No journalist should be indifferent to the election of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. His relationship with journalism and his approach to the exercise of power will have global consequences. More than ever before, in Europe, and everywhere else in the world, the profession must stand firmly in defense of a robust press that can report the facts freely and hold power to account safely. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliates join all those committed to defending journalism as a Scornerstone of democracy.
Donald J. Trump has called for journalists to be imprisoned and raped for not revealing their sources. A week ago, at one of his rallies, he fantasized about a mass shooting of journalists. And just after his election, Elon Musk, the owner of the social network X, who has been active in American politics as a vocal and financial supporter of Donald J. Trump, said that legacy media is dead, claiming that “most legacy media lied relentlessly to the public”.
“These outrageous accusations are just part of Mr. Trump’s beloved “alternative facts.” This is pure disinformation,” said EFJ President Maja Sever. “As a non-partisan, non-profit professional organisation, it is our duty to defend the rights of citizens to access free, independent and credible information. Donald Trump’s hostile rhetoric towards journalists and the media must not prompt European governments to abandon their obligations to ensure the safety of journalists and to create a favourable environment for the freedom of expression, including press freedom”.
Trump’s anti-press rhetoric has already prompted many of his admirers, around the world and in Europe, to retaliate against the media. With Donald J. Trump back in the White House, they will feel even more empowered to harass the press.
“Mr. Trump’s victory not only challenges American journalism, but also European journalism,” confirmed EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez. “The most worrying element, in my eyes, is the collusion between the President of the world’s greatest power and the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, who has a frightening capacity to control public opinion, through social networks. He appears as a particularly influential political actor of the extreme right. It is now urgent that the European Union (EU), as a regional power, regulates the domination of American and Asian Big Tech, via the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). The EU must also develop a technological policy aimed at Europe’s strategic autonomy. Without a protective technological environment, European journalism is condemned to marginalization and invisibility”.
“The European Union can no longer simply ask Big Tech companies to assess the systemic risk stemming from the use of their services,” added EFJ Director Renate Schroeder. “The EU should consider Tech Giants and the developers of generative artificial intelligence as potential high risk actors against democracy, and take the necessary actions to protect the public interest. Without agreements on fair remuneration and copyright, journalists and independent media will not survive. We are very concerned that further concentration in the AI sector will have a devastating impact on journalism.”
Source: EFJ
