The European Parliament adopted the Media Freedom Act on Wednesday, March 13, which will protect EU journalists and media organizations from political and economic interference.
The new media freedom law will ban any form of interference in editorial decisions and prevent outside pressure on journalists, such as forcing them to reveal their sources or spying on them.
According to the document, in order to enable the public to know who controls the media and what interests may influence reporting, all news and current affairs outlets regardless of their size will have to publish information about their owners in a national database, including if they are directly or indirectly owned by the state.
Media service providers will also be required to inform the public about the funds received as state advertising and state financial aid, including from countries outside the Union, according to a press release from the European Parliament.
