The Assembly underlines that the growing commercialisation
of professional sports, increasing control over access to information
and wider transformations of the media environment create significant
challenges for freedom of expression and the public’s right to information
in the field of sport. It therefore recommends that the Committee
of Ministers:
2.1 reinforce the
Council of Europe’s standard-setting and monitoring work on media
freedom in sport, building on the European Convention on Human Rights
(ETS No. 5), the Revised European Sports Charter, Recommendation
CM/Rec(2018)12 on the promotion of good governance in sport, Recommendation
CM/Rec(2016)4 on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists
and other media actors, Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2 on countering
the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs),
and the relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights;
2.2 invite the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS)
to integrate media freedom and access to information more systematically
into its activities on sports governance, integrity and human rights
in sport, including through regular consultations with journalists,
media organisations, sports bodies, academics and civil society
organisations;
2.3 encourage the development of practical guidelines and
good practices for fair, transparent and non-discriminatory media
accreditation and access procedures at sporting events, while safeguarding editorial
independence and the public’s right to information;
2.4 promote stronger protection for investigative sports journalists,
whistleblowers and journalistic sources, in particular in cases
involving corruption, match fixing, doping, financial misconduct
or human rights violations in sport;
2.5 support initiatives aimed at improving transparency and
accountability in sport governance, including through co-operation
with independent watchdog organisations, human rights defenders
and investigative journalism networks;
2.6 encourage member States and sports organisations to address
structural inequalities in sports media, notably by promoting gender
equality, combating harassment and discrimination, and improving the
visibility and representation of women in sports journalism and
women’s sports coverage;
2.7 examine the impact of digitalisation, platformisation
and artificial intelligence on media freedom in sport, including
the growing control of content by rights holders and digital platforms,
with a view to developing policy guidance that safeguards pluralism,
editorial independence and the sustainability of quality journalism
in sport.
