On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, Congress rapporteurs on local and regional media, Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden) and Mélanie Lepoultier (France), issued the following statement:

“The global crises we are facing today bring to the fore the importance of comprehensive and accurate reporting by independent media at all levels, to guarantee the right of citizens to be informed. Climate change may be a global phenomenon, but its impacts are felt first and foremost in our communities at local and regional level. Forest fires destroy regional nature reserves, rainstorms flood our cities’ streets and the rising sea risks gaining territory on coastal communities.

This local impact of climate change needs to be reflected in the press. Citizens must know how climate change affects them concretely and what their local and regional authorities are doing to respond to this challenge. For this, we need strong and independent local media, which are a part of local communities and understand their needs and concerns. Only when citizens are aware of what is at stake and how their lives risk being impacted, will we see real mobilisation for climate action – both by citizens and by public authorities.

That is why, on this World Press Freedom Day, we call for greater support to local and regional media, to ensure better reporting on the local impacts of climate change. We call on local and regional elected representatives to make sure that local journalists can do their job safely and independently, inform them of what your locality is doing to mitigate climate change, and allow them access to the information they need to inform your citizens.

Press and politics, working together at local level, are key in ensuring a sustainable future for Europe’s communities.”

Link to the 2023 Congress report “Local and regional media: watchdogs of democracy, guardians of community cohesion”