Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom CMPF

Casa
Italia
Florence
Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom CMPF

http://cmpf.eui.eu The Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom is a programme co-financed by the European Union.

Based at the European University Institute (Florence), the aim of the Centre is to enhance the awareness of the importance of freedom and pluralism of the media. This initiative is a further step in the European Commission’s on-going effort to improve the protection of media pluralism and media freedom in Europe and to establish what actions need to be taken at European or national levels to foste

r these objectives. The Centre is lead by Professor Pier Luigi Parcu and is supported by a Group of Experts. The aim of the EUI Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom is to enhance the awareness of the importance of freedom and pluralism of the media, to contribute to its protection and promotion and to develop new ideas among academics, policy makers, regulators, market stakeholders, journalists, and all other directly involved professionals who take part in the public debate.

19/06/2026

📸 Wrapping up the 2026 CMPF Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners at the European University Institute, five days of discussions on the future of journalism in a rapidly changing digital environment.

The week opened with a key question: 'Who is a journalist today, and what is journalism for in the age of hashtag , platforms, and influencers?'

Who better to answer these questions than our invited professionals and participants working in the field?

Through a series of sessions, we explored how platforms, algorithms, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the way news is produced, distributed, and trusted. We examined both the opportunities and the challenges of technological transformation, from new tools for journalists to questions of sustainability, independence, and economic pressure.

''There are so many experts in how AI is redefining journalism, pros and cons, and everything in between. What I found in the Summer School is that there is such a commandry among young journalists to combat a domination of AI and still produce really high-quality journalism and collaborate globally with other journalists.'', a participant shared.

The programme also examined how digital platforms, geopolitics, and information systems influence democratic debate and access to reliable information. We also discussed the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the evolving EU regulatory framework for protecting media pluralism, journalistic freedom, and editorial independence. On the final day, the conversation delved into hate speech around the world.

👏 A huge thank you to all speakers Iva Nenadic, Renate Schroeder, Kevin Munger, Benjamin Guinaudeau, Konrad Bleyer-Simon, Lorenzo Cicchi , Marie Palmer, Ph.D, Roberta Carlini, Dr. Konstantina Bania, louis dreyfus, Pier Luigi Parcu, Lise Witteman, Elisabetta Airaghi, Tijana Blagojev, Erik Jones , Thomas Streinz, Anna Renata Pisarkiewicz, Elda Brogi, Damian Tambini, Anna Herold, Sofia Verza, Erik Longo, Charlotte Scaddan, Danielle da Costa Leite Borges, Dr. Anissa Bougrea, Ayako H., to our participants, and organisers!

18/06/2026

Today at the Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners, we welcomed Anna Herold from the European Commission. She explored the potential applicability of European digital regulation and offered us the perspective as a policy maker who also tries to make an impact on the ground.

“The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) creates a better, safer, freer environment for journalists to do their jobs (...) while it harmonises the media laws in Member States”.

“We all know that Europe is one of the freer places in terms of media freedom,” she affirmed, while pointing to the impact of the CMPF’s Media Pluralism Monitor as one of the key tools that has foster understanding of the state of media pluralism across Europe.

Learn more about our Media Pluralism Monitor 2026 by attending the Final Conference on 29 June: https://lnkd.in/ehGiSsin

To know more about the EMFA, check out our Observatory: https://loom.ly/nJ-bmKk

hashtag

17/06/2026

"Journalists play a crucial role in enabling citizens to be civically engaged (...) The right information helps take the important decisions. Our whole lives are wired to infrastructures we barely understand, let alone control. Only by understanding infrastructures can we secure our lives within it."

We had an inspiring start to day 3 of our Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners with Professor Erik Jones.

Here are a few insights from this discussion that sparked many question amongst our participants:

▪️ As infrastructures such as libraries, schools and civic spaces change, our opportunities to meet people and participate in democratic life are affected. People more dissatisfied with democracy often live in rural areas, where available infrastructure can be impersonal, distant, long and expensive.

▪️ We are becoming dependent on a limited number of infrastructures, from ports and railways to digital platforms. “This destruction of local democracies and strengthening of infrastructures has put us in a very vulnerable position, because anybody that controls those infrastructures can manipulate us.”

