11 Amendments of Vladimír BILČÍK related to 2022/2057(INI)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas journalists and independent media play an important role in a democratic society and freedom of information is a fundamental right recognised by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas a journalist is an individual who, on a professional basis, observes, describes, documents, investigates and analyses events, statements, policies and any proposals that could affect society, with the purpose of systematising such information and gathering and analysing facts to inform segments of society or society as a whole;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
M a. whereas activities to fight disinformation are considered a matter of public interest;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T
Recital T
T. whereas in several countries, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) are used by political and financial actors for the purpose of silencing critical voices or scaring journalists into halting investigations into corruption and other matters of public interest; whereas SLAPPs are a serious threat to democracy and fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and information, as journalists can be prevented or penalised for speaking up on issues of public interest; whereas this is especially common in countries with defamation or libel laws that are easier to abuse;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital V a (new)
Recital V a (new)
V a. whereas funding of political activities and politicians inside the European Union by malign foreign actors continues to be revealed by journalists;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. RDeplores the continuing physical attacks, intimidation, hate speech and political slurs against journalists and civil society, including by state officials; calls on the authorities to investigate all cases of such attacks, to punish the perpetrators appropriately and to improve the safety of journalists; reiterates its concern about the lack of specific legal or policy frameworks protecting journalists and media workers from violence, threats and intimidation at global scale; calls on public figures and authority representatives to refrain from denigrating journalists in public, as this undermines trust in the media across society; underlines the important role of journalists in reporting on protests and demonstrations and calls for them to be protected so that they can carry out their jobs without fear;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Condemns the use of SLAPPs to silence or intimidate journalists and outlets and to create a climate of fear to suppress their reporting; welcomes, in this regard, the Commission proposal for a directive against SLAPPs targeting journalists in the EU, and asks; welcomes furthermore the analysis made by the Commission in its 2022 Rule of Law Report of existing threats against the safety of journalists in the EU and legal threats and abusive court proceedings against public participation; asks, in this respect, the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to encourage third countries, principally like-minded partners who have not yet done so, to take similar initiative at national level and to engage on this matter at international level;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Condemns the targeting of journalists by malign spyware; underlines the importance to provide redress to journalists who have been targeted with spyware;
Amendment 187 #
19. Calls on EU delegations, EU Member State diplomatic missions and like-minded partners to engage in proactive outreach to and support for journalist communitiess and independent media in third countries with a view to supporting their work and working conditions, to make regular assessments of the press freedom environment in each respective third country, including ongoing or emerging risks to journalists, and to seek ways to put in place either measures that could prevent abuses from occurring or protection measures, including providing demonstrable and visible moral support to journalists and independent media at risk;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Emphasises that it is essential that journalists are guaranteed the necessary conditions to contribute to an open, free and fair public debate, which is a key aspect of helping society counter disinformation, information manipulation and interference;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Recalls that advances in media freedom and freedom of expression are a crucial part of EU's accession process; recalls that candidate countries with solid and competitive media environments are more prone to move swiftly in EU accession negotiations; in this respect, welcomes the support channelled through the European Endowment for Democracy (EED), but believes more action needs to be taken to support independent journalism in areas influenced by malign foreign actors, such as Russia and China; therefore, reiterates its call to establish a specific European Democratic Media Fund to support journalism in enlargement and European neighbourhood and candidate countries; is concerned about the extend of Russia propaganda in some EU candidate and potential candidate countries; condemns the opening of the office of Russia Today in Belgrade and the launch of its online news service in Serbian language; urges the Serbian authorities to counter hybrid threats and align with the Council’s decision on the suspension of the broadcasting activities of Sputnik and Russia Today;