OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media concludes visit to Belgium
On 30 and 31 March 2022, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro visited Belgium.
The Representative met with several government representatives, including deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea Vincent van Quickenborne; Vice-President of the Government of the French Community and Minister for Culture, Early Childhood, Women's Rights, Health and Media Bénédicte Linard; with the Flemish Minister for Brussels Affairs, Youth and Media Benjamin Dalle; and with Human Rights Director at the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs Veronique Joosten.
She also met with representatives of government institutions, including the Higher Council for Media Literacy from the French Community; the Flemish Regulator for the Media; and the French Community regulator Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel.
Additionally, Ribeiro met with representatives of journalists’ organizations and media companies, like BX1-médias de Bruxelles; the Journalism Ethics Council; the Flemish Association of Journalists and the French-speaking Association of Professional Journalists; the Exiled Journalist’s Support Association; the News Media Alliance; the IPM Group; Le Soir; and the Flemish Council for Journalism.
Ribeiro discussed the growing physical and online violence against (women) journalists; the use of lawsuits to silence media; legal developments, like aggravated penalties for crimes against journalists; current challenges to media freedom in Belgium and the larger OSCE region, including the recent EU ban on Russian channels RT and Sputnik; and other relevant developments.
Next, the Representative discussed with her counterparts the role of large online platforms; the importance of media literacy and the central role of self-regulation and ethics in journalism; the role of public service media; the economic challenges that media companies are facing; the role of media regulators in an changing media landscape; the access to government information in the country; and the position of exiled journalists.