In 2024, many governments influenced the media by allocating state funding to government-friendly outlets and using public service media for their communication tools; journalists faced widespread threats and violence, with female journalists targeted the most, and were denied requests for information by public officials; and weak media ownership transparency resulted in concentrated media ownership, Liberties Media Freedom Report 2025 (Report) finds.

This Report is the fourth annual report on media freedom in the European Union (EU) produced by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties). It is based on data and input from 43 member and partner organisations from 21 EU Member States. As in previous editions, this Report covers four primary areas: media freedom and pluralism, safety and protection of journalists, freedom of expression and access to information, and European legislation related to media freedom and pluralism.

Why media freedom matters

For a democratic system to function, people need reliable news they can trust. This allows the public to make well-informed decisions at the ballot box, support causes they care about, and take action when politicians don’t act in their best interest. When politicians mislead the public or outright lie, journalists play a critical role in holding them accountable by exposing the truth.

But when the media acts as a mouthpiece for the government, it makes public debate murky and weakens trust in the news. This neutralises public resistance even when their rights come under attack, paving the way for authoritarians to tighten their grip on power.

Capturing the media is the first step towards authoritarianism

Capturing the media is a tried and tested method used by Orbán in Hungary, Fico and Slovakia, and formerly the PiS in Poland and SDS in Slovenia. Across the pond in the U.S., a former global champion of the free press, the new Trump administration has barred the Associated Press (AP) from attending presidential briefings and press conferences because the AP refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. At the same time, the White House announced it would hand-select reporters to cover the president. The decision to dismantle the U.S. development agency USAID has extensive implications for media outlets in countries where independent press work is nearly impossible.

During pro-European protests in Georgia, masked individuals attacked peaceful protesters, as well as reporters. This took place under the watchful eye of the police, who did not intervene.

Fraught working environment for journalists in a concentrated media market

The global situation is increasingly strained, with 2024 being one of the deadliest years for journalists worldwide and the number of imprisoned media professionals is increasing.

But the situation is not only worrying on a global scale. Liberties’ fourth annual Media Freedom Report shows a multitude of concerning trends right on our doorstep, where Europe’s media environment is pockmarked with attacks on the independence of the media and journalists’ freedom to carry out their work. Despite the introduction of new laws aiming to tackle these threats in 2024, many findings of this year’s report are consistent with last year's report.

Media ownership concentration remains high and often opaque. Databases intended to make beneficial ownership of media companies more transparent are either missing completely or lacking necessary updates and information. Often, large sections of the media market are owned by wealthy individuals or families. This not only makes news coverage less diverse, it also increases the risk of biased reporting. As a result, the level of trust in the media is low in many countries. Of the 21 countries examined in this report, only three show relatively high levels of trust.

The security of media professionals continues to be fraught. Journalists need to be able to work free from influence, such as pressure from people in power, e.g. through direct orders, but also without fear of violence or abusive lawsuits. However, this is not the reality for many journalists within the EU. Physical attacks, online harassment, abuse or lawsuits are an everyday threat. Reporting from demonstrations in particular continues to be dangerous, as journalists experience violence either from protestors or the police. In 2024, this often happened at pro-Palestine protests or demonstrations against migration. To make matters worse, many European countries offer scant legal protection for journalists or even weakened existing ones.

Access to information also remains problematic. When making freedom of information requests, journalists in many countries reported facing resistance.

New legislation to tackle threats to media freedom fall short

The new European Commission has the responsibility to protect media workers and news outlets in the EU. Initiatives like the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) or the Anti-SLAPP Directive (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) are important steps towards this. But it will be imperative to closely monitor their implementation in Member States. So far, the initial signs leave much room for improvement. Most countries are unprepared for or resisting complying with EMFA, and Malta is the only country to transpose the Directive ahead of its May 2026 deadline. The Commission should also incentivise countries to broaden protections beyond the scope of this legislation.

Supporting media freedom is crucial, especially in times of crisis and increasing authoritarian movements. Robust checks and balances keep democracy healthy and the press plays an important role in holding those in power responsible. This is why governments that want to weaken the rule of law and democratic institutions almost always start with seeking control of the country’s media environment.

Reads & Resources

• Download the full Liberties Media Freedom Report 2025
• Press Release: EU Media Freedom In Deepening Crisis Amid Rising Authoritarianism
• Previous annual media freedom reports: 2022, 2023, 2024.

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