The Council of Europe’s Journalists Matter – Campaign for the Safety of Journalists was at the centre of a series of events held in Monaco on 8 October, bringing together public authorities, journalists, young people, experts and the wider public for discussions on disinformation, media literacy and the role of journalism in democratic societies.

The activities took place on the margins of a meeting of the Bureau of the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI), hosted in Monaco in the framework of the Monegasque Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The programme opened with a press conference presenting the Journalists Matter Campaign and several initiatives developed under the Monegasque Presidency around youth and disinformation. Particular attention was given to the forthcoming international youth event “Youth Facing Disinformation - Why Journalists Matter”, to be held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 9 and 10 November 2026.

The discussions highlighted the increasingly complex information environment in which young people navigate today, shaped by social media, algorithms, rapidly circulating content and the growing use of artificial intelligence. Against this background, participants stressed the continued importance of professional journalism in verifying information and enabling informed democratic participation.

The Council of Europe also took part in an exchange with secondary-school students, offering an opportunity to discuss directly with young people how they access and assess information, how they distinguish between reliable and misleading content, and what role journalists can play in an environment where everyone can both consume and produce information. The exchange also underlined the central message of the Journalists Matter Campaign: protecting journalists is not only about protecting a profession. When journalists are threatened, intimidated or prevented from carrying out their work, society as a whole loses access to information and independent scrutiny.

The day concluded with a public round table at the Médiathèque Caroline, under the theme “Disinformation: what challenges, what responses?”. Journalists, researchers, experts, institutional representatives and actors from the information environment discussed the challenges posed by disinformation, media and information literacy, the responsibilities of online platforms and the role of journalists in strengthening access to reliable information.

The Monaco events also served as a bridge towards the 9-10 November Strasbourg youth initiative, organised by the Council of Europe under the Monegasque Presidency as part of the Journalists Matter Campaign. The Strasbourg event will bring together young people from across Europe with journalists, digital creators, experts and decision-makers. Through a high-level conference and interactive workshops, participants will explore disinformation, media and information literacy, artificial intelligence, the safety of journalists and the changing ways in which young people engage with information.

Beyond the November meeting, the initiative will support youth-led projects continuing into 2027, placing young people not simply in the position of recipients of information, but as active contributors to a more resilient and trustworthy information environment. Through these activities, the Journalists Matter Campaign continues to connect the safety of journalists, access to reliable information and democratic resilience, while increasingly engaging younger generations in the discussion.