The 2025 annual report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) paints a troubling picture for press freedom across the European Union, identifying Greece as a key case study in the erosion of media independence. The report highlights issues such as opaque media ownership, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), attacks on journalists during protests, withholding of critical information, and politically biased distribution of state advertising.

The document outlines a range of practices that hinder the free exercise of journalism, including state funding funnelled to government-friendly outlets, threats and violence against journalists – with women disproportionately targeted – and a persistent lack of transparency in media ownership.

This marks the fourth consecutive year Liberties has published its annual report on media freedom in the EU. Based on data from 43 member and partner organisations across 21 EU countries, the report covers four key areas: media freedom and pluralism; journalist safety and protection; freedom of expression and access to information; and EU legislation affecting media rights and diversity.

Sounding the alarm that capturing the media is the first step towards authoritarianism, the report references far right US President Donald Trump as an illustrative example. It notes Trump’s ban on the Associated Press from presidential briefings after the outlet refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” It also points to the White House’s decision to handpick journalists for coverage and the dismantling of USAID – a move with broad implications for independent journalism in fragile democracies.

A dangerous year for journalism

According to Liberties, 2024 was one of the deadliest years globally for journalists, with a notable rise in the number of media professionals imprisoned. Much of this increase is of course due to Israeli military actions in Gaza, where journalists have been killed, detained and tortured.

Inadequate ownership transparency and declining trust

Media ownership across the EU remains highly concentrated and frequently shrouded in secrecy. Databases intended to track financial control of media entities are either non-existent or poorly maintained. In many countries, sizeable portions of the media market are held by elite individuals or families, limiting editorial diversity and increasing the risk of biased reporting.

As a consequence, public trust in the media is low in most EU countries. Among the 21 nations assessed, only three exhibit relatively high levels of media trust.

Ownership, however, is only part of the problem. Journalists face a daily barrage of threats, including physical assaults, online harassment, and abusive lawsuits. Reporting from protests remains particularly hazardous, with journalists facing violence from both demonstrators and police. In 2024, this was especially common during pro-Palestine demonstrations, the report notes.

In many EU member states, legal protections for journalists are minimal – and in some cases being actively weakened. “Access to information remains a significant issue,” the report states, adding that journalists often encounter resistance or refusal when when making freedom of information requests to public officials.

Greece: A case study in decline

The report singles out Greece as a prime example of systemic issues in media freedom. Media ownership landscape is now dominated by shipping magnates and industrial investors, many of whom maintain close political affiliations.

“The number of media outlets in Greece is large, so much so that the overall landscape appears fairly diverse. Despite this appearance, however, it remains the case that the ownership of the country’s major media groups is concentrated among a handful of influential business owners with interests also in other sectors of the economy. Indeed, private media ownership is characterised by a small number of wealthy and politically connected families with extensive cross-ownership interests in key sectors, often reliant on public contracts from the government. The dominant force of media ownership in Greece is now composed of shipowners and major investors in the industry. Independent media group Solomon recently published its investigation ‘Who Owns the Media’. It reveals the intricate ownership structures behind Greek media, linking 762 companies to 12 major owners, many of whom are involved in other sectors of the economy, like shipping, finance, and energy, and maintain ties to tax havens. These owners wield media as a tool of influence.”

State advertising and political favouritism

“The allocation of state advertising in Greece continues to face criticism for its lack of transparency and potential bias. State advertising has for some time been distributed in ways that appear to favour media outlets with government-aligned editorial lines, raising concerns about indirect influence over media content. There was no discernible change in 2024. The European Parliament, in its 2024 resolution, stressed that Greece must ensure fair and transparent allocation of state resources to media outlets to prevent undue influence.”

Attacks, threats and intimidation on the rise

Verbal attacks against journalists in Greece was reported throughout 2024, frequently occurring online or during protests – often instigated by political figures or their supporters. Similar incidents were documented in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and elsewhere. In countries including Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and again Greece, journalists also reported obstruction by public officials when attempting to access information.

The report recounts specific attacks against journalists in Greece.

“During the coverage of a seasonal firefighter protest in Athens, Greece, journalist Giorgos Androutsos of Rizospastis was violently detained by the police. Androutsos identified himself as a media professional but was still thrown down, beaten, and handcuffed by police officers. He was taken to Evangelismo Hospital for treatment and later released. He is facing charges.”

Another incident concerns journalist Frixos Drakontidis the editor-in-chief of Alpha TV in Athens.

“He was first approached and then asked to leave the spot by an unidentified man. The interaction led to a physical confrontation, during which Drakontidis was punched multiple times and pushed to the ground.”

SLAPPs: A persistent threat, despite some progress

Greece continues to see a rise in SLAPPs – lawsuits intended to intimidate or silence journalists. However, Liberties notes one positive development:

“Some good news came from Greece, even though journalists have increasingly faced SLAPPs. In the proceedings initiated by Grigoris Dimitriadis, the nephew of the Prime Minister, against the platform Reporters United, the newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton and journalist Thanasos Koukakis, the Athens court dismissed the case. The court ruled that the reporting about Dimitriadis’s involvement in the Predator spyware scandal was in the public interest and protected under freedom of expression.”

That said, Greece has yet to transpose the EU directive on SLAPPs into national law or fully align with Council of Europe recommendations on the matter. This legislative gap, Liberties warns, continues to expose journalists to legal intimidation in a country where such cases are far from rare.

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