2023
When it comes to editorial independence, Europe continues to lead with the highest number of independent state and public media in the world. However, the share of independent public and state media continued to decline in the past year.
The combined share of the four models of independent state and public media in our matrix in the total number of state and public media in Europe further slid to 49%, down from 50% in 2022 and from about 54% in the previous year, indicating a slight yet continuous deterioration. Hence, out of all 117 outlets mapped in Europe, a total of 57 are editorially independent.
The independent state-funded and state-managed media model (ISFM) remains the most popular in Europe, with a total of 30 outlets in this category. The European continent continues to be home to the highest number of independent public media systems in the world, with a total of 12 independent public media corporations operating in European countries.
During the past year, Europe has experienced both positive and negative developments.
By far, the most positive development was recorded in Slovenia where, following the loss by the conservative party of the former prime minister Janez Jansa in the April 2022 elections, the country's public media began to experience better days. The newly installed government led by Robert Golob has made a series of legal amendments that helped the public broadcast group RTVSLO regain its independence from political parties and authorities. Another positive development was registered in Montenegro where the public broadcaster RTCG has shown significant improvements in editorial independence, prompting the European Commission to mention the station in its 2022 report on the country's progress towards EU membership, lauding it for its balanced editorial policy.
On the negative side, three notable developments were monitored. First, Czech Radio, once hailed as an independent public broadcaster, has been tarnished by mounting evidence of censorship and editorial pressures faced by its journalists. A particular incident that grabbed headlines involved the station's refusal to air a podcast based on an investigation that the broadcaster itself had commissioned. Meanwhile, RTSH, the public broadcasting company in Albania, has experienced a series of arbitrary dismissals of journalists following the appointment of new management in 2021. Those dismissals have drawn sharp criticism from both local and international media experts as well as NGOs. Lastly, CRTVG, the public broadcaster in the Galicia region of Spain, has seen its independence gradually erode due to relentless attacks and pressures from the Popular Party (PP), which holds a majority in the regional parliament. Despite journalists' previous efforts to resist such pressures, the influence of the PP at CRTVG has grown, putting the broadcaster's independence at risk.
Europe continues to face a significant divide between its western and eastern regions: eight out of the 12 independent public media outlets are concentrated in Western and Northern Europe. (see more about the regional breakdown in our Global List).
Independent public and state media in the West are also facing a multitude of risks, primarily stemming from relentless attacks by right-wing politicians. In Austria, for instance, the government is actively advocating for an amendment of the ORF act that would significantly alter the station's funding model. This proposed change would eliminate the license fee and potentially replace it with a household levy. Furthermore, the center-right Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), one of the ruling coalition parties, has also called for reductions in the Austria broadcaster's budget. Similar pressures are evident in the United Kingdom, where the government is making plans to abolish the license fee by 2027. However, as of yet, no viable alternative solution has been put forth.
Despite facing such attacks, the public media in Western and Northern Europe continue to enjoy high levels of trust and produce high-quality programming. This is largely due to the presence of a robust civil society that staunchly opposes attempts by politicians and state authorities to manipulate their operations. On the other hand, the state and public media in Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey are often seen as mere mouthpieces for the government. In fact, some 80% of all state and public media in Central and Eastern Europe lack independence, either being privately owned or fully controlled by the state. However, there are a few exceptions to this trend, such as Czech Television, the public broadcasters in the Baltic states (LRT in Lithuania, ERR in Estonia, and Latvian Radio and Latvian Television), the Slovenian public broadcaster RTVSLO, the public broadcaster RTCG in Montenegro, and a number of independent news agencies.
Central and Eastern Europe continues to be affected by a troubling trend, media capture, with state authorities and political parties in power gaining control over the editorial agendas of numerous privately owned media outlets. This model of private capture is particularly prevalent in four countries: Hungary, Poland, Serbia, and Turkey. In these countries, 25 media groups adhere to this model, with some conglomerates boasting extensive portfolios of media outlets across various platforms. KESMA in Hungary, for instance, operates approximately some 470 media outlets across all segments. Additionally, government control extends to national public media in the four countries, with MTVA in Hungary, TVP and Polskie Radio in Poland, RTS and RTV in Serbia, and TRT in Turkey all subject to government influence. With the conservative party PiS in Poland failing to win the majority in the October 2023 elections, the situation of public media in the country is expected to improve.
In the Southern Europe region, the situation is not much improved compared to the Eastern Bloc. Despite the presence of a handful of independent news agencies in Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal, and the existence of one independent public media outlet (RTP in Portugal), the state still holds a firm grip on the media in these countries. This control extends to state media organizations such as CyBC and BRTK in Cyprus, ERT in Greece, RAI in Italy, PBS in Malta, and RTVE in Spain, with only a few exceptions. One of them is represented by the network of regional television channels in Spain, most of which manage to protect their editorial independence despite facing numerous other challenges.