Threats to Journalists in Europe INDEX

SPECIAL REPORT | NOVEMBER 2018 Demonising the media: Threats to journalists in Europe INDEX DEMONISING THE MEDIA: THREATS TO JOURNALISTS IN EUROPE ABOUT THIS REPORT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This document is a survey of over 3,000 violations of THIS REPORT WAS PREPARED BY press freedom reported to and verified by Index on Valeria Costa-Kostritsky, Sean Gallagher, Jodie Ginsberg, Joy Hyvarinen and Paula Kennedy with contributions from Mapping Media Freedom Censorship’s media monitoring project – Mapping correspondents: Adriana Borowicz, Ilcho Cvetanoski, João de Almeida Dias, Amanda Ferguson, Dominic Hinde, Investigative Reporting Project Media Freedom – since 2014. It covers 35 European Italy, Linas Jegelevicius, Juris Kaza, David Kraft, Lazara Marinkovic, Fatjona Mejdini, Mitra Nazar, Silvia Nortes, Platform for Independent countries, comprised of the 28 European Union Journalism (P24), Katariina Salomaki, Zoltan Sipos, Michaela Terenzani, member states, 5 candidates for entry to the EU and 2 Pavel Theiner, Helle Tiikmaa, Christina Vasilaki, Lisa Weinberger ILLUSTRATIONS potential candidates for entry to the EU. The incidents Alex Green were logged to Mapping Media Freedom between 1 DESIGN Matthew Hasteley May 2014 and 31 July 2018. 2 INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG MAPPINGMEDIAFREEDOM.ORG DEMONISING THE MEDIA INDEX URNED IN EFFIGY. Insulted. Menaced. Spat at. Discredited by their nation’s Bleaders. Assaulted. Sued. Homes strafed with automatic weapons. Rape threats. Death threats. Assassinations. This is the landscape faced by journalists throughout Europe over the past four years. Mapping Media Freedom has documented media freedom incidents across Europe – over 3,000 were surveyed for this report – since May 2014. The information gathered shows journalists and media outlets targeted in a kaleidoscopic array by political leaders, businesses and the general public – but some key trends have emerged from the reports recorded and verified by the platform. This document outlines some of these, and is in- tended as a survey of the landscape for media freedom in the region to aid lawmakers and those who wish to help an independent, plu- ralistic media landscape to flourish. CREDIT: Alex Green 3 INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG MAPPINGMEDIAFREEDOM.ORG DEMONISING THE MEDIA INDEX Key trends Hungary to Labour and the Scottish Na- tional Party in the United Kingdom. The Traditionally present at demonstrations methods can take many forms, some- Five issues that have been identified from the times subtle (behind-the-scenes phone to document and interpret events, media reports submitted to Mapping Media Freedom calls to an editor), sometimes overt (preventing a journalist affiliated with workers – whether freelance or staff – particular outlets from attending a press are also among the first to be corralled, conference) – but the goal of controlling information flow remains the same. targeted and injured. The second form of interference is National Security and Counter-terrorism potentially more insidious: attempts to dis- Protests Legislation credit media outlets by smearing journalists, Journalists also face a number of risks of- Well-intentioned legislation that aims to news outlets, and in some cases an entire fline. When protesters pour into the streets, protect the citizens and institutions of a industry in order to sow doubt about the journalists are necessarily among the first country is, in the best-case scenario, often veracity of their reporting. This is having a responders – an essential part of their pro- blind to journalism in the public interest. In damaging effect, particularly on the safety fessional duties. Traditionally present at the worst-case scenario, such laws are used of journalists, who increasingly are seen as demonstrations to document and interpret deliberately to prevent the dissemination “fair game” by the broader public and sub- events, media workers – whether freelance of information that is in the public interest. jected to both verbal and physical threats. or staff – are also among the first to be In 39 cases, reporters have been targeted corralled, targeted and injured. A number for prosecution for publishing embarrass- Social Media/Online Harassment of incidents documented at protests – as ing leaked information that governments Social media has provided journalists with a recorded by the Mapping Media Freedom have asserted was not meant for public wide avenue to share their information and project – provide insight into the multidi- discussion. This is an acute issue that often interact with readers in a public yet intimate mensional threats that journalists confront involves the judicial and extrajudicial sur- way. This has helped media professionals when called upon to report from the