Round Table on Media Freedom in Greece

On Tuesday 5 March 2024, the Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists will launch its report “Press Freedom in Europe: Time to Turn the Tide”. The report is written by the Platform’s Partner Organisations, a coalition of fifteen press freedom NGOs and journalists associations. It highlights key areas of law, policy and practices affecting media freedom and safety of journalists in Europe and identifies actions required to improve effective protection of journalists.

Following the press conference, the Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece affiliated to the Council of Europe and the Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace will organise an on-site Media Freedom round-table with Greek journalists. The roundtable will be structured around key press freedom issues in Greece, encompassing SLAPPs, surveillance, impunity/physical safety and media plurality/media capture.

The right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media, protected in Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, forms the cornerstone of democratic security in Europe. The Council of Europe is steadfast in its commitment to cultivating an environment that fosters these freedoms, underpinned by legal guarantees ensuring media independence, diversity, and the safety of journalists and other media personnel.

Despite these protections, journalists face an array of threats, including intimidation, legal harassment, and violence, both online and offline, across member states. Such challenges not only undermine the integrity of the press but also pose a significant threat to democracy itself, hindering the free flow of information and stifling public discourse. Therefore, safeguarding the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media is not only essential for the protection of individual liberties but also fundamental to the preservation of democracy, rule of law, and societal cohesion in Europe.

In recent years, recognizing the escalating threats faced by journalists, the Platform to Promote the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists has emerged as a crucial initiative, aiming to raise awareness and act as a channel for dialogue between media actors and national authorities. The platform has been committed to establishing standards for media pluralism and freedom, placing a notable emphasis on acknowledging the pivotal role of truly independent public service media as a source of impartial information and diverse political views.