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Nach der Eroberung: Wie Autokraten Medien kontrollieren. Insiderchronik der Übernahme unabhängiger Medien in Ungarn

Ákos Tóth

Kempten: Wahrheitsperlen Verlag (2026), 253 pp.

"Dieses Sachbuch dokumentiert als erstes Werk auf dem deutschen Buchmarkt die systematische Übernahme unabhängiger Medien in Ungarn seit 2010 und zeigt, wie kritischer Journalismus durch Oligarchen-Deals und staatlich gelenkte Geldströme Schritt für Schritt erstickt wurde – mitten in einem Mit ... more

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Weaponising the law: Threats to media freedom in Kenya

Lawrence Mute, Andrew Songa

Thomson Reuters Foundation (2026), 55 pp.

"This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the legal threats to media freedom in Kenya today. For the purposes of this report, weaponisation of the law is defined as the deliberate use or misuse of legal provisions and processes to intimidate, silence, or economically weaken media actors. Des ... pite robust constitutional safeguards for freedom of expression and of the media, as well as a vibrant media sector, Kenya continues to experience setbacks in the realisation of these rights, alongside improvements in some areas. This report follows the global Weaponizing the Law: Attacks on Media Freedom report, published in 2023, by providing a country-specific analysis of the Kenyan context. Informed by an initial desktop review of relevant laws, regulations and court decisions, the research included an industry survey and focus group discussions, which identified six primary categories of legal threats: the abuse of court processes; regressive and disabling legislation; weak implementation of media laws; technology-facilitated harms; impunity and safety of journalists; the sustainability of the media industry. This report presents these threats thematically rather than in order of severity, reflecting the fact that they do not occur in isolation, but intersect with broader patterns of political influence, intimidation, and pressure from certain private actors. Together, they undermine independent journalism and weaken the long-term sustainability of the media sector. Our survey found that 42% of media actors in Kenya have faced legal threats in response to their work, including litigation, arrest, and the shutting down of online platforms. A summary of these key threats is outlined below. Moreover, 65% of media professionals who responded to our survey highlighted legal protections as their top support need to ensure the sustainability of journalism in Kenya. Throughout the research and across the six categories of threats documented in this report, three cross-cutting themes have emerged: 1. Legal tools are increasingly used to punish, deter, or delegitimise critical journalism. 2. Institutional weaknesses, such as inconsistent implementation and limited enforcement, undermine the effectiveness of legal protections already on the books. 3. Rapid technological change is outpacing the law, leaving journalists exposed to new risks ranging from AI-driven market disruptions to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. These issues are not unique to the Kenyan context; the solutions will lie in collaborative action that harnesses the expertise of a breadth of stakeholders across the media freedom ecosystem within the country and region." (Executive summary) more

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Under pressure: Report on the situation of threatened cartoonists around the world 2023-2025

Paris: Cartooning for Peace; Cartoonists Rights (2026), 48 pp.

"Between June 2023 and June 2025, Cartooning for Peace recorded eighty-seven cases of threats against cartoonists around the world. The types of attacks recorded reveal a predominance of legal proceedings and cases of censorship. This typology indicates that more insidious repressive mechanisms are ... developing, creating a climate of fear and self-censorship, while circumventing the international attention attracted by more obvious, physical repression. Over the past two years, Cartooning for Peace has recorded twenty-two cases of legal proceedings2 brought against cartoonists in several countries, including Türkiye, India, Malaysia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, there have been fourteen cases of censorship targeting cartoonists, taking various forms: editorial censorship, political censorship, etc. In India, the authorities criminalise and censor critical positions by relying on new information legislation, which is used to silence journalists, cartoonists, human rights defenders, and anyone expressing criticism of the authorities. More and more cartoonists are subjected to judicial proceedings that instrumentalise repressive laws – often those ostensibly addressing cybercrime, dis- and misinformation, sedition, extremism and/or terrorism – in an attempt to censor them. In Egypt, pre-trial detention is becoming a new weapon used by the regime to muzzle those who report and debate, through the abuse of anti-terrorism laws. Türkiye is not spared from the growing criminalisation of the media and journalists. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made clear his desire to silence all dissenting voices, and political cartoonists are being directly targeted. While we are sadly familiar with the list of regimes long-known to be most repressive (Russia, China, Uganda, Nicaragua, etc.), others are shifting towards what some political scientists refer to as competitive authoritarianism’. These hybrid regimes are characterised by the coexistence of democratic institutions and authoritarian practices that violate democratic rules (Türkiye, Hungary, India, the United States, Israel, etc.). On the African continent, cartoonists are increasingly seen less as commentators and more as activists, with political leaders perceiving the visual codes of editorial cartoons as incorporating forms of mobilisation. As youth social movements organise themselves online, cartoons often become rallying symbols, making cartoonists early and visible targets of repression." (General overview, pages 7-8) more

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Protección para un periodismo comunitario y local en la Amazonía: Guía para investigaciones con enfoque de Acción Sin Daño en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú
Deep Insights

Rodrigo Villarzú, Matthias Kopp, Belén Pardo Herrero, Claudia Mejía, Edilma Prada, Nathalia Salamanca Sarmiento, Jorge Guachamín, Lisseth Zhuma, Jorge Agurto

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2026), 54 pp.

"Al inicio del proyecto, cada una de las organizaciones involucradas diseñó sus propios protocolos de seguridad con la asesoría de organizaciones especializadas. La guía sistematiza dichas experiencias para proponer algunas recomendaciones sobre cómo diseñar estos protocolos desde la Acción S ... more

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Eroding Media Freedoms, Eroding Democracy. The Future of the Media in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Facts and Trends

Anida Sokol

Sarajevo; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 37 pp.

"Significant changes in journalism and the media have been unfolding in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), yet these shifts have not been accompanied by adequate policies or interventions. This report outlines key trends affecting journalism, media usage, and democracy, highlighting issues crucial for th ... e future of the profession: • The number of journalism students has significantly decreased over the past decade, a trend which could lead to a shortage of qualified professionals in the long run. • Although unemployment among journalists has declined in recent years, 2023 saw a considerable number of journalists lose their jobs due to the non-renewal of fixed-term contracts or being deemed surplus labour. Unionizing remains unpopular among journalists in the country and without protection mechanisms, journalism in BiH risks becoming even more unstable. • Reports of attacks and violations of journalists’ rights have increased in recent years, reflecting a decline in BiH’s rankings on media freedom indexes. • Despite rapid technological advancements, including the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, the media lack guidelines for their use or studies addressing potential abuses in the media. This absence of regulation and oversight increases the risk of misuse and potential harm. • While regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms exist, they fail to tackle a core issue in the media: biased reporting, which risks becoming normalized in journalistic practices. • The digital era has brought a proliferation of media outlets, including new television channels. The growth of media outlets does not necessarily improve media pluralism, but could lead to smaller newsrooms, increased workloads of journalists and less quality journalistic content. • Print media has been on the decline, and the country’s major political weekly magazines have ceased publication. Without strategic interventions, print media operations will be difficult to sustain in the future. • Media ownership transparency remains unregulated further aggravating media capture. Media outlets are predominantly owned by companies or individuals with business interests beyond the media sector. • The advertising market has grown slightly in recent years, likely influenced by inflation. However, it remains insufficient to support the growing number of media outlets, posing challenges to financial sustainability. • Television still dominates advertising revenue, but online media’s share is steadily increasing, signalling that digital marketing will become increasingly dominant in the coming years. • Public budgets and donor support remain important for sustaining media operations. Without proper regulation, financing from public budgets, however, bring risks to media independence. • Media primarily serve the interests of the three major ethnic groups, excluding minorities from decision-making roles and positions in mainstream outlets, limiting media pluralism." (Executive summary) more

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Even before wartime restrictions, Sudan media faced weak public backing for press freedom

Caroline Nakayiza, Doreen Okisai

Afrobarometer (2025), 12 pp.

