How to ensure media independence

Researchers have assessed the pressures that limit media freedom in different European countries and the policies that can protect this fundamental aspect of democracy.

The strong links between politics, business and the media today make an independent media as vital as ever to democracies. At the same time, the rapid evolution of media landscapes, coupled with economic and technological changes, raise a number of challenges for media freedom.

MEDIADEM was an EU-funded research project that assessed the concept of media independence in contemporary society. Working in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom, researchers were able to build a comprehensive picture of the situation across Europe. The research focused on five key areas: the protection of freedom of speech and information, in law and in practice; media market laws; laws and incentives for the diversification of media content; journalistic standards and ethics; and media literacy.

Project members produced reports for each country explaining the legal, political, cultural and economic factors that affect media independence and freedom. They also engaged in comparative analysis and developed succinct policy recommendations for the protection and promotion of media freedom. The researchers published and promoted their findings among national and international decision makers, the media, journalists and civil society, providing a knowledge base for policymaking.

By creating a comprehensive picture of the pressures that the media face in contemporary societies, MEDIADEM’s outcomes stand to make a major contribution to the protection and promotion of media freedom and free speech more broadly. Information available on: http://www.mediadem.eliamep.gr/findings/