media lab | Podcast Season: 1 - Episode: 3 / Release date: 11-10-2022

1:1 with Tom Gibson
Committee to Protect Journalists

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:17 Q1 - What does (protecting) media freedom mean to you?

05:01 Q2 - What should the EU legislators do or do better to protect media freedom?

12:29 Q3 - What are the pitfalls that EU legislators should avoid when trying to protect the media and its freedom?

18:43 You have 2 minutes to deliver a message to the powers that be in the EU: make your case.

22:55 Outro

Key Quotes

"So we have the European Media Freedom Act (...) When this gets to the Council, how much is there going to be pushback from Member States? How much is this text going to be watered down?"

1 / 5

"When we look at the EU's overall protection of press freedom, it's actually a mixed picture."

2 / 5

"It's very important that the EU is seen as a global leader. And in order to do that, it has to be consistent in the way that it approaches these [press freedom] problems."

3 / 5

"It's very important that we set press freedom as a long term priority for the EU institutions."

4 / 5

"It's going to be essential that (...) we consider discussions around strengthening the competency of the Commission to intervene in press freedom contexts in Member States."

5 / 5

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Available On

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About Our Guest

Tom Gibson | EU Representative & Advocacy Manager - Committee to Protect Journalists

Tom Gibson joined the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in January 2017 and is CPJ’s lead advocate in Brussels covering the institutions of the European Union. Between 2014 and 2016, Gibson managed Protection International's Burundi and Congo desks, advocating for stronger state accountability for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists as well as developing emergency responses and protection measures. Previously, he worked in Amnesty International's Africa program from 2005 to 2014, based in London and Nairobi, during which he mainly researched human rights violations in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Relevant Resources

Joint Statement on the Proposal for the European Media Freedom Act (co-signed by CPJ)

Committee to Protect Journalists

1:1 with Tom GibsonCommittee to Protect Journalists