Media & Presss Freedom

The opposition’s overwhelming election victory and the ousting of the Orbán regime are of historic significance for Hungary and the whole of Europe. A conversation with Bulcsú Hunyadi from the Budapest based think tank Political Capital on the reasons behind the success of the TISZA party, the challenges facing the future government, and the tireless efforts of civil society.

In the run-up to Hungary’s 2026 election, the battle for power is being fought not only at rallies, but also across billboards, TV studios, and Facebook feeds. After more than a decade of media capture under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, critics warn that the country’s tightly controlled media space risks turning the vote into a test not of political support, but of propaganda’s reach. Still, the question remains: what will happen afterwards

For the third time, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union | Global Dialogue, in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington, DC, is looking for a select number of journalists reporting on climate disinformation. Apply now if you have research ideas on the threat of growing climate denialism, the relation between big tech and climate obstruction, the climate counter-disinformation community or similar topics. The application deadline is Tuesday 9 September 2025, 23:59 CEST.

The European Digital Services Act (DSA) lays down new rules for online platforms, seeks to strengthen user rights and intends to hold tech companies to account. But what specific measures does the DSA include and why is it under so much pressure from the new US government and big tech companies?

An umbrella does not shield against flooding. For the European Democracy Shield to do what it says, it must encompass the full spectrum of hybrid threats, not only foreign disinformation. Like any shield, it is only as strong as its bearer. If it is to be more than a fig leaf, our work to defend democracy must start at home.

Over the past fifteen years, the French media landscape has been radically transformed. While demand for information has never been so high, thanks to the digital revolution, the overall supply of information has never been so low, giving rise to growing concern among media professionals represented by journalists' societies, unions, associations and collectives.

News outlets have a complex love-hate relationship with the far right, marked by antagonism and mutual benefit. Far-right specialist Cas Mudde shares a few simple tips on how to inform citizens without falling into the traps of laziness, manipulation and connivance.

On February 27 2024, the well-known Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov, co-founder and long-time director of the Memorial human rights centre, was sentenced to two years and six months of prison Moscow and arrested in the courtroom - for "repeated discrediting of the Russian army."

With this fellowship, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union gives a select number of journalists the opportunity for on-the-ground reporting on climate disinformation case studies. The articles will be published as part of a web dossier on battling climate disinformation. Deadline for applications: Sunday, 10 March 2024, 23:59 CET. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Early applications preferred.

Under the umbrella of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), thirteen journalists, press freedom, and civil society organizations are calling the EU institutes and the governments of member states to impose greater transparency on the media and their relations with political decision-makers and economic players.

Giorgos Christides and Katy Fallon are our 2023 Climate Disinformation Media Fellows! They will pursue on-the-ground reporting on climate disinformation case studies. Their articles will be published as part of a web dossier on battling climate disinformation.

The once lively scene of local and national Ukrainian media is threatened by the brutal Russian invasion and occupation. War has changed the work of journalists and media business models are under threat.

A new law in Turkey that would jail people for spreading “fake news” online has widened the rift with European digital regulations and human rights standards to tighten the muzzle on the press and social media users ahead of elections next year.

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine represents a watershed moment of truly unfathomable magnitude in European post-war history. This war between democracy and authoritarianism is also waged on another battleground: the media. A free, independent press and a vital, diverse media landscape are the backbone of a liberal democracy. But especially in Europe and in the EU, these pillars of democratic order are coming under increasing pressure. The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's European Democracy Conference 2022 will therefore focus on the question of how we can specifically and decisively counteract the advancing deterioration of free reporting.

After a long period during which the media landscape has been mirroring the prevailing clientelism, Greece is now experiencing a rapid downslide towards dangerous pathways regarding media pluralism that bring the quality of democracy in the country into question. A look at the events and political developments that have accumulated over the last months.

In France, government disinformation is a rare phenomenon and the truth is swiftly revealed, thanks in particular to the work of certain media sources published information. Although it is not widespread, all manipulation has its consequences, gradually increasing the people’s distrust of institutions.

The hacking of dissidents worldwide is even more widespread than we thought. This year’s largest cross-border investigative undertaking, the Pegasus Project, has revealed that at least 10 governments have used sophisticated Israeli spyware to gather information on human rights activists, independent journalists, and opposition politicians. The only EU member in the pool of offenders was Hungary. This might not be an unexpected development for most readers, but it is a further blow to both independent journalism and the sanctity of citizens’ privacy.

The unsavoury link between oligarchs, the banking sector, the media and politics is what characterizes, in a nutshell, the state of the Greek media landscape. The prolonged financial crisis has had a decisive role in further hampering media freedom in the country, posing a real threat to the quality of democracy in Greece.

In North Macedonia, it has become the norm for pro-Russian politicians to attack activists, human rights defenders and journalists with outrageous online behaviour, bullying and threats to our lives. My case, as the President of the human rights organisation CIVIL, is not an exception, but certainly is one of the most illustrative ones.

The direction has been pointing constantly downwards since 2015. In the international ranking on press freedom by "Reporters Without Borders", Poland was 18th at the time, but has now slipped to 62nd place. 44 places in five years. The changes in the media landscape are admittedly occurring more subtly than in Hungary, for example. But restrictions on the work of journalists in the country are becoming increasingly noticeable.