Robert Schuman Centre Director Erik Jones highlighted the need to look at as infrastructural resources and discussed the weaponisation of interdependence. Digital autonomy, data centres and the ability to regulate these entities are becoming increasingly important, as the platforms we use to communicate are largely owned by companies outside Europe.

He also discussed how China and Russia are building communities to channel misinformation towards political objectives, using platforms to confuse our ability to exercise our democratic minds.

The role of journalists is crucial in this transformation ➡️ In terms of total defence, the boundaries between civilian and military life are dissolving, and everybody is implicated in providing security on this frontline.

Strategic autonomy in digital, information, energy and security spaces requires access to the right information. We need platforms to shape their algorithms in ways that protect European citizens and stop the spread of disinformation.

As Erik Jones reminded us: pushing back is not only about military action, we all have a role to play as individuals.

We look forward to tomorrow's sessions with Elda Brogi, Damian Tambini, Anna Herold, Sofia Verza, Erik Longo and Charlotte Scaddan.

16/06/2026

🌐Day 2 of the CMPF Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners 2026 continued with a thought-provoking session on 'Redistribution of resources between platforms and media organisations', with Dr. Konstantina Bania (Competition and Media Law Senior Lecturer in University Brunel) and louis dreyfus (CEO of Groupe Le Monde) for a lively discussion on one of the biggest challenges facing journalism today.

The starting point was the 'fundamental dilemma', as Konstantina Bania said, of ensuring high-quality journalism without creating new forms of concentration and dependency.

As reshapes the relationship between content, data, and platforms, the discussion explored the role of copyright, competition law, and regulation in ensuring that media organisations are fairly recognised and compensated for the value they create.

⚖️ Konstantina Bania highlighted the growing challenges for regulators in Europe: existing legal frameworks, such as the AI Act, the Copyright Directive and the Digital Markets Act can provide tools, but questions remain around transparency, licensing agreements, and the information imbalance between AI providers and media organisations.

Louis Dreyfus pointed out to the opportunities emerging from new partnerships between media and AI companies. Giving the example of Le Monde who has signed deals with Perplexity, Open AI and Meta, which have increased streams of revenues for the group over the past year, brought more subscriptions and a way to reach to a younger audience. And also allowing for the revenue to be reinvested in journalism and distributed among the newsroom.

This discussion raised an important concern among our participants: while large media organisations may have the capacity to negotiate, smaller and local media risk being left behind. So how will the smaller media organisations, freelance journalists and local publishers have bargaining power?

A rich exchange of perspectives on the future of media, sustainability, business models, and the role of regulation in protecting a media pluralism.

💡 More to come from this year's Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners 2026.

Check out this article written by our participant from Armenia.

English version: https://en.168.am/2026/06/15/49287.html

Armenian version: https://168.am/2026/06/15/2432036.html

16/06/2026

We kicked off the 14th edition of the Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners, this year we reflect on 'Who is a journalist today? And what is journalism for in the age of AI, platforms, and influencers?' with an extraordinary group of 30 journalists, media professionals and researchers from different parts of Europe and the world.

Setting the scene for the first day Renate Schroeder (European Federation of Journalists - EFJ) questioned "Should news creators be brought into the journalistic tent or are they a Trojan horse that's given a chance to bring down the profession from within?".

Across Europe the rise of news influencers and creators raises questions about how these new actors will be integrated into the profession, the need for regulation, standards but also how “traditional media” is converging with them to reach a wider audience, evolve and survive as a business.

’’Is journalism an open profession? This depends we do not dilute the profession, but on the contrary export our journalistic ethical DNA to the new platforms.”

As Renate Schroeder reminded participants: “Journalism matters. It will always survive. The real question is whether it will thrive as a niche or as a force for the many, and in what form, and under whose control?”

📌 Stay tuned for more highlights from the 14th edition of the Summer School for Journalists and Media Practitioners 2026.

09/06/2026

You're trying to understand a major issue, an election, a housing crisis, or a new AI regulation.

You search online, check social media, read a few news sites, and listen to a podcast.

But how do you know you are getting different perspectives rather than the same approach?

The Market Plurality area of the Media Pluralism Monitor looks at media ownership, concentration, and the growing role of digital platforms in shaping what information reaches audiences.

A wide choice of news sources matters, but so does genuine diversity behind them.

📊 The findings will be presented on 29 June at the MPM Final Conference.

14:00 - 17:45 CET
Hybrid

Register here: https://lnkd.in/ehGiSsin

28/05/2026

📅 One month left for the Final Conference!

Join the CMPF team and country researchers as we examine the MPM results to understand where stands in an increasingly complex informational environment.

➡️ On 29 June, we will:

1️⃣ Present key findings of the 2026 results
2️⃣ Discuss and compare results across member states, with a focus on countries facing particular risks to media pluralism
3️⃣ Assess early evidence of 's impact and the challenges of its implementation

In Florence and online
Register here: https://loom.ly/07kB4HI

27/05/2026

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK!

Join the online workshop 'Addressing abusive lawsuits. What can journalists do when they are SLAPP-ed?'

Behind every SLAPP is a journalist forced to spend time, money, and energy defending truthful reporting.

At this online workshop, Bojan Elek (KRIK), Cecilia Anesi (IrpiMedia), Catherine Belton (The Washington Post) and Caroline Muscat (The Shift News), all journalists who have faced abusive lawsuits first-hand, will share their experiences navigating legal pressure, intimidation, and attacks on independent journalism.

🗓️ 1 June 2026 | 10:00-15:15 CEST

Register to be part of this discussion about resilience, investigative reporting, and what’s at stake for media freedom in Europe: https://cmpf.eui.eu/events-centre-for-media-pluralism/?id=587481

We will also count on the insights of: Konrad Bleyer-Simon, Elda Brogi, Anthony Bellanger, Sofia Verza, Nisrine Salameh, Joschka Selinger, Sielke Beata Kelner, Ph.D., Paulina Milewska and Simone Benazzo.

20/05/2026

What an outstanding workshop and turn out! More than 100 participants from around the world joined us for yesterday´s workshop 'Artificial intelligence and journalism: how to combine them wisely'.

A big thank you to our speakers Roberta Carlini, Dariia Opryshko, Konrad Bleyer-Simon, Nisrine Salameh, Anthony Bellanger and Pier Luigi Parcu for all your insights, and to our keynote speaker Paris Marx who gave us a fascinating overview, from cybernetics to now, of the risks of using AI. Ole Reissmann, Veronika Munk, Sotiris Sideris and Catalina Albeanu ensured a dynamic roundtable while showing us how AI is transforming newsrooms and research, from fact checking and live translation to data analysis, and so much more.

We hope to meet you again in our upcoming online workshop on 1 June 2026 on 'Addressing abusive lawsuits. what can journalists do when they are SLAPP(ed)?'

Our second workshop of the M4CD – Media for Citizens and Democracy in the Digital Age project will bring together journalists, researchers, and legal professionals to share experiences and practical strategies for resisting abusive lawsuits and strengthening institutional protection for media professionals.

Share in the comments and register for the workshop to learn which steps to take if being target of such legal persecutions: https://loom.ly/DOgUC6o

📅 1 June 2026 |10:00 – 15:00 CET

IFJ - International Federation of Journalists per la Cooperazione Internazionale, Independent Journalists Association of Serbia, Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers, Fondazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana and European University Institute.

14/05/2026

What can journalists do when they become the target of abusive lawsuits?

SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) continue to threaten press freedom and public-interest journalism across Europe and beyond. In 2024 alone, 167 new cases were added to the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe database , bringing the total number of documented cases to more than 1,300.

On 1 June 2026, we bring together journalists and media researchers to share insights and best practices on how journalists can withstand such pressures.

The online workshop will explore:
🔹 How SLAPPs are used to intimidate and silence journalists
🔹 The impact of abusive lawsuits on investigative reporting and newsrooms
🔹 Best practices and support mechanisms for journalists facing legal pressure
🔹 The role of unions, associations, and institutions in protecting media freedom

Organised within the M4CD – Media for Citizens and Democracy in the Digital Age project.

1 June 2026 | 10:00- 15:00 CEST
Register here: https://lnkd.in/dpRp4n_D

Indirizzo

Via Delle Fontanelle, 19
Florence
50014

Sito Web

http://cmpf.eui.eu/

Notifiche

Lasciando la tua email puoi essere il primo a sapere quando Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom CMPF pubblica notizie e promozioni. Il tuo indirizzo email non verrà utilizzato per nessun altro scopo e potrai annullare l'iscrizione in qualsiasi momento.