Growing threats to media pluralism and the independence of the media
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 30 September 2026 (32nd sitting) (see Doc. 16468, report
of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, rapporteur:
Ms Valentina Grippo; and Doc.
16474, opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and
Human Rights, rapporteur: Ms Gala Veldhoen). Text adopted
by the Assembly on 30 September 2026 (32nd sitting).See
also Recommendation 2313
(2026). Provisional version subject to
editorial review.
1. The Parliamentary
Assembly is gravely concerned by the growing threats to media pluralism
and to the independence of the media. Evidence of this worrying
trend can be observed in the increasing editorial control of the
media sector by political and economic actors (so-called media capture),
the mounting pressure against public service media, the emergence
of “news deserts”, and the intensification of competition and market dominance
from online platforms.
2. As stated by the Committee of Ministers in its
Declaration
on the financial sustainability of quality journalism in the digital
age, the sustainability of media outlets is at great risk,
and this weighs particularly heavily on the local, investigative
and cross-border journalism.This fact renders journalists vulnerable
to pressures from powerful news sources and their employers, impinges
on their investigative capacities and creates a climate conducive
to both censorship and self-censorship. Moreover, the weakened sustainability has
contributed to a growing concentration of media ownership and may
lead to a less diverse news environment.
3. The Assembly recalls the case law of the European Court of
Human Rights relating to freedom of expression and media pluralism,
which has clarified that States Parties have a positive obligation
to put in place an appropriate legislative and administrative framework
to guarantee effective pluralism, in particular in the audiovisual
sector. Both internal pluralism – within each media outlet – and
external pluralism – across multiple outlets – should be considered
together in order to guarantee diversity of overall programme content
that reflects, as far as possible, the variety of opinions encountered
in society.
4. The Assembly recognises that a certain level of media concentration
is not inherently detrimental and can, in fact, play a beneficial
role by ensuring the long-term sustainability of the media sector,
particularly in small markets. However, an effective approach is
essential to mitigate its potential adverse effects on the diversity
and quality of available information. As such, mergers and acquisitions
in the media sector should be assessed according to their impact
on media independence and pluralism.
6. The Assembly firmly reiterates that the editorial independence
of the media must be protected at all costs, and that the governance
and financing of public service media must be properly regulated
and monitored in order to avoid political interference.
7. The Assembly is alarmed by the capture of the media sector
by political and financial actors for the purposes of controlling
public information, concealing critical voices and manipulating
public opinion. It is imperative to conduct research in order to
elucidate the manner in which political and economic actors exercise control
and exert influence over the media sector in ways contrary to public
interest.
8. The Assembly emphasises the fundamental role that national
media regulatory authorities can play in preventing media capture.
In order to fully achieve this objective, it is essential that these
authorities are independent, both in principle and in practice,
and that they have adequate financial and human resources to fulfil
their role, particularly in light of the enhanced competences that
some of them will have under the new European Union legislation.
Their decisions must be objective, justified, transparent, non-discriminatory, proportional,
and subject to appeal before an independent appellate body.
9. There cannot be independent news media without an environment
in which journalists can work safely and without fear or undue restrictions.
Unfortunately, there is an increasing variety of threats, pressures
and constraints under which journalists are carrying out their mission.
10. In this regard, the Assembly is deeply worried by the assessment
carried out in 2025 by the partner organisations of the Council
of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and
safety of journalists, which concludes that press freedom in Europe
“stands at a tipping point”, and endorses the recommendations outlined
in the assessment.
11. Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine continues
to pose the most significant threat to journalists across Europe.
In relation to this issue, the Assembly recalls that journalists
are civilians and are protected as such under international law,
and that targeting and killing journalists is a war crime. Since February
2022, journalists and media workers have been killed and wounded
while reporting from Ukraine, media premises and broadcasting infrastructure
have been deliberately targeted, and at least 26 Ukrainian journalists
remain unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation, most of them
on fabricated charges and in conditions amounting to torture and
ill-treatment; the journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna died in Russian
custody in September 2024. The Assembly demands the immediate and
unconditional release of all Ukrainian journalists held by the Russian
Federation and calls for full accountability for crimes committed
against journalists.
12. The Assembly considers that the systematic destruction of
independent media in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied
by the Russian Federation – the forced closure or seizure of Ukrainian
media outlets, the replacement of Ukrainian broadcasting with Russian
State propaganda and the persecution of local journalists – constitutes
the most extreme form of media capture on the European continent
today and a deliberately engineered “news desert”. The same model
has been fully implemented in the Russian Federation and in Belarus.
The Assembly further notes that media pluralism in member States
is under attack from outside through foreign information manipulation
and interference, in particular by the Russian Federation, which
uses State-controlled media, covert ownership and financing of media
outlets and co-ordinated online campaigns to polarise societies
and weaken support for Ukraine. It welcomes the measures taken by
the European Union and member States to suspend the broadcasting
of Kremlin-linked propaganda networks and stresses that such measures,
taken in accordance with the case law of the European Court of Human
Rights, are a legitimate defence of media pluralism and not a restriction
of it.
