European Press Freedom under Pressure

Press freedom is increasingly coming under pressure across Europe. Reporters Without Borders have repeatedly measured a decline in press freedom in many European countries over the last few years, including the Netherlands. Where does this come from? And what are the various problems associated with and arising from declining press freedom?

The vast decline of press freedom is due to illiberal measures taken by some European governments that significantly harm the media as an independent institution, but there is also an increase in online threats and violent attacks against journalists. These developments have been so concerning that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on EU member states to improve journalists’ safety in her 2021 State of the Union speech. However, the situation has not much improved since then. The purpose of this round table is to shed light on the various problems associated with declining press freedom in Europe and to discuss possible solutions.

About the speakers

Kathleen Beckers is Assistant Professor in Political Communication and Journalism at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Tarlach McGonagle is Associate Professor at the UvA Institute for Information Law (IViR) and Professor of Media Law & Information Society at Leiden Law School.

Scott Eldridge II is Assistant Professor in Journalism Studies and Media at the Research Centre for Media and Journalism Studies (CMJS) at the University of Groningen.

Katjana Gattermann (Moderator) is Associate Professor in Political Communication and Journalism at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research.