Press Freedom Under Pressure: On the World Press Freedom Day AEJ Calls to Defend Independent Journalism

Irina Nedeva

Vice President of AEJ and Special Representative on Media Freedom

The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in Windhoek in 1991.

We mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2026, in an environment that is unprecedentedly troubling and hostile to the freedom and independence of the media. Public service media are under pressure from political ambitions or financial restrictions in many EU countries, as well as in the United States.

As Vice President of the AEJ-one of the oldest organizations in Europe dedicated to defending the values of European democracy-and as Special Representative for Media Freedom, I express the concern of the AEJ's national sections and its international board about the state of media freedom and the way political elites around the world understand the need for free, independent, and professionally operating media.

In an era of social media that skillfully imitates journalism, and of political and corporate influencing that has replaced the former "spin doctors," defending the independence of quality journalism is becoming ever more important-journalism that fulfills its watchdog role in democracy and does not yield to the pressure of SLAPP lawsuits or to corporate and political capture.

Within the AEJ's national sections, there are journalists who have become targets of SLAPP lawsuits. Attempts to weaken public service media continue in countries in Eastern Europe, where old authoritarian practices are re-emerging or where media capture similar to that which led to the complete domination of the media by Orbán's government is being exercised. It remains to be seen whether his opponent, having won the elections, will succeed in restoring a spirit of independence to what was until recently a captured media system.

What is happening in the United States with the media is also a cause for concern. Restricting funding for established outlets such as Radio Free Europe will lead to imbalances and further complicate the media landscape on the eastern flank of the EU and NATO. At the same time, similar pressures are visible within the EU itself. In Slovakia, for example, the abolition of licence fees and the shift to direct state-budget financing have made the public broadcaster more dependent on the government, increasing the risk of political interference in editorial content.

This financial dependency has been accompanied by broader structural changes: plans to dissolve or restructure the public broadcaster RTVS, replace its leadership through politically influenced mechanisms, and split the institution into new entities have triggered protests by journalists and concern from European watchdogs about media capture.

The combination of reduced financial autonomy and institutional redesign illustrates a wider pattern: public service media are not only being weakened through budgetary constraints, but also made more vulnerable to political control precisely because of the way they are funded.

Journalists in prison, journalists killed on the battlefield, journalists taking serious risks to ensure the existence of independent sources of information-different from the controlled narratives of warring armies or groups-this is what we see globally, including on the European continent. In its various forms, we see it in Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, the Middle East, and especially in hotspots such as Gaza and Iran.

The Index of Reporters Without Borders , one of the organizations partnering with the AEJ in the Council of Europe's Platform for the Safety of Journalists , is sharply critical: "For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world's countries now fall into the 'difficult' or 'very serious' categories for press freedom. In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index has never been so low." This should not discourage professional journalists, nor our young colleagues and students entering the profession with bright eyes, driven by journalism's mission-to reveal what someone has an interest in keeping hidden, to expose abuses of power, and to help citizens better navigate reality so they can make more informed decisions about their future, rather than become victims of large-scale manipulation operations facilitated by social media and now also by AI.

Because democracy is not guaranteed-it depends on each of us and on the journalists who take serious risks to do their work.