Don't Stress the Press: Protecting the 4th Pillar of Democracy

Journalists function as the watchdogs of our democracies, but across Europe they face threats, political pressure, and surveillance for solely doing their job. Our initiative, 'Don’t Stress the Press: Protecting the 4th Pillar of Democracy' asks the EU to take action to protect media independence. 

We want to make sure media regulators are free from political influence, protect journalists from harassment and spying, and fund independent news outlets so they can survive and report the truth. 

The proposed amendment to the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is a rapid-response EU mechanism, like criminalising the harassment and assault by public and private actors, to quickly address any attacks on press freedom. We also propose equal funding of independent media outlets in order to gain resources to spread the truth and reliable news. Supporting this initiative isn’t just about helping journalists, it’s about defending democracy, transparency, and the right of every European to know the truth.