06 May Council of Europe report on freedom of expression in 2018

A report, published  on the eve of World Press Freedom Day by the Council of Europe´s Information Society Department, maps out the major threats to freedom of expression in Europe in 2018 and the actions that governments should carry out to counter them as a matter of priority.

The report expresses concern about the increase of violence and intimidation against journalists. Reasons for concern are also the increasing verbal attacks and restrictive legislation that NGOs face in some states, the spread of misinformation through the media and online channels and the adverse impact of the digital revolution on the financial viability of quality and investigative journalism.

In that respect, the Report states that following visits to Serbia and Slovakia, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights highlighted the dangers arising from the growing use of smear campaigns and inflammatory remarks against the media and individual reporters. Such statements create an insecure environment for journalism, especially when made by public officials as part of deliberate attempts to intimidate critical voices. In one such case, derogatory statements by the then president of Republika Srpska against a Serbian journalist triggered death threats. The comments were in response to the publication of a journalistic database of records of real estate owned by Bosnian politicians.

Financial pressures, favoritism and other forms of indirect manipulation of the media can be equally insidious muzzles and are increasingly used by politicians of all stripes. Following a visit to Serbia, the Commissioner noted problems with the state financial support scheme for media projects of public interest, including lack of transparency, politically motivated allocations, and funding awarded to non-professional media.

Here you can find more about the Report: https://rm.coe.int/freedom-of-expression-2018-/1680943557

References from the website of the Council of Europe