On 12 September 2024, the Ministers’ Deputies held an informal exchange of views, with invited guests and partners of the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform, on media freedom and safety of journalists. The main items under discussion were as follows:

Enabling access to reliable information and countering disinformation, with the participation of Steve Capus, President, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Dainius Radzevicius, Chairman, Lithuanian Journalists Union. The participants discussed: effective ways of combatting propaganda and disinformation; and how to promote democratic values, circumventing censorship to provide access to reliable news and ensure an open debate.

Journalism in exile – challenges and responses, with the participation of Pierre Dagard, Head of Advocacy, Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) and Maria Ordzhonikidze, Director, Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ). The participants discussed: good practices; and what should be the approach of the Council of Europe and member states to help exiled journalists to continue their reporting work.

European responses to new and emerging threats to media freedom, with the participation of Andrea Campbell, Communications Manager, Legal & Policy, EU & Institutional Affairs, European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Ricardo Gutierrez, General Secretary, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). The participants discussed: the current and future situation; how to ensure that the erosion of media freedom is reversed; and what should be the actions within the European institutions, and notably at the Council of Europe, to contribute to a free and thriving press.