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, Committee of Ministers
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 Governing Board of 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,
whistle-blowers 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 sports 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.
