Europe: media freedom in retreat

Abstract

While some member states violently obstruct media freedom, European Union manipulation conceals truths. Horsley, media freedom representative of the Association of European Journalists and a former BBC foreign correspondent, unveils a disingenuous strategy. He writes: "The many-sided assaults on media freedom have compounded what was already a complex and daunting task to report Europe adequately and journalists still struggle to find the vocabulary to describe the unique hybrid nature of the European Union... It is time that national governments came clean about the realities of the EU, the fierce national rivalries that are still played out inside its meetings, and the limits of their own ability to manage its huge administrative and governmental machine. It is time, too, for the media to stop being embarrassed about Europe and to find new ways of telling a complex and vitally important story. For that, one of the first tasks must be to win back the media freedom and independence that has been dangerously eroded."