2024 was a year of significant political changes across Europe, leading to escalating threats against media freedom and pluralism in many EU Member States. These developments had a particularly strong impact on two areas essential for preserving a free and pluralistic media environment: the independence of public service media (PSM) and the safety and protection of journalists. In democratic societies, these actors are a buoy amongst rising uncertainty by providing accessible and reliable information on public interest issues. In this line of work, PSM and independent journalists often become the targets of governments who wish to restrict their voices and shield themselves from scrutiny.

This hostility has persisted for years, and has become progressively more harmful across EU Member States. The Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025 finds an increase in intrusive political influence over PSM and journalists, weakening their ability to fulfil their roles independently. Governments are tightening their grip on the national media landscape, and for PSM and independent journalists facing mounting challenges, the walls around them are closing in. As a result, citizens find themselves at a crossroads, unsure of who to trust.

The Growing Politicisation of Public Service Media

The influence of EU Member State governments over national PSM expanded in numerous ways last year, forcing independent broadcasters to morph into state-controlled mouthpieces. As a result, the public’s trust in PSM and other media continues to dwindle. The Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025 found that governments leverage their powers to strengthen their control over PSM.

Our members throughout the EU reported that Member State governments have seized control over PSM at the root, starting with the appointment process for their board members and directors who oversee content output and editorial independence – essential components for the proper functioning of PSM. In Italy, a long-standing example of this kind of interference can be seen in the internal structure of Radiotelevisione Italiana. The Italian public broadcaster operates with a state-selected director majority and a CEO appointed by the government. In Slovakia, the politicisation of PSM has been taken to a further extreme. Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) was abolished and replaced with the new Slovak Television and Radio (STVR). The STVR members are elected solely by the government, leaving no room for independent voices.

The above situations are only the tip of the iceberg and many other Member States experience similar issues. This level of state-control increases the risk of the government’s political agenda distorting news coverage, depriving the public of balanced and factually accurate information.

The Eroding Safety and Protection of Journalists

Independent journalists work in tandem with PSM through investigative reporting to provide the public with accurate and important information on current affairs. However, they are now hampered by added pressure from powerful politicians. The relationship between governments and journalists is growing more contentious, even hostile in certain cases. As found in previous years’ reports, journalists are subjected to incessant verbal and physical attacks, damaging smear campaigns, and strategic lawsuits intended to silence them (known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs). Journalists urgently need more protection, which remains insufficient in many EU Member States.

One of the biggest gaps in the framework of protection for journalists stems from the failure by most EU Member States to transpose the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive. This Directive is meant to level the playing field and set a minimum standard of protection for journalists, which Member States can then transpose into their national laws. As of the publication of this article, Liberties’ report finds that only Malta has transposed the Anti-SLAPP Directive, while for most other Member States, the Directive remains largely ignored. We can see the Netherlands is taking a step in the right direction by publishing a draft law implementing the Directive, and similar efforts are being made in Bulgaria, where a working group was created to align Bulgarian legislation with the Directive. However, despite minor positive developments, nothing concrete is set in stone yet. As a result, SLAPPs are on the rise, and they are often initiated by politicians or other actors in positions of power.

Alongside this gap in protection, the confidentiality of journalistic sources and access to information were severely constrained this year. For example, the Netherlands experienced a damning controversy when journalists were wiretapped by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Not only were journalist sources wrongfully exposed, it also hampered the journalists’ investigative work by deterring other sources from coming forward. Similarly, Spain’s outdated rules on the protection of sources leave journalists vulnerable to digital monitoring. In countries such as Belgium and Bulgaria, governments are granted a wide range of discretion to refuse requests for information, keeping essential documents and records under lock and key. In other cases, such as in the Netherlands, while requests are made, unjustified delays obstruct access to information necessary for timely investigative journalism.

The continued degradation of media freedom across the EU is deeply concerning. Going forward, the EU should spur the Member States into action and closely monitor cases of political pressure on PSM and independent journalists in its Member States. With the enforcement of the European Media Freedom Act on the horizon, a tool that introduces new safeguards for PSM and journalists, we may finally see progress in restoring media freedom in the EU.

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Reads & Resources

• Download the full Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025
• Op-ed: The EU Should Reinforce Democracy's Guardrails Before it's Too Late
• Previous annual rule of law reports: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020