“Despite everything, I continue my journalistic work with the same passion and determination as ever. Yet I must admit that I have never felt more exposed or vulnerable” – the words of Italian investigative journalist Sigfrido Ranucci after he was targeted with a car bomb at his home near Rome in a failed assassination attempt.
And undoubtedly the thoughts of many members of the 15 partner groups – including the AEJ – in the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform as they launched the 2025 annual Media Freedom Report on 3 March 2026.
In an article on euobserver, the Platform partners note how the Report “paints a dire picture across the continent, one that has been declining over the last decade. In the platform’s first year, 106 alerts were filed. By 2025, that number has more than tripled. Since the platform’s inception and by the end of 2025, more than 2,300 alerts have been lodged in over 40 countries.”
And, they add, “In 2025, press freedom in Europe remained under severe strain, with impunity persisting: fewer than one-in-three alerts to the platform received a government response, and only 20 per cent of alerts lodged since 2015 have been resolved, exposing a systemic failure of accountability. “
The article says “every unanswered alert, every journalist left to face intimidation alone, and every further erosion of media freedom weakens democracy itself…
After all, the independent media is among the surest ways to ensure democracy’s survival.”
Safety of Journalists Platform opinion article full text – euobserver 3 March 2026
2025 annual Media Freedom Report launched 3 March 2026
On the Tipping Point – 2025 annual Media Freedom Report – Council of Europe
Annual CoE Media Freedom reports
CoE Safety of Journalists Platform