13. Beyond conflict zones, journalists in Europe often face legal
harassment as well as online and physical threats or attacks for
simply doing their jobs; in particular, women journalists are disproportionately
affected by intimidation and harassment.
14. The Assembly is concerned about the emergence of “news deserts”,
namely geographic or administrative areas, or social communities,
where it is difficult or impossible to access sufficient, reliable, diverse
information from independent local, regional and community media.
15. The Assembly acknowledges that there is no single solution
to all instances of news deserts. There are nevertheless good practices
and alternative business models that should be considered, with
a view to reducing reliance on advertising and, as much as possible,
ensuring independence from online platforms. The most successful
experiences across Europe are those that rely upon pay membership
or subscription, but this approach is not universally applicable.
16. Moreover, there is a lot of interest in philanthropy in some
countries coming from bodies or foundations that are not linked
with online platforms. The Assembly believes this is an issue that
should be further investigated. Other options on the table are tax
relief for local media outlets, a special status for the media,
and redistribution of copyright revenues.
17. In this regard, it is imperative that the public support for
local media be transparent and fair in allocating resources, including
State advertising, in order to avoid media capture and threats to
the independence of the media in general.
18. The Assembly stresses the urgent need to address the lack
of data related to the economic and financial information for both
local and community media. Locally focused audience measurements
and detailed research on trust, audience perspectives, perceptions
and engagement within local media markets are required.
19. The Assembly acknowledges that the European Union’s European
Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is a step in the right direction as it
provides a template for action and includes measures intended to
combat media capture. Non-EU countries, however, do not benefit
from the protection provided by the EMFA.
20. The Assembly underscores the importance of discoverability
in the online environment, that is, the ease with which an audiovisual
work or service can be located on a platform or interface. Content
prioritisation practices, algorithm recommendations and curation
strategies have the potential to exert a detrimental effect on cultural
diversity.
21. It is therefore vital that services of general interest, and
in particular public service media, are given appropriate prominence
on online platforms and TV interfaces.
22. In this regard, the Assembly notes with concern that connected
TVs and virtual assistants are increasingly acting as gateways to
audiovisual content and have therefore the potential to become gatekeepers with
the power to determine which content is prioritised on our screens.
23. A further problematic issue is the exploitation of dominant
positions by providers of artificial intelligence services that
monetise third-party content without effective control by rightsholders
and without offering fair remuneration.
24. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on
the Council of Europe member States to undertake the following measures:
24.1 introduce a legal requirement
for national media regulatory authorities to regulate and monitor media
pluralism in the audiovisual sector;
24.3 make the disclosure of beneficial ownership of the media
mandatory in their legislation, including indirect control and financial
interests, and make this information easily accessible through public registers;
24.4 assess the existence of media ownership rules in their
national legislation and their applicability to new media services
and online platforms;
24.5 establish rules in national legislation with the aim of
limiting any potential interference with the editorial independence
and operational autonomy of the media, and ensure that oversight
is provided by national media regulatory authorities;
24.6 ensure that administrative decisions taken by national
media regulatory authorities are objective, justified, transparent,
non-discriminatory, proportional and subject to appeal before an
independent appellate body;
24.7 encourage the development of common practices among European
national media regulatory authorities for monitoring the internal
pluralism of public service media;
24.8 ensure that national legislation relating to the governance
of public service media contains robust guarantees for the independence
of the appointment process for management bodies, and include the participation
of civil society in this process;
24.9 provide action plans for a targeted and viewpoint-neutral
support aimed at ensuring the sustainability of public service media,
non-profit media and community media;
24.12 support alternative business models and non-profit initiatives
regarding the provision of local news media services in geographic
areas that experience a lack of reliable and diverse information sources
from credible media outlets;
24.13 engage in effective co-operation with the Council of Europe’s
Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists
and provide timely and substantive responses to the the Platform alerts;
24.14 co-operate fully with international and national investigations
into crimes committed against journalists in the context of the
Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, provide emergency
and long-term support to Ukrainian journalists and media outlets,
in particular those working in front-line regions and those displaced
from occupied territories, and maintain and, where necessary, extend
measures against State-controlled media of the Russian Federation
and Belarus engaged in war propaganda and foreign information manipulation
and interference, with adequate procedural safeguards;
24.15 repeal or amend laws used to intimidate journalists, including
criminal defamation and overly broad “fake news” or “State secrets”
provisions and ensure clear public interest exemptions where restrictions
apply;
24.16 adopt measures to protect women journalists and integrate
gender-responsive and intersectional safeguards into journalist
safety policies, including guidance for law enforcement, protective
measures and digital security support;
24.18 offer protection against transnational repression of journalists,
foster a culture of respect for press freedom and promote social
dialogue and collective bargaining for all journalists, including
freelancers;
24.19 ensure that media of general interest, and in particular
public service media, are given appropriate prominence across all
platforms;
24.20 ensure that the integrity of media services is safeguarded
against unfair manipulation by online platforms;
24.21 adopt a regulatory approach that balances the rights and
interests of artificial intelligence providers and copyright holders
so that innovation is not achieved at the expense of creators, as requested
by the Assembly in its
Resolution
2654 (2026) “Copyright enforcement in the artificial intelligence
environment”.
