The plan for the Saxony Budget 2025/2026 reduces financial support for the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) by two-thirds. This poses a significant threat to the stability of the only European civil society organisation operating within the state. The ECPMF acknowledges the difficulty of navigating a state budget amid economic uncertainty. However, in times when public interest journalism and democratic discourse are under severe pressure – facing economic constraints, pressures, disinformation campaigns, a reduced readership, and attacks from the far-right – a strong protection mechanism and unwavering support for press and media freedom in Saxony, Germany, and Europe is more important than ever. 

Since its founding in 2015, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has played a crucial role in offering support to journalists at risk in Germany and across Europe. For ten years, it has provided direct assistance to threatened media workers, systematically strengthened media freedom in Europe, and protected independent media. 

Since its inception, ECPMF has provided legal emergency support to 177 media-related cases including attacks on journalists such as murder, arbitrary arrest, spyware, SLAPPs, and similar. During the same period, it has offered a safe place, psychological support, and professional training to over 80 journalists at risk from 14 countries including Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey. It has supported over 300 journalists in exile in Germany (over 40 of them living in Saxony) since 2019, while over 4,000 journalists in Ukraine or exile received support through the centre in the form of protective equipment, secure communication, training, and consulting. 

ECPMF has demonstrated its protection efforts on the local and international levels. By leading the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium, and its flagship Mapping Media Freedom (MapMF), in systematically documenting media freedom violations in Europe, we provide invaluable data on the main threats posed to journalism. Over 5,000 press and media freedom violations have been recorded since 2020. Media workers across Europe face physical and verbal attacks, interference into their journalistic work, as well as legal consequences like arrests or lawsuits. The attacks are increasingly happening in the online sphere and include online harassment, hacking, spoofing and deepfakes, and spyware. This data serves as an early warning system and feeds into regulatory measures such as the European Media Freedom Act and the Anti-SLAPP Directive. 

In Saxony, ECPMF acts as a protection mechanism for journalists and provides educational work with schools and universities.

Finally, ECPMF is a leading German organisation monitoring press freedom violations locally. Through the ECPMF study on local journalism in Saxony and Thuringia and the Feindbild Study we are following press freedom violations across Germany. Both studies are essential tools for press freedom advocates in the country, demonstrating a consistent increase in the number of attacks against journalists. 

Impact of funding cuts on media protection and proliferation of disinformation

The support from the European Commission, the Free State of Saxony, the City of Leipzig, the Media Foundation of Sparkasse Leipzig and the German Federal Government have marked the foundations of the ECPMF in 2015. Among them, Saxony has always been a reliable and strong partner that supported free and independent media for years, allowing ECPMF to gain expertise and mobilise in times of crisis.

Thus, the announcement of a significant cut of two-thirds of previous Saxony funding per year, threatens the core of ECPMF’s work as the centre would no longer be able to respond flexibly to crises as it has done in the past.

The centre’s ability to offer safe shelter for journalists under threat, through its Journalists-in-Residence programme would be restricted. The reduced funding would limit the support available for journalists in exile in Germany, making it harder for them to report on their countries of origin and provide perspectives that enrich the German media landscape and support democracy. 

Despite providing valuable information concerning the safety and security of media workers, and offering direct support to them, the latest cut in funding would inevitably lead to the cancellation of the study monitoring and addressing pressures in Germany, including Saxony.

Finally, the monitoring and investigation of media freedom violations that constitute the basis of all the work would be severely weakened.

What needs to be done

This is a critical time to stand up for media freedom and enhance support for independent journalism in Germany and Europe. As the only European civil society organisation in Saxony – and the main organisation in Saxony fighting and defending press and media freedom – ECPMF is a key player in contributing to and upholding democratic values of free speech at the local, federal, and European levels.  

In the face of populist parties gaining ground across Europe and disinformation, democratic societies are in crucial need of independent, accurate, and reliable information. In the absence of the protective shield for independent journalism, the surging authoritarianism would gain ground. 

To ensure the work of free and independent media against such growing threats, to allow journalism to hold power to account, to let journalists provide the public with the very much needed information, not only in Europe but also in Saxony or Germany, it is imperative to sustain support for media freedom actors in Germany. While attacks all but recede, organisations like ECPMF play a vital role in safeguarding journalists and media freedom, maintaining a healthy democracy. This is why support for media and media freedom organisations should be reinforced and strengthened also within the upcoming budget discussions.