Fighting Words: Journalism Under Assault in Central and Eastern Europe

"This may be the space where journalists and journalism need to act: to argue the case for press freedom and explain just why and how independent journalism can help defend the public interest, reduce corruption, and empower the public."

Independent media developed in central and eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, and some of the countries in this region are among the best ranked places for press freedom worldwide. However, the recent murders in Europe of 3 journalists who had reported on government corruption and organised crime is only one indication that, according to this report, ownership concentration and government hostility threaten the future of independent journalism throughout central and eastern Europe.

The report evaluates the situation of the media in the region, drawing on a combination of: an online survey (fielded between November 4 2019 and December 14 2019) of a sample of 97 journalists working in 16 countries; on- and off-the-record interviews with key journalists; and seminars and background conversations held at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Six major areas of concern for journalists in the region emerged from this process, and they form the organising structure of the report:

1. Anti-journalist rhetoric by politicians and rival media - e.g., around 63% of those who took part in the survey said politicians had criticised them in public speeches or on social media because of content they had published. In the Western Balkans, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama "frequently refers to journalists as rubbish bins (kazan)". Reportedly, "some of the most vicious and hurtful attacks on journalists have come not from politicians but from other journalists, often working for pro-government media outlets."
2. Online and offline attacks on journalists - e.g., over 64% of those questioned said they had been victims of attacks because of their profession. Of that number, 83.3% said they were attacked online, with over 16% of them seeing sensitive personal information revealed online.
3. Media capture and the weaponisation of state advertising - e.g., in Bulgaria, a parliamentarian "who also owns the country's largest cigarette manufacturer, gained control of a large number of media outlets, which he uses in an openly partisan way". Governments use the partisan distribution of advertising by the state and public companies against independent media in Hungary, Poland, and Serbia, the report adds.
4. Deteriorating legal environment - e.g., independent publications in these countries are systematically subjected to lawsuits focusing on libel and defamation, while anti-terror and national security legislation is also used to make their work difficult. In March 2019, the Croatian Journalists' Association (CJA) held a rally to draw attention to 1,100 ongoing lawsuits filed by politicians, public figures, and corporations against journalists.
5. Concerns over a journalist's ability to protect sources - e.g., professionals interviewed in the study described being subjected to phone tapping and recording, email interceptions, and pressures to reveal their sources.
6. Lack of collaboration and solidarity - e.g., only 26% of those surveyed said they belonged to a press association, and only 20% of journalists said they had received any support from press associations when attacked by politicians.

This paper ends with a discussion of what can be done to support journalists. Journalists listed the support of media organisations in their own countries as the most important source of protection; help with legal costs and support from international organisations came next. Other suggestions:

• Recognise the pressures journalists are under and work peer-to-peer (in professional networks) and inside organisations to ensure they have the mental tools to handle that pressure.
• Build on collective responses and call on media associations and professional associations, both domestically and internationally, to highlight the factors that hamper independent journalism.
• Rethink media organisations' relationship with the public, so that, while remaining politically independent, journalists are prepared to talk about the value they provide in society, to convince the public not only to pay for good journalism but to support it when it comes under fire.

In conclusion: "Media in central and eastern Europe, as elsewhere, work best when they are pluralistic, diverse, rigorous, viable, and independent, supported by good laws, democratic leaders, and an engaged public. Journalists from all media organisations will thrive if they recognise that they can compete and disagree, but they should not allow themselves to be manipulated by politicians and others into tearing each other apart, undermining the credibility of the entire industry."