On 23 July, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) submitted its contribution to the European Commission’s consultation on the European Media Freedom Act’s (EMFA) Article 18. Under Article 18, very large online platforms (VLOPs) will be required to respect new procedural safeguards when they intend to remove or restrict the visibility of journalistic content. The EFJ underlines the importance of a strong journalists’ privilege to protect editorial content from arbitrary and opaque content moderation practices deployed by VLOPs.
To benefit from Article 18’s safeguards, media service providers must complete a self-declaration attesting to their compliance with specific criteria, such as adherence to editorial standards and self-, co- or regulatory oversight. To facilitate this process, the European Commission is drafting implementation guidelines and has sought input from stakeholders.
“Given that the current information ecosystem is dominated by terms and conditions of the digital platforms and their attention driven opaque algorithms standing in full contrast to journalism as a public good and the lack of interest in adhering to the EU’s digital rulebook, it will be crucial that the Commission drafts precise and enforceable guidelines to ensure that the BigTech monopolies effectively implement these new obligations,” said Renate Schroeder, EFJ Director.
“We urge the European Commission and the European Board for Media Services, which consists of all national regulatory authorities in the European Union, to consult all relevant stakeholders including journalists’ organisations and media councils in this important process.”
Our contribution highlights key priorities for EFJ affiliates including:
- Promotion of self-regulatory mechanisms such as media councils;
- User-friendly self-declaration: The process to self-declare must be easily accessible and straightforward to ensure that all media actors following ethical rules can benefit from the safeguards.
- Structured dialogue with journalists and fact checkers’ organisations, media experts, civil society and self-regulatory organisations: Such engagement must be embedded throughout the lifecycle of the declaration mechanism—during its initial design, subsequent updates, and in the review of contentious cases.
- Strong enforcement and accountability of the procedures under Article 18: Lack of clarity, a clear timeline, effectiveness and potential sanctions must be addressed to ensure that VLOPs are held accountable and that the principles of the EMFA are effectively upheld to guarantee a fair and transparent media environment across the EU.
- Qualified interlocutors within VLOPs: VLOPs must designate human contact points with expertise in the media sector to engage in constructive dialogue and address disputes about content moderation and self-declarations effectively.
Source: EFJ
