The European Media Freedom Act is now in force

The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) takes effect today.

Why does this matter?

Media freedom and public interest journalism are critical to democracy. EMFA’s purpose is to:

• secure protection for journalists and their sources
• enhance transparency of state advertising and media ownership
• shore up the independence of public service media
• ensure visibility and pluralism of independent media content on digital platforms by preventing arbitrary deletion or restriction.

The EU law was published on 11 April 2024, giving EU member states lead time to get into line. Yesterday, Malta’s government published a legal notice to update national laws. Changes in Malta’s policy and practices must now be implemented. Some will take a while, so the country is already behind schedule.

The final outcome must be a regulatory culture that recognises and protects media as fundamental to democracy, and not only as economic operators.