Wanted! Real action for media freedom in Europe (2021)

European governments should show stronger political will to protect press freedom

This annual report of the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists, released by 14 international media freedom organisations, presents the annual assessment of threats to media freedom in the 47 Council of Europe’s member states in 2020 and lists 201 serious cases of threats to media freedom, a 40% increase compared to 2019. A record number of alerts concerned physical attacks (52 cases) and harassment or intimidation (70 cases).

The Platform was set up by the Council of Europe in 2015, in co-operation with prominent international NGOs active in the field of the freedom of expression and associations of journalists, to facilitate the collection and dissemination of information on serious threats to media freedom and safety of journalists in the Council of Europe’s member states. The Platform enables the Council of Europe to be alerted in a timely and systematic way to these threats and to take co-ordinated and prompt action when necessary. Its objective is to improve the protection of journalists, better address threats and violence against media professionals and enhance the response capacity within the Council of Europe.