On 27 March , the civil liberties committee voted in favour of a non-legislative resolution drafted by Italian GUE/NGL member Barbara Spinelli on media pluralism and media freedom in the European Union.
Violence against journalists
In October, Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese investigative journalist who rose to prominence with the Panama Papers, was murdered in a car bomb in Malta. One month ago, Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak, who was investigating the mafia, and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were also killed.
In the resolution adopted by the committee yesterday, MEPs expressed deep concern about the abuse and violence being committed against journalists in the EU and called for an independent regulatory body to be set up in cooperation with journalist organisations to monitor and report violence and threats. All MEPs will also be asked to vote on the resolution during an upcoming plenary session.
More public funding
The committee also underlined the key role played by the media in a democratic society, noting that media freedom, pluralism and independence are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression. In order to promote and safeguard a pluralist, independent and free media, MEPs called in the resolution on EU countries to ensure adequate public funding.
In addition the resolution stressed the importance of ensuring adequate working conditions for journalists.
Fake news
MEPs highlighted the threat of fake news and stressed the importance of offering the public high-quality information. In order to prevent the propagation of misinformation, they called on social media companies and online platforms to develop tools to enable users to mark or to report potential fake news. Impartial certified third party checking organisations should take care of the rectification.
Cyberbullying
Given the increase in cyberbullying, revenge porn and child sexual abuse, MEPs also called in the resolution for new rules to ensure the detection and removal of harmful content from social media.
Ref.: 20180322STO00326
