especially when it comes to diversity. When it comes to representation in the media or coverage of topics relating to different social groups, we are still far from being equal.

Current figures show that people with disabilities are not adequately represented in the staff of newspapers, radio stations and TV broadcasters. This is very worrying considering that up to 16% of the world’s population have some form of disability. Moreover, as underlined by a UNESCO report, persons with disabilities often also face prejudice due to stereotypical portrayals of our communities in the media, before worldwide audiences.

To change the public perception of persons with disabilities, we need to underline the importance of having them on board in newsrooms and in content creation processes.

Society needs to understand that the media industry is not going to be fully inclusive until persons with disabilities become part of workflows. Furthermore, disability-related topics must be covered with a different approach: media outlets should recognise that persons with disabilities are individuals who should enjoy their rights on an equal basis with others. Moreover, as content formats change constantly, we need experts to design these formats to be accessible and inclusive. 

Despite the fact that the disability community is underrepresented in the media industry, we can still find very inspirational examples showing that persons with disabilities can excel as content creators.

Recently, in its podcast series, the European Blind Union broadcast a focus episode on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. In the episode, we talked to Laetitia Bernard, a blind French journalist who works for Radio France. Apart from this year’s Paralympics, Ms Bernard had already covered the 2012 and 2016 editions in London and Rio respectively. Additionally, she covered the Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games.

‘Events such as the Paralympic Games have a positive impact in bringing down barriers and challenging stereotypes,’ Ms Bernard stressed during the interview. ‘Even if a journalist has a disability, he or she can work efficiently and even be able to describe things differently,’ she added. Ms Bernard’s professional journey, as well as her reflections on this subject, tell us that this dimension also needs to be addressed in order to build a more inclusive society: equality must be at the core of the media industry.

Lars Bosselmann is the Executive Director of the European Blind Union (EBU).