The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has welcomed
the adoption of texts on media independence by the Council of Europe and by the
European Parliament.
"We
welcome the fact that at the same moment, both the European Parliament and the
Council of Europe adopted texts defending press freedom and journalism as a
public good", said EFJ President Arne König. "It shows to journalists and to
the public that there is genuine concern for the problem. It is now up to the
national authorities to fulfil their duties".
In a
recommendation on "Public Service Media Governance" adopted on 16 February, the
Council of Europe called on member states to strengthen editorial and
operational independence of public broadcasters and other public service media.
This recommendation is particularly important for state broadcasters that have
not made their transition into genuine public service bodies or for public
broadcasters that are put under the influence or the control of
government. The recommendation proposes guiding principles in terms of
independence, accountability, effective management, responsiveness,
responsibility, transparency and openness. It also underlines the need for gender-awareness and cultural diversity
training and the creation of a diverse workforce with the necessary skills.
On the same
day, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on threats to democracy, the rule of law and human
rights in Hungary. The resolution asks that the freedom and pluralism of
the media should be "guaranteed by the letter and the implementation of the
Hungarian Media Law". This resolution came as journalists and media in Hungary
are subject to political pressure in the country and as several examples of
censorship took place over the past months.
Many journalists across Europe work
under the threat of political interference and they lack the conditions needed
to work in a professional and ethical environment.
The EFJ is the European group of the International Federation
of Journalists
The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in 30
countries
For more
information contact the EFJ at +32 2 235.2200