Professor Maria Michalis partners with Council of Europe to tackle systemic threats to public service media

Building on the CoE’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists, which monitors serious threats to journalists and media freedom in Europe, the project expands the focus to include structural challenges facing public service media, aiming to strengthen accountability among member states.

The team published their first set of alerts on 11 September, which outlined concerns about the independence, governance and funding of public service media. These alerts are short texts with brief recommendations, highlighting serious issues and explaining how they expect national authorities to respond.

After their publication the alerts were forwarded to the relevant national authorities in Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Turkey. They were also sent to Belarus and Russia, who are not members of the CoE but are still monitored by the partner organisations that track media freedom concerns across Europe and beyond, such as Reporters Without Borders, Article 19 and the International Press Institute and more. Authorities are expected to respond within three months, and their responses will be published below each alert to ensure transparency and accountability.

From August to December 2024, Professor Michalis worked closely with the CoE team and its partner organisations to develop the project’s methodology and compile key research resources. As part of the analysis, she conducted research across a selection of member states to test the methodology and assess systemic threats to public service media. In countries where these threats appeared particularly urgent or severe, she undertook more in-depth investigations and contributed to draft alerts highlighting specific concerns. Her work culminated in the preparation of a detailed policy briefing to support the publication of the alerts.

This collaboration builds on Professor Michalis’ longstanding academic research and civil society engagement in support of public service media.

Professor Michalis said: “Public service media matters more than ever. At a time of overwhelming and often misleading content, strong and independent public service media are essential to keeping societies informed and connected. The alerts will contribute to this endeavour.”

This work to strengthen public service media directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.

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