Are policy groups equipped to defend media freedom?
8. November 2024
As freedom of expression faces escalating threats worldwide, journalists and advocates for media freedom encounter increasing hostility and violence. Presenting her courageous and harrowing report to the UN General Assembly in October, Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, has warned that the deadly attacks on journalists in Gaza and double standards and discrimination against those advocating for Palestinian rights have created “an unprecedented global crisis of freedom of expression”.
“Rarely have we seen such extensive patterns of unlawful, discriminatory and disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression by States and private actors, especially in Western democracies,” Khan said.
As we mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, a bleak statistic remains: 86% of these crimes go unpunished, revealing a systematic threat to journalism and, by extension, democracy. The situation has deteriorated further in 2024; as of October, CPJ reports that at least 128 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war, marking the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began tracking such data in 1992.
This ongoing pattern reflects a disturbing global tolerance for the targeting, detention, and killing of journalists and underscores the urgent need for stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure respect for international commitments to protect them. Despite global frameworks like the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, and more recently commitments outlined in the Pact for the Future, enforcing these standards remains patchy at best.
The question we ask today is this: In an era of complex and increasingly restrictive media landscapes, are policy and advocacy groups adequately equipped to defend journalism, journalists, and media freedom?
A recent GFMD policy meeting paints a grim picture, detailing the struggles of local and global organisations to engage meaningfully in critical media policy debates. Our briefing, published today, brings insights from 52 partners and a summary of key priorities and obstacles in the fight for independent journalism.
Three primary focus areas—journalists’ protection, digital governance, and media regulation—dominate media advocacy today, with limited resources forcing organisations to stretch thinly across each. Most groups lack the core funding and policy staff needed to engage effectively. Moreover, overlapping policy initiatives at national, regional, and global levels only add to the strain, challenging them to manage competing demands with limited means.
Organisations involved with policy and advocacy are pushing for global frameworks that recognise media and journalism as essential to democratic governance and sustainable development, but transforming these ideals into action remains a daunting task. A lack of representation from civil society in policy forums, combined with power imbalances favouring governments and tech giants, further complicates efforts to safeguard media freedom.
Emerging threats, such as restrictive cyber laws and anti-disinformation measures that stifle dissent, are among the pressing issues. Many groups seek support for legal expertise to counter strategic lawsuits and “foreign agent” laws that block international funding for civil society and independent media work.
Only a minority of journalism policy and advocacy groups are currently active in digital policy, though our briefing underscores its importance and the growing need for campaigns that address the survival of journalism in digital spaces.
To empower the voices of the journalism community and contribute to evidence-based information integrity policies, GFMD and its partners urge donors, funders, international institutions, and democratic governments to reassess and enhance their support for media policy and advocacy. We are adding this plea to those of other organisations, including our friends from the Media Finance Monitor who are calling for EU media funding reform. Shifting from project-specific funding to long-term core support and flexible grants would allow these organisations to develop much-needed capacity and adapt to shifting advocacy needs.
Resources for travel, skill-building, and mentorship would also help smaller organisations navigate complex policy environments and expand their influence. Support for international coalitions, such as those tackling SLAPPs, journalists’ protection, and media regulation and subsidies, demonstrate how collaborative networks amplify advocacy, making them vital to counter restrictive legal and policy trends.
The stakes are high as policy and advocacy organisations prepare for key events like the World Summit of Information Society +20 Review. A coalition led by GFMD successfully lobbied for media freedom and journalist safety to feature in the Summit of the Future’s agenda, a significant win for the sector. Yet the road to meaningful impact requires ongoing advocacy to ensure these commitments translate into protections on the ground.
We often call here for effective support to media and journalism organisations. Yet increasingly, the sector’s future and survival hinge on sustained, flexible support that empowers policy and advocacy groups to defend free expression and journalism—a commitment as critical as it is overdue.
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