EUROPE’S MEDIA AND JOURNALIST ORGANISATIONS APPEAL TO THE COUNCIL FOR BETTER PROTECTIONS

COMMISSION’S DRAFT MEDIA FREEDOM ACT MUST DO MORE TO SHIELD JOURNALISTS FROM SURVEILLANCE AND UNDUE EDITORIAL INTERFERENCE, AND BOOST PROTECTIONS OF JOURNALISTIC SOURCES

Leading European publisher and journalist associations have written today to Member State representatives in the Council demanding stronger protections in the draft European Media Freedom Act to shield journalists from undue interference, to prohibit the surveillance of journalists and to protect journalistic sources and communications.

Angela Mills Wade, Executive Director of the European Publishers Council and signatory of the letter said: “Tomorrow we will mark World Press Freedom Day when freedom of expression and the crucial work that the media and journalists do is rightly recognised as being fundamental to democracy. The Media Freedom Act is a golden opportunity to do something more meaningful about the increasing threat to editorial freedom in parts of Europe and to increase protections of journalists where the anonymity and safety of their source is being threatened. Any legislation to address these threats must at the very least provide for the same levels of protections which already exist from Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and related case law. Unfortunately, the drafts under discussion do not live up to these standards and must be strengthened to protect press freedom effectively. We are calling on Member States to address our concerns as a matter of urgency”.

Please find below a copy of the joint letter, together with proposed amendments to Article 4 of the draft EMFA