scene veillance of journalists in an effort to ferret in reporting and allowed for constructive of demonstrations, whether small or large. out the identities of whistleblowers. debates around current events, and can help These include a lack of understanding improve the quality of information avail- among some police forces about the role of Political Interference able to citizens overall. However, the other media at such events. This report identifies two key trends within side of that bargain is the growing hostility this category. The first is direct interference toward journalists online. This takes many Public Television in the operations of media outlets, either forms, from tweets of sexual harassment A significant but underreported trend during by politicians requesting editors or others to death threats made via Facebook. This the period was the threat to public broad- involved in the production of news to alter or is a widespread and pernicious issue that casters. A number of national broadcasters halt a story, or by replacing journalists critical journalists across the continent confront on were brought under closer government con- of a particular political party or policy with a daily basis, and is fomented by the widely trol. Taken together, these reports outline the ones more favourable to those in power. reported remarks of some politicians from importance of maintaining the editorial in- Political interference has come from across member states. Women are most frequently dependence of these vital public services. the spectrum – from Podemos in Spain to the target of such attacks. the Front National in France, from Fidesz in CREDIT: Alex Green 4 INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG MAPPINGMEDIAFREEDOM.ORG DEMONISING THE MEDIA INDEX MAPP ING M E news outlets and through discussions categories and subcategories are available appended in late 2015, D About IA with the submitting correspond- in the Mapping Media Freedom methodol- and a “commercial F R ent. Reports are then published to a ogy section of this document. interference” flag was E E Mapping public-facing website for use by re- Going beyond traditional statistical added in spring 2018. D searchers, journalists and policymak- recording, Mapping Media Freedom’s In a manual process, O ers. The outputs are available to the correspondents write short narrative re- each new flag is tested M Media Freedom wider public through downloadable ports about the incidents. The goal is to against all the reports CSV files from the database and are recount the facts dispassionately, without on the platform, pro- shared widely on social media. The bias toward the journalist or media outlet. viding researchers with Monitoring violations against media professionals project has issued periodic reports Where possible, the incident is placed in the insights into incidents that summarised data on a quarterly context of wider trends within the locality, that have occurred and yearly basis. This document is the whether a city or national media market. since 2014. result of a full review of the data re- All reports for the 35 countries covered in The methodology ported to and verified by the project’s this report are published in English and aims to be as succinct APPING MEDIA FREEDOM is a contributors covering 35 countries. edited by project staff based at Index on as possible, and directs project, funded by the European Com- Each report is flagged against seven Censorship. submitters to flag Mmission, to investigate the full spectrum of main categories and 64 subcategories to The platform records incidents at the local the most appropriate threats to media freedom in the region – provide a sortable and searchable database and national levels. In addition to the cat- subcategories that from the seemingly innocuous to the most of the types of press freedom violations egorisation, this geographic spread aims to apply to the Limita- serious infractions – in a near-real-time sys- taking place in a country. EU-affiliated provide for the first time the fullest possible tion to Media Freedom tem that launched to the public on 24 May countries are further categorised by their awareness of the state of play for journal- category. As a result, 2014. status: member states, candidates and po- ists away from a country’s largest media reported incidents can Driven by Index on Censorship’s decades- tential candidates. Full descriptions of the markets, where most well-publicised press appear – legitimately long experience in monitoring censorship freedom violations occur. – in simultaneous subcategories across the media providers. In all instances, the reports across the globe, Mapping Media Freedom Because Mapping Media Freedom relies project. For example, a journalist’s car documented are rigorously fact-checked by set out

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