Konrad Bleyer-Simon – Saving European Media from the Illiberal Grip

Saving European Media from the Illiberal Grip

Konrad Bleyer-Simon, European University Institute

Executive Summary

Independent media are being increasingly targeted by illiberal actors. As independent journalism is widely considered a guarantor of democracy, and news media (be it captured or independent) play a key role in forming audiences’ political preferences and electoral decisions, illiberals follow two strategies: controlling and silencing. Their toolkit comprises four key components: 1) law and regulation, 2) economic measures, 3) interference in the public debate, and 4) offenses against trust. While the first two can only be used by illiberals who are already in power, the third and fourth categories are utilized even by forces not holding executive office.

The ongoing crisis of the media sector—which impacts both the financing of and the trust in outlets—makes journalistic content creators an easy target. Existing remedies, such as experiments with new forms of storytelling and alternative revenue sources, as well as the European Media Freedom Act at the EU level, are important, but far from sufficient.

To address today’s challenges, there needs to be a shift away from current restorative approaches: instead of fostering a return to a “golden age” of journalism, solutions need to future-proof the media and help journalists thrive in a new environment. The media landscape is changing; new channels and new formats are emerging, but quality content producers struggle to monetize their content or reach audiences. For this reason, long-term solutions need to consider that audiences might want to consume different kinds of news and may prefer new ways of accessing information. In such a reality, journalistic products, the roles and responsibilities of content producers, and the roles of reporting subjects—chiefly politicians—need to be reevaluated, while the power of dominant intermediaries needs to be curbed.

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