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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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M20 Johannesburg Declaration: Media Summit urges global prioritisation of information integrity for the public good

M20 Media Integrity; South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF); Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) (2025), 11 pp.

"Our call on media and civil society – as well as other stakeholders such as independent information regulatory bodies and business entities, to act on: Information integrity -- Artificial Intelligence -- Media viability -- Safety -- Women and media -- Children, young people (teenagers) and margin ... more

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A New Era or Error? Community Radio Licensing in Zimbabwe: Issues, Dynamics, and Sustainability Challenges

Makhosi Nkanyiso Sibanda, Buhle Nkomo

Journal of Radio & Audio Media, volume 32, issue 1 (2025), pp. 24-47

"The Zimbabwean government has been criticized across scholarship for its lack of sincerity in ensuring media plurality, especially in the radio broadcasting sector. In 2020, when community radio stations were granted licenses for the first-time in the post-Mugabe era, the Mnangagwa-led government w ... more

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Media Defence: Strategy 2025-2029

London: Media Defence (2025), 16 pp.

"The Strategy for 2025-2029 maintains our focus on attaining excellence in legal services to journalists wherever they are, with the ultimate goal that they continue their crucial public interest reporting. The Strategy for 2025-2029 maintains our focus on attaining excellence in legal services to j ... more

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Recomendaciones para fortalecer el ecosistema audiovisual chileno: Foco en la ficción televisiva sobre la historia reciente

Mónika Contreras Saiz, Holle Meding, Hannah Müssemann, Stefan Rinke, Lorena Antezana Barrios, Claudia Lagos Lira, Ricardo Ramírez

Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin; GUMELAB (2025), 29 pp.

"En las últimas dos décadas, la televisión chilena ha experimentado un notable crecimiento en la producción de series de ficción que abordan episodios traumáticos de la historia reciente, especialmente la dictadura militar (1973–1990). Estas obras —que denominamos series de la memoria— n ... o solo recrean hechos históricos con alto impacto social, sino que también movilizan recuerdos personales, afectan la percepción del pasado y contribuyen a la construcción de la memoria colectiva. Estas recomendaciones surgen de la colaboración entre el proyecto GUMELAB de la Freie Universität Berlin y la Facultad de Comunicación e Imagen de la Universidad de Chile, y se enmarcan en el convenio de cooperación establecido entre esta última y el Consejo Nacional de Televisión. Nuestras investigaciones identificaron problemas clave en el ecosistema audiovisual chileno y, en específico, en la producción de ficciones audiovisuales que abordan el pasado del país: fragmentación institucional y financiera: fondos concursables aislados sin diagnóstico sistémico; barreras de entrada y descoordinación: trámites desiguales que penalizan a productoras emergentes; inestabilidad y escasa sensibilización: rotación de autoridades y visión genérica de “industrias creativas”; financiamiento insuficiente y poco mixto: énfasis en proyectos puntuales y falta de apoyos directos o gravámenes sostenibles; déficit de archivo y acceso: ausencia de política pública para conservar y facilitar el uso del patrimonio televisivo; métricas limitadas para las series históricas e internacionalización débil: rating único, sin integrar VoD, redes sociales, uso educativo ni circulación global. Con base en estos hallazgos, se proponen recomendaciones organizadas por plazos de implementación: corto plazo: diagnóstico integral de financiamiento, instrumentos y normativas, mesas técnicas interinstitucionales y sensibilización de autoridades sobre los tiempos y dinámicas del sector audiovisual; mediano plazo: desarrollo de métricas multidimensionales, ampliación de la circulación (retransmisiones, transmedia y diálogo digital), y fortalecimiento de la formación docente y profesional en el uso crítico de series históricas; largo plazo: estrategia coordinada de circulación nacional e internacional, política nacional de archivo televisivo, diversificación de financiamiento mixto y líneas especiales para series históricas en TV abierta." (Resumen ejectuivo, página 5) 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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Freedom of Expression and the Law in Russia: Asymmetrical Information

Mariya Riekkinen, Mariya Riekkinen

Oxford: Routledge (2025), 170 pp.

"This book discusses how Russia’s legal system restricts freedom of expression. As the author analyses legal amendments restricting the free flow of information since 2012, she draws upon Akerlof’s framework of “Asymmetrical information” and Luhmann’s “System Theory” to show how these ... more

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More Media, Rising Challenges for Journalists. The Future of the Media in Montenegro – Facts and Trends

Milica Bogdanovic

Sarajevo; Skopje; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Montenegro Media Institute; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 34 pp.

"Since the change of the long-standing DPS government in mid-2020, Montenegrin society has faced political crises. Frequent election cycles and instability in ruling majorities have affected the speed and quality of Montenegro’s integration into the EU, the work and functioning of institutions, an ... d the general social and political environment. After the reconstruction of Montenegro’s 44th government, anti-democratic and anti-European tendencies emerged. These tendencies are reflected in the advocacy for legislation aimed at changing the constitutional order regarding language and citizenship, suppressing criticism from the civil sector, and undermining relations with neighbouring Croatia, an EU member state. This has been accompanied by a decline in trust in key political institutions and an overall unsatisfactory political culture. Although several international studies monitoring the state of democracy, the rule of law, corruption perception, and media freedoms show progress compared to previous years, the current situation in media and journalism is not encouraging. In recent years, institutions have attempted to strategically address the media sector through the adoption of a Media Strategy and amendments to media laws. However, these regulations have not adequately addressed some of the key issues affecting the media landscape, such as media ownership transparency, strong foreign influence in media ownership structures, unregistered portals, and the fight against disinformation. Additionally, they have not implemented new European regulations in this area, indicating that media laws will need to be revised again. The significant increase in the number of media outlets in Montenegro has not led to greater media pluralism or improved journalistic standards. The media market is small, and the launch of new outlets lacks economic justification. The media scene is heavily influenced by foreign actors, predominantly from Serbia. Owners from Serbia control four out of five television stations with national frequency, and two out of three daily newspapers are foreign-owned. These media outlets inevitably influence public opinion and are used to expand political influence, which affects the quality of media reporting and threatens the survival of locally owned media outlets. Year after year, the amount of public funds allocated to media outlets through the Media Pluralism Fund has increased, which is important for their sustainability. The Agency for Electronic Media and the Ministry of Culture and Media distribute the funds transparently, but mechanisms for evaluating the quality of financed projects need to be established. The national regulator, the Agency for Electronic Media, has improved its communication with the public. Recent amendments to the law have expanded its jurisdiction, enabling it to impose measures of varying intensity. While it remains responsible only for electronic media, there is clear potential for the agency to develop into an independent and professional regulator that consistently applies regulations. Current self-regulatory mechanisms in Montenegro’s media sector are not effective, but there is potential for further development in the new amendments to the law. These amendments require media outlets to develop internal self-regulation if they wish to receive funds from the Media Pluralism Fund. Implementing this legal provision must be accompanied by raising awareness among media and journalists about the importance of strong self-regulation. This will help citizens recognize self-regulation as an independent authority capable of improving the quality of reporting and providing a reliable platform for submitting complaints." (Conclusions, pages 28-29) 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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Recomendaciones estratégicas para fortalecer la ficción televisiva sobre la historia reciente de Colombia

Mónika Contreras Saiz, Hannah Müssemann, Holle Meding, Stefan Rinke, Edward Goyeneche-Gómez, Carlos A. Gutiérrez González, Enrique Uribe-Jongbloed

Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin; GUMELAB (2025), 28 pp.

"En las últimas dos décadas, la televisión colombiana ha incrementado significativamente la producción de telenovelas y series de ficción que abordan episodios traumáticos de la historia reciente del país, en particular relacionados con el conflicto armado y el narcotráfico. Estas obras —q ... more

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Paris Declaration on Multilateral Action for Information Integrity and Independent Media

Paris: High-Level International Conference on Information Integrity and Independent Media; International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), October 29 (2025)

"On the occasion of the High-Level International Conference on Information Integrity and Independent Media, we, the undersigned governments, commit to fortifying multilateral action in support of information integrity and independent media. In times of increased polarization, violations of the right ... more

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Políticas comunicacionales en Bolivia en el gobierno de Evo Morales Ayma (2006-2019)

José Armando Guidi-Gutiérrez

In: Medios, servicio público y políticas de comunicación en América Latina, España y Portugal

Aurora Labio-Bernal, Carlos Del-Valle-Rojas (eds.)

Salamanca: Comunicación Social Ediciones y Publicaciones (2025), pp. 189-207

"A partir de este estudio, se afirma que el orden constitucional en Bolivia implementado en el año 2009 fortalece la regulación de los derechos comunicacionales y establece las bases para la creación del ministerio de Comunicación que funcionó bajo dos lineamientos, el de controlar el flujo inf ... more

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Communication and democracy in Brazil and Germany: Media accountability, public service media, internet access and right to information

Danilo Rothberg, Susanne Fengler, Fernando Oliveira Paulino, Rogério Christofoletti (eds.)

São Paulo: Cultura Acadêmica (2025), 304 pp.

"The expertise brought by three important Brazilian public universities (Unesp, UnB, and UFSC), combined with the knowledge accumulated through research investment by the Technische Universität Dortmund, was taken here as a unique and rich source of knowledge capable of avoiding the pitfalls and ov ... more

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Media freedom and journalist safety in the UK Online Safety Act

Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt

Journal of Media Law, volume 15, issue 2 (2024), pp. 179-212

"In the digital era, journalists are targeted with online abuse including serious threats of violence. These censorship tactics are a direct threat to media freedom. Although the UK Government intended to tackle online abuse of journalists in the Online Safety Act 2023, provisions fit for that purpo ... more

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Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on countering the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)

Council of Europe (2024), 10 pp.

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The Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action
Key Guides

Laura Moore, Elena Köhler, Clare Cook

Bonn et al.: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Media Viability Manifesto Initiative (2024), 33 pp.

"The Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) provides an urgently needed common framework for joint action from the global media development community. Its aim is three-pronged: To foster conceptual clarity, to strengthen strategic collaboration between multiple stakeholders, and to align practical implemen ... more

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Handbook of Media and Communication Governance

Manuel Puppis, Robin Mansell, Hilde Van den Bulck (eds.)

Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing (2024), 630 pp.

"This state-of-the-art Handbook provides unique insights into the governance practices and institutions shaping digitalized public spheres. Focusing on the power relations involved, it presents diverse approaches to key debates in media and communication governance, showcasing groundbreaking advance ... more

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Publicidad oficial, medios y libertad de expresión en Chile: Marco regulatorio y políticas de distribucion de la publicidad oficial en el país

Laureano Checa

Observacom (2024), 63 pp.

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Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias: Un cadre commun pour une action conjointe
Key Guides

Laura Moore, Elena Köhler, Clare Cook

Bonn et al.: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Media Viability Manifesto Initiative; UNESCO IPDC (2024), 37 pp.

"Le Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias (MVM) établit un cadre commun, dont le besoin est urgent, pour une action conjointe de la part de la communauté mondiale du développement des médias. Son objectif est triple : Promouvoir une vision claire, renforcer la collaboration stratégique entre ... more

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Case law on content moderation and freedom of expression

Erik Tuchtfeld

New York: Columbia University, Global Freedom of Expression, 2nd ed. (2024), 29 pp.

"This edition of the Special Collection on the Case Law of Freedom of Expression: Case law on content moderation and freedom of expression is an update of the 2023 Special Collection on content moderation and freedom of expression. It includes cases that have been added to the database in the period ... more

The Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action Key Guides

Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias: Un cadre commun pour une action conjointe Key Guides

The Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action
Key Guides

Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias: Un cadre commun pour une action conjointe
Key Guides