"This dispatch looks at Sudanese citizens’ attitudes regarding media freedom as of late 2022, i.e. during the period between the military coup and the beginning of the civil war. Afrobarometer survey findings show that Sudanese were divided both in their support for media freedom and in their asse ... more

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Critical analysis of media discourse and the politics of self-censorship in Afghanistan

Abdul Wahab Rahimi, Zakir Shah, Jianping Lu

Discourse & Communication, volume 19, issue 4 (2025), pp. 676-697

"This study analyzes the role of discursive strategies in the politics of self-censorship in Afghanistan, where political pressure, and independent media work together, and language plays a crucial role in implementing these strategies. Critical Discourse Analysis is used to explore the connection b ... more

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MFRR Slovakia Mission report: Growing Media Capture, Rising Disinformation and Threats to Safety of Journalists

Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) (2025), 15 pp.

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World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2022/2025. Journalism: Shaping a World at Peace
Deep Insights

Randy Covington et al.

Paris: UNESCO (2025), 216 pp.

"Free, independent, pluralistic, and professional journalism is key for defending human dignity, advancing justice, and sustaining peace. Yet today, freedom of expression is under assault as seldom before. The 2022/2025 World Trends Report, Journalism: Shaping a World at Peace, underscores the profo ... more

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Europe Press Freedom Report 2024: Confronting Political Pressure, Disinformation, and the Erosion of Media Independence

Jean-Paul Marthoz (coord.)

Strasbourg: Council of Europe; Safety of Journalists Platform (2025), 68 pp.

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Global Expression Report

Article 19 (2025)

"More than 5.6 billion people have experienced a decline in their freedom of expression over the last 10 years. Scores have sunk in 77 countries, and only 35 countries are now ranked as ‘Open.’ Only 4% of us – fewer than 300 million people – across just 15 countries have experienced improvem ... more

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Media Bias, Legislative Challenges, and the Fight for Freedom. The Future of the Media in Serbia – Facts and Trends

Valentina Sigeti, Teodora Koledin

Sarajevo; Novi Sad; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Novi Sad School of Journalism; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 50 pp.

"Alongside the rise of new technologies and the evolving global conditions in the media industry, journalism and media in Serbia will face numerous challenges, particularly in the areas of basic media freedom and journalist protection, based on the findings of this research: • There is no reliable ... data on the number of journalists in Serbia, or how many of them are women or members of marginalized groups. • Media ownership in Serbia is highly concentrated, particularly in the television broadcasting sector, which affects media reporting. Channels with national frequencies often align their narratives with the government’s or ruling party’s agenda. • The state and ruling party demonstrate tendencies to control the media. This is evident in the newly updated law that allows business companies engaged in electronic communications, such as the state-owned Telekom, to own media outlets. Additionally, findings indicate that some media owners at the local level are connected to the ruling party. • Media financing is often misused to encourage biased reporting. Public calls for funding are corrupted by GONGO media organizations, which prioritize funding pro-government outlets; state advertising is not regulated by law, and the media community was left out of the discussion on new advertising laws; despite receiving the majority of its budget from citizens’ subscriptions, the national public broadcaster RTS is still perceived as one of the most progovernment outlets in the country; foreign donors, including the EU, US and UK, provide significant financial support for media projects in Serbia, but there is no transparent data on the total amount of money donated. • National minorities are represented through media outlets funded by National Councils of National Minorities. However, journalists from some of these media outlets work under political pressures and engage in self-censorship. National minorities living in the northern province of Serbia, Vojvodina, are also served by the provincial public broadcaster RTV. RTS does not provide content in the languages of the Bosnian, Vlach and Bulgarian communities in Serbia’s eastern and western regions. Romani and Albanian communities are represented on RTS, but the amount of content is minimal. • Television is the most commonly used source of news and information, with citizens watching up to eight hours of television daily. The most-watched TV news programmes are central-informative political shows on channels with national frequencies, which are widely considered pro-government. • Only 30% of Serbian citizens trust the media. Social media is the least trusted media type, while television is the most trusted." (Executive summary) more

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Democratic Decline, Economic and Political Pressures, Urgency for Reforms. The Future of the Media in Turkey – Facts and Trends

Sinem Aydinli

Sarajevo; Istanbul; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Bianet; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 39 pp.

"The state of the media and democracy in Turkey faces critical challenges that hinder freedom of expression and pluralism, due to restrictive legal frameworks, economic instability, and cross-ownership in the media sector. Although digitalization has transformed news consumption, the government’s ... more

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Zimbabweans support media’s watchdog role, split on whether there is press freedom

Asafika Mpako, Simangele Moyo-Nyede

Afrobarometer (2025), 11 pp.

"Recent Afrobarometer survey findings show that fully two-thirds of Zimbabweans think the media should act as a watchdog over the government, investigating and reporting on government mistakes and corruption. A similar proportion value media freedom and reject the notion that the government should b ... more

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Freedoms of Speech: Anthropological Perspectives on Language, Ethics, and Power
Deep Insights

Matei Candea, Taras Fedirko, Paolo Heywood, Fiona Wright (eds.)

Toronto: University of Toronto Press (2025), 479 pp.

"Bringing together leading anthropologists, this collection sheds light on the vast topic of freedoms of speech from a comparatively human perspective. Freedoms of Speech provides a sustained, empirical exploration of the variety of ways freedom of speech is lived, valued, and contested in practice; ... more

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Gespiegelte Wirklichkeit: 'Osteuropa' und Öffentlichkeit im Wandel

Manfred Sapper (et al.)

Osteuropa, volume 75, issue 1-3 (2025), 472 pp.

"Der 100. Jahrestag von 'Osteuropa' bietet allerdings Anlass, in drei Bereichen das Verhältnis von Osteuropa und Öffentlichkeit zu analysieren. Der erste ist ein kritischer Blick auf die Geschichte und Gegenwart der Zeitschrift. Seit ihrer Gründung bewegt sich Osteuropa an der Grenze zwischen Wis ... senschaft, Journalismus und Politik. Das ist ein Balanceakt. Jens Bisky und Cord Aschenbrenner als Beobachter von außen machen sich Gedanken, ob er funktioniert, und Mitglieder der Redaktion blicken von innen auf die Vergangenheit, die Konstruktionspläne der Gegenwart und den künftigen Reformbedarf. Noch steht Osteuropa quer zum herrschenden Trend der Fragmentierung und Parzellierung der Öffentlichkeit. Interdisziplinarität bleibt fester Bestandteil des Osteuropa-Gens. Der zweite Bereich ist der Frage gewidmet, wie „der Osten“ in den deutschen Horizont kommt und wie aus Informationen Wissen wird. Welche Themen kommen an, welches Erkenntnisinteresse steht hinter der Beschäftigung mit Geschichte, Politik, Literatur oder Musik Osteuropas? Eine Pionierfunktion zur Vermittlung von Informationen aus anderen Ländern haben Korrespondenten. Sie registrieren als erste politische und kulturelle Trends vor Ort, sie sollen durch verlässliche Informationen Öffentlichkeit herstellen. Doch das ist nicht so einfach. Christian Neefs Portrait der drei „Korrespondenten-Promis“ Paul Scheffer, Hermann Pörzgen und Gerd Ruge sowie Markus Ackerets Schilderungen aus dem Moskau von heute veranschaulichen, wie politische Rücksichtnahme, Restriktionen, Einschüchterung und Selbstzensur die Arbeit an der Aufklärung beeinträchtigen. Gleichzeitig zeigen die Rezeptionsanalysen in diesem Bereich, wie stark die historische Osteuropaforschung und die deutsche Aufnahme von Literatur und Musik aus dem Osten Europas von der politischen Großwetterlage bestimmt sind. So spiegeln sich die politischen Brüche des Jahrhunderts 1:1 in der deutsch-deutschen Rezeption sowjetischer Musik. Und das literarische Osteuropa, das lange Zeit terra incognita war, wurde über die besondere Gewaltgeschichte der Region sowie die Verarbeitung der existenziellen Gewalterfahrung im Holocaust oder im Gulag geprägt. En passant zollen wir auf diesem Wege auch einigen jener Personen Anerkennung, die mit ihrem Wirken viel für die Osterweiterung des deutschen Horizonts und für die publizistische Qualität von Osteuropa getan haben und nicht zufällig unter den Autoren dieses Bandes sind: den Historikern Karl Schlögel, Dietrich Beyrau und Gerd Koenen, der Lektorin Katharina Raabe, dem Slavisten Ulrich Schmid, der Musikwissenschaftlerin Dorothea Redepenning und dem Ökonomen Roland Götz. Danke! Im dritten Bereich nehmen wir den Wandel der Medienlandschaft, der Öffentlichkeit und der Gesellschaft in den Kernländern Osteuropas, in Russland, der Ukraine und Belarus in Zeiten von Diktatur und Krieg unter die Lupe. Während es in der Ukraine allen kriegsbedingten Einschränkungen zum Trotz nach wie vor einen relativen Medienpluralismus gibt, sind die Medien in Belarus und Russland weitgehend gleichgeschaltet, Freiräume für Öffentlichkeit und Gesellschaft zerschlagen. Damit wächst die politische und gesellschaftliche Bedeutung des Journalismus, der Publizistik und des Verlagswesens im Exil. Sie sind das Surrogat der öffentlichen Sphäre und Pfeiler der Gegenöffentlichkeit. Und gleichzeitig sind auch sie Barometer zur Prognose der politischen Großwetterlage." (Editorial) more

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Ugandans support free media that holds government accountable

Jane Mercy Muthoni Kamunyi

Afrobarometer (2025), 10 pp.

"Findings from the Afrobarometer Round 9 survey (2022) show that a strong majority of Ugandans supported media freedom and believed the media should play a watchdog role by investigating and reporting on government mistakes and corruption. Most citizens said the public should have access to governme ... more

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Factsheet Chilling Effect on Freedom of Expression: Regional Human Rights Courts Perspective

Anderson J. Dirocie De León, Juan Manuel Ospina Sánchez, Lautaro Furfaro

Columbia University, Global Freedom of Expression (2025), 14 pp.

"This Factsheet is meant to complement our upcoming book chapter Global Standards on the Chilling Effect: A Comparative Analysis of Case Law from the African, European, and Inter-American Human Rights Systems, by highlighting how regional human rights courts have understood and addressed the chillin ... more

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Media Capture Monitoring Report: Overview. The European Media Freedom Act: The solution to Capture or Just Fine Print?

Zsuzsa Detreköi, Marius Dragomir

Vienna: International Press Institute (IPI); Media Journalism Research Center (MJRC) (2025), 30 pp.

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2024 Assistance report: Protecting exiled journalists is crucial for press freedom

Victoria Lavenue, Maxine Singeot, Coline Raffaelli, Emmanuelle Dareys, Matéo Pellerin

Paris: Reporters Without Borders (2025), 15 pp.

Protección para un periodismo comunitario y local en la Amazonía: Guía para investigaciones con enfoque de Acción Sin Daño en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú Deep Insights

World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2022/2025. Journalism: Shaping a World at Peace Deep Insights

Freedoms of Speech: Anthropological Perspectives on Language, Ethics, and Power Deep Insights

Protección para un periodismo comunitario y local en la Amazonía: Guía para investigaciones con enfoque de Acción Sin Daño en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú
Deep Insights

World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2022/2025. Journalism: Shaping a World at Peace
Deep Insights

Freedoms of Speech: Anthropological Perspectives on Language, Ethics, and Power
Deep Insights