Media Freedom ‘Under Sustained Attack’ Across EU as Public Trust Drops, Liberties Report Finds
Journalists across the European Union face rising harassment, threats, and violence while news outlets are increasingly controlled by a shrinking number of proprietors, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said in a report released Tuesday. The fifth annual assessment warns that public trust in media has plummeted, placing EU officials “on high alert” over the state of democratic safeguards.
The report, titled “Media Freedom and Pluralism Under Sustained Attack,” found that the combination of physical dangers to reporters and concentrated ownership is eroding the foundation of independent journalism. “Media freedom and pluralism ‘under sustained attack’ across mainland Europe,” the Liberties report stated, using the group’s exact wording. The findings draw on data collected across 27 member states over the past year, documenting a pattern of deterioration that the group says demands urgent action from Brussels.
Rising Threats to Journalists
The report details that journalists in the EU face increasing levels of harassment, threats, and violence—a trend that has accelerated since the pandemic. In several member states, reporters covering protests, corruption, and far-right demonstrations have been physically assaulted or subjected to online intimidation campaigns. The Liberties report noted that legal protections for journalists remain uneven, with some countries failing to prosecute attacks effectively.
The findings should place EU officials “on high alert,” the group said, as the erosion of press freedom undermines the bloc’s democratic foundations. The report comes amid broader concerns about rule-of-law backsliding in Hungary and Poland, though the Liberties assessment covers all member states.
Concentrated Ownership and Plummeting Trust
Beyond physical threats, the report highlights that news outlets are owned by a shrinking number of proprietors, reducing the diversity of voices available to the public. In several EU countries, a handful of billionaires or political allies control the majority of print, broadcast, and online media, creating conflicts of interest and limiting editorial independence.
Public trust in media has plummeted as a result, the report found. Across the EU, citizens increasingly view news organizations as biased or untrustworthy, a trend that the Liberties report links directly to ownership concentration and political interference. The group called for stronger antitrust enforcement and transparency rules to prevent further consolidation.
Call for EU Action
The Civil Liberties Union for Europe urged the European Commission to take immediate steps, including stronger protections for journalists, stricter media ownership rules, and funding for independent journalism. The report recommends that EU institutions tie access to bloc funds to member states’ compliance with media freedom standards.
The report was released on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, and is based on data from 27 member states collected over six months. The Liberties group said it will continue monitoring the situation and plans to issue follow-up assessments later this year.