At a public hearing organised by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in the European Parliament in Brussels, MEPs debate media freedom, the protection of journalists, how to counteract hate speech (online and offline) and disinformation. Guest speakers include the Reporters Without Borders, investigative journalists, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association). Statements by Julie MAJERCZAK, Reporters Without Borders, Peter ERDELYI, Hungarian investigative journalist, and Dan TAPALAGA, Romanian investigative journalist.

Media Freedom, Freedom of Expression and Combatting hate speech online and offline: extracts from the hearing with the participation of Reporters Without Borders representative and investigative journalists

SOUNDBITE (French), Julie MAJERCZAK, Reporters Without Borders, We are also seeing the development of a particularly dissuasive practice against journalists. This is called in French gagging and in English Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. This defamation complaint is intended primarily to intimidate and silence journalists more than to obtain reparations. It is also a technique that aims to exhaust their financial resources. This is a practice that has been widely used in Malta against Daphne Caruana Galizia and is now used against the handful of journalists, including Caroline Musca, who tries to continue the work of Daphne Caruana Galizia and tries to update the corruption and money laundering rampant on the archipelago.

SOUNDBITE (French), Julie MAJERCZAK, Reporters Without Borders, (In Hungary) The journalists are declared persona non grata  by the leaders of Viktor Orb&aacute;n's party and Viktor Orban himself refuse to speak to journalists who are not affiliated with the Fidesz media. Journalists are insulted. In France, Jean-Luc M&eacute;lenchon, the leader of the Radical Party 'La France rebellious', writes on his blog: "Hatred of the media and those who animate them is just and healthy". Journalists are also threatened. The most amazing example was in October 2017. It's so amazing that I'm still going to call it back. Czech President Milos Zeman presents himself at a press conference with a false Kalashnikov on which he wrote 'for journalists'. These verbal attacks, these threats, are not just unpleasant, they are dangerous. To put it plainly, they are no less than incentives for physical violence !

SOUNDBITE (French), Julie MAJERCZAK, Reporters Without Borders, The danger of misinformation is that it discredits the entire space of communication and information. False information discredits all information, including information from journalists and independent media. Today, people say &lt;I saw on Facebook&gt; media identity and diluted. What are the reliable sources? What is factual? What is not? What is true? What is wrong? There are no more facts or truth. There are only alternative truths, opinions, emotions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter ERDELYI, Hungarian investigative journalist, Every country has violent extremists, I know that. But the difference in Hungary is that currently sitting government members of parliament use their official Facebook pages to share the posts of this extremist site. As public affairs are privatized, so are violent threats and extremist behaviour, which is outsourced but still condoned. Unfortunately, there is intimidation from the authorities as well. In the most notorious case, a fellow Hungarian journalist was approached by members of the Secret Service. They showed him photos of his private life, claiming someone else might try to blackmail him with these pictures, and told him he needed to work with the government in order to be protected...

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter ERDELYI, Hungarian investigative journalist, Billionaire owners of over 400 media outlets suddenly all decided to gift the entire media portfolio to the Central European Press and Media Foundation. A week later, Prime Minister Orban signed a decree exempting this mega merger from regulatory oversight. This is an unprecedented centralisation of TV and Radio stations, news portals, print magazines and newspapers.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Dan TAPALAGA, Romanian investigative journalist, Today Dragnea (former head of the Chamber of Deputies, and PSD leader)  is in prison. When he was free, he did everything to try to escape justice. He tried to destroy entire institutions to take control over the magistrates. He tried to silence journalists, NGOs, political opponents. He hunted down the critical voices that revealed his abuse of power or investigated his business by threatening his freedom. He fought with all those who refused to passively assist as a man blows up, including relations with external partners with the EU or the United States to escape prison.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Dan TAPALAGA, Romanian investigative journalist , It has put Romania's democracy and European path in the greatest danger in the last 30 years after the fall of communism. What stopped him, again, the work of methodical destruction of a country? A handful of journalists were prevented by a few magistrates and brave officials, but especially by the reaction of the street. He was democratically stopped by voting and justice.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Dan TAPALAGA, Romanian investigative journalist , In May 2017 we published a series of investigations on an island in the Danube Belina that eventually reached the Dragnea family. The island had become the favorite fishing and relaxation spot of the former PSD leader. The small paradise in the south of Romania on the Danube had been passed from the state into the private domain by a Government Decision. He was assisted in this endeavor by Rovana Plumb, who was subsequently proposed for the position of European Commissioner by the Dragnea puppet premier, Viorica Dăncilă. Think a little: a politician steals, steals a piece of the Danube with the help of the Government, cuts a slice of his country, cuts an island just for him. All this is happening in an EU country!

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Dan TAPALAGA, Romanian investigative journalist , The Parliament and the Commission could think more when they give in to the lobby of the big media trusts in the war with the Internet giants by just sacrificing the independent press. I urge the European Parliament to act with all the levers at its disposal to protect freelance journalists more vulnerable than those registered in media trusts. Where is the good news though? The little Eastern satraps of the autocrats and the enemies of democracy in the EU, who build their power base only on propaganda and lies, eventually lose the battle with their own citizens. At one point the truth comes to the vote at the latest.

Media Freedom, Freedom of Expression and Combatting hate speech online and offline: extracts from the hearing with the participation of Reporters Without Borders representative and investigative journalists

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LIBE - Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs