2024 election year: Secretary General urges governments to protect journalists to safeguard democracy
In a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić said: “As millions of citizens in Europe and other continents vote in crucial elections in 2024, we must recall the critical role that journalists and quality media play in ensuring access to pluralist and reliable information and diverse opinions and ideas, so that we can make informed choices when exercising our democratic rights.
“Without diverse, free, and independent media and journalists, true democracy declines and can perish. They are a pillar of democracy, and we should never forget that their freedom is also ours. However, for media and journalists to play their essential democratic role, they need to be able to work in a safe environment.
“As the 2024 annual report of the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists shows, media freedom continues to be under constant attack in Europe. These threats include the unlawful deployment of spyware and abusive lawsuits against journalists, physical attacks, intimidation, detention, restrictive legislation, media capture and attacks on public service media.
“To address these challenges, Council of Europe member states should implement the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors and develop national action plans as part of the Council of Europe Campaign “Journalists Matter”. A welcome development is that some member states have taken the first steps to roll out this initiative.
“Regarding, specifically, the growing practice of abusive lawsuits aiming to harass and silence journalists, media, and other watchdogs, member states should adopt legislative frameworks that enable everyone to participate in public debate and public affairs in safety and without fear. As a priority, they should implement the recently adopted Committee of Ministers Recommendation on the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).”
