22/11/2022 Culture, Science, Education and Media
Speaking at a conference in Vilnius on the role of public service media in upholding democracy, Mogens Jensen (Denmark, SOC) recalled that media freedom and freedom of information were under increasing threat and pressure, especially in countries with hardening political regimes, and in the context generated by the war in Ukraine – as evidenced by the growing number of alerts to the Platform set up in 2015 by the Council of Europe to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists
“In the face of this bleak situation, our work really means something,” said Mr Jensen, PACE's General Rapporteur on media freedom and the protection of journalists. A lot of NGOs and civil society organisations are using PACE's recommendations, even though the media do not have a ‘consumer group’ fighting for freedom, unlike climate or environmental groups,” Mr Jensen added. “In this area, the key decisions must be taken at European or international level,” he emphasised.
This conference, co-organised by the Council of Europe and the European Broadcasting Union, in partnership with the Lithuanian National Radio and Television, was hosted by the Lithuanian Parliament, and brought together broadcasters, journalists, policy makers – including PACE members – and representatives of international organisations and associations of journalists.