Europe’s media pluralism challenge: RSF joins unprecedented discussion with broadcast regulators and experts from Italy, Germany, Spain, France and the UK

Protecting media pluralism is a clear priority in today's era of heightened disinformation, foreign influence and extreme economic instability in the independent media market. However, these conversations often revolve around the challenge of keeping a diverse choice of outlets available on the media landscape, a principle known as "external media pluralism" in Europe. Organised by the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas in Paris, the round table eventsought to address why internal media pluralism - which is enshrined in French law for broadcast media - is vital in Europe's current political context and how it can be guaranteed.

What does internal pluralism look like in France?

• In France, internal media pluralism has constitutional valueand is "one of the conditions for democracy," according to both the Council of Stateand Constitutional Council. Internal pluralism rules, which apply to broadcast media only, aim to ensure diverse "currents of thought and opinion" are expressed and that debates are balanced by guaranteeing:
  • a diversity of contributors on television and radio programmes
  • a variety of topicson air
  • a plurality of viewpoints is expressedwhen addressing a topic.
    
• These requirements must be enforced by the broadcasting regulator, Arcom. In its February 2024 decision in the case "Reporters Without Borders v Arcom," the Council of State specified that Arcom's mission is to monitor and, where appropriate, sanction manifest and lasting on-air "imbalances" that affect the diversity of contributors, topics and/or different viewpoints being presented on a topic.
  
• Adopting a more comprehensive approach to monitoring:since 2024, numerous news broadcasters have introduced or strengthened their measurement and transparency toolsregarding internal media pluralism, as several academic and journalistic studies attest to the existence of relevant methodologies, often implemented with the support of new technologies.

What are the shared challenges at the European level?

• For Elisa Giomi, Italian academic and commissioner at the Italian broadcast regulator, Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni: "Controlling the speaking time of political figures is wholly insufficient to ensure that citizens have access to reliable and pluralistic information: the diversity of speakers and the content of their speeches, i.e. the topics covered on air, are also fundamental."
• For Nikolaus Marsch, German academic and specialist in media, communications and digital law: "The difficulty of implementing a guarantee of fundamental rights cannot justify abandoning regulation, this is what the German Constitutional Court tells us. The issue at stake is citizens' access to a plurality of reliable sources of information and democratic order."
• For Damian Tambini, a British researcher and expert in media and communications regulation and policy, particularly in the UK and the US: "While the scarcity of frequencies was one of the reasons we have internal pluralism guarantees, it is not the only one: it is also about the democratic imperative to have pluralistic channels."

RSF thanks the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas for this initiative, and Professors Camille Broyelle and Nathalie Sonnac in particular.

To watch the conference in full: