Early January of this year, the world was shocked by the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Two gunmen forced their way into the magazine’s building and killed twelve people, among which staff cartoonists and editors. The world was in shock, and the survivors of the magazine were shown an overwhelming amount of support. Freedom of press seemed to be higher on the agenda than ever, but at the same time a very important question rose: how free
is the press in Europe really?
Before we delve into the answers, it’s important to take a look at what freedom of press really is. Simply said, it is the freedom of communication and expression through diverse mediums (electronic media and published materials). In practice, this means that the press is free to cover topics of their interest without interference of the government or other parties. Basically: the right to write about what they want, without fearing for consequences in the form of fines, regulating laws, threats or worse.
The legal framework is ensuring the freedom of press…
How well is the European Union doing at guaranteeing this right? In 1950, the Council of Europe was barely a year old when it affirmed the “freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by any public authority and regardless of frontiers.” A strong statement, which has been reiterated many times in documents created in the 63 years after, like the European Convention on Human Rights (1953) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2000). In May 2009, the European Charter on Freedom of the Press was released too. According to these, citizens in Europe should have the freedom to not only be informed, but also inform themselves.
… but what about the reality?
The Freedom of Press Index 2014
The Press Freedom Index, an annual ranking of countries drafted and published by Reporters without Borders, suggests that Europe is doing quite well with their statement. The list is based on the number of journalists murdered, expelled or harassed and the existence of a state monopoly on TV and radio, as well as the existence of (self-)censorship in the media, the overall independence of media and difficulties foreign reporters may face. Thirty-one countries of the top fifty of the list are located in Europe, with the winner being northern Europe with leading stars Finland (#1), the Netherlands (#2) and Norway (#3). Despite this fact, there are still countries where freedom of the press isn’t completely guaranteed, in order to write what they want.
Take for example the United Kingdom (#33), where in 2013 officials were sent to The Guardian’s basement to supervise the destruction of the newspaper’s computer hard disks, containing information from whistleblower Edward Snowden. Or France (#39), where the Constitutional Council approved a law that makes publishing the assets of certain elected officials punishable by imprisonment. Examples that show the legal framework for freedom of speech is readily available in Europe, but that does not mean it is implemented by the countries falling under the European Union too.
The bad, the worse and the worst
The lowest ranking member of the European Union is Bulgaria (#100), where reporters repeatedly became victims of police violence during demonstrations calling for the government’s resignation in 2013. Besides that, independent journalists are exposed to harassment that can even take the form of attacks on their cars, as it has happened to Genka Shikerova, a journalist known for critical political interviews.
Very close to Bulgaria is Greece (#99), which fell down fifty places in the ranking in only five years. The economic crisis hit the media too, because the investors in the national media have moved their investments leading to many journalists becoming unemployed. The big turning point was June 2013, when the national broadcaster, consisting of four TV stations and five radio stations, was shut down due to budget cuts. Dark screens with the words “no signal” stunned Europe and the world until the government, pressured by the international society, announced the creation of a new state broadcaster.
Another ‘high ranking’, in the wrong way, country is Hungary (#64), where a highly restrictive media law was adopted in 2011, introducing fines for creators of content that is not “balanced” and a media regulatory authority was set up. The “Media Council” claims to make sure the news sent out is according to the law, but actually it mainly ensures that politics get involved in reporting. A good example is the news and talk radio station Klubradio, which became a symbol of the fight to be informed. Despite having hundreds of thousands of listeners and a good few years of existence, the Council refused to renew its license and banned its frequency to an unknown station. Without success, because after a major campaign and several court rulings the Klubradio was still given a long-term license in March.
Free press in Europe: a dream or a reality?
Many more examples like this can be given, for example about non-EU members Macedonia and Montenegro, not leaving out Russia and Ukraine, but there are also good examples that can be shared. To sum up, we can conclude that the rights for freedom of press in Europe are guaranteed for the members of the European Union at least, but they are not always implemented into daily lives as well. Looking at the examples, in some countries, freedom of press seems to only apply when it is beneficial to the government. This doesn’t mean the fight for it is over, because especially happenings like the one in Paris attract the attention to the matter again and will hopefully lead to a completely free press in Europe (and the rest of the world) soon.
Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen