The Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform has issued its 2024 annual report, warning that the war in Ukraine and growing political pressures continue to pose severe
risks to press freedom across Europe. The report highlights persistent threats including digital surveillance, transnational repression, and rising disinformation campaigns, even as new legal protections offer some hope for journalists.
“The safety of journalists covering Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine remains the most urgent concern in Europe,” the report notes. Since 2015, the Platform has been tracking incidents affecting media professionals, and in 2024 it recorded 266 alerts involving physical attacks, intimidation, detention, and other restrictions—slightly fewer than 2023 but still significantly above pre-pandemic levels.
Noel Curran, Director General of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said: “This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Safety of Journalists Platform. It gives us a deep understanding of the dangers media professionals face and calls on governments to take responsibility for crimes against journalists.”
Key threats to press freedom
The report, titled “Europe Press Freedom Report 2024: Confronting Political Pressure, Disinformation and the Erosion of Media Independence,” identifies several pressing threats:
- Digital surveillance: Increasing monitoring risks exposing journalists’ sources and undermining investigative reporting.
- Transnational repression: Journalists, particularly from Russia and Belarus, face intimidation beyond their home countries.
- Media capture: Some governments are exerting influence over independent media outlets.
- Disinformation campaigns**: The spread of AI-generated content and state propaganda threatens to manipulate public opinion.
Countries with the highest number of alerts included Ukraine (40), mostly in Russian-occupied areas, Russia (32), Türkiye (28), Serbia (20), and Georgia (18), where the number of alerts more than tripled due to attacks on journalists covering pro-EU protests.
Physical attacks and detentions
In 2024, 78 alerts involved attacks on journalists’ physical safety, including the deaths of Viktoria Roshchyna in Ukrainian custody, Ryan Evans of Reuters, and Aidos Sadykov in Kazakhstan. Most assaults, excluding war-related incidents, occurred during coverage of public demonstrations and elections.
As of 31 December 2024, 159 journalists were detained across Europe, including 44 in Belarus, 30 in Azerbaijan, 29 in Russia, 28 in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, 27 in Türkiye, and 1 in Georgia.
Legal protections and recommendations
Despite ongoing legal threats, the report emphasizes new measures that could strengthen press freedom, including the Council of Europe recommendation on countering Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and the EU anti-SLAPP directive.
The Platform urges Council of Europe member states, the European Commission, and European institutions to adopt stronger protections for journalists, tackle media capture and disinformation, and promote transparency and accountability.
A decade of monitoring press freedom
Founded in 2015, the Safety of Journalists Platform has now tracked roughly 2,000 alerts. Its 15 partner organizations—including Reporters Without Borders, International Federation of Journalists, PEN International, and the European Broadcasting Union—provide critical data and advocacy to help protect journalists across 46 Council of Europe member states, Russia, and Belarus.
As the Platform approaches its 10th anniversary in April 2025, the report serves as a stark reminder of both the ongoing dangers journalists face and the urgent need for stronger safeguards to uphold press freedom in Europe. Photo by Daniel R. Blume from Orange County, California, USA, Wikimedia commons.