Trend: Media under pressure

A trend indicates a direction of change in values and needs which is driven by forces and manifests itself already in various ways within certain groups in society.

Media is one of the cornerstones of every democratic society. Through investigative journalism, the media requires the transparency and accountability of the government. It is often referred to as a ‘watchdog’ of democracy and fourth estate. The functions of media are to inform, educate, entertain, socialise.

The news industry is transforming under several constraints, economic models and digital technology. The role of traditional media and journalism is changing, with more pressure on journalists to produce news quickly and to focus more on soft (entertainment/infotainment) than on hard (political affairs) news, thus leaving little space for investigative journalism.

The 24h news cycle puts requirements on journalists to search quickly for information to publish, sometimes without verification. Digital platforms represent an additional pressure, taking away the traditional source of income via advertising. There is an increasing need for democratic governments to support quality media production.

This Trend is part of the Megatrend Increasing influence of new governing systems

Manifestations

Developments happening in certain groups in society that indicate examples of change related to the trend.

Global decline of democracy

A global decline of democracy has been perceived worldwide. According to the Freedom House, democratic systems around the world have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 crisis. Misinformation and disinformation about the COVID-19 virus (i.e. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2, or SARS-CoV-2), treatments and vaccines, have spread quickly online, to advance political aims by undermining trust in the institutions while jeopardizing lives.

This has had an impact on media, formerly seen as one of the key pillars of democratic society. For citizens to be able to hold politicians accountable and make rational choices, access to quality information is indispensable. The role of the media has traditionally been to inform about public affairs issues and act as a forum of debate enabling the participation in the public discourse, as well as accountability. Without free media, there is no informed citizenship that can participate in the democratic society. Likewise, without robust democracies, independent quality media cannot survive. 

Signals of change: UNESCO, European Commission, Freedom House

Shrinking media freedoms 

Media freedom and pluralism are among the main values of a democratic society. Pluralism means believing in all kinds of different things and tolerating each other's beliefs even when they do not match one’s own. Media freedom has been deteriorating. Violence against journalists is increasing across the EU (e.g. the attack against Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015, the assassinations of Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 in Malta, Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová in 2018 in Slovakia, and the recent murders of Greek journalist Giorgos Karaivaz and Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries). The independence of the media sector is under attack by some populist politicians. This can have negative impacts on democracy in general.

Signals of change: European Economic and Social Committee, European Commission, UNESCO

Online safety of journalists

Journalists are increasingly under pressure from online smear campaigns initiated by politicians or public figures. Online attacks such as email hacking, cyberbullying and the use of bots against journalists and their sources, as well as online surveillance and tracking of journalists - are all occurring and posing concern. Protecting the confidentiality of a journalists’ communications through increased cybersecurity is needed for a democratic society.

Signals of change: Committee for Editorial Independence, UNESCO

Regulation of digital media by public and private entities

Governments in Europe and around the world are increasingly trying to regulate social media, especially in connection to online political advertising. In parallel, social media companies have the power to create/enhance public figures, but also to suspend public accounts according to their own policies. 

Signals of change: European Parliament, FGB, Council of Europe

Interesting questions

What might this trend imply, what should we be aware of, what could we study in more depth? Some ideas:

• What will be the future of democracies, if media stays under pressure?

• How would public sphere look without any independent quality media?

• How can journalists be better protected in their everyday work?

• Who has the mandate to regulate digital platforms? 

• How could one enforce the broader public interest on social media platforms?