News Media Europe Digital Service Act consultations

The application of the Digital Services Act (DSA) to all online services kicked off on 17 February 2024.

News Media Europe has been very active throughout the legislative phase and during the implementation period, to make sure that we do not miss this opportunity to create a safer internet and make digital players more responsible and accountable.

At the same time, and from the point of view of news media, it is crucial to distinguish between intermediary (commercial) and editorial services, and to make sure that press publishers can continue to freely publish online. Press publishers are not the targets of the DSA and media freedom must be preserved at all costs.

This had led us to consider the relation between news media and “very large online platforms” or “very large search engines” in our democracies. Tech giants that are subject to higher level of scrutiny have a special responsibility towards citizens to make professional journalistic content visible and accessible, especially as we are approaching European elections. Regulators and researchers should pay particular attention to big tech’s moderation practices, for instance, the censorship of journalistic accounts, the take-downs of press articles and videos and so on.

To conclude, the DSA must be read together with media freedom rules, and especially the European Media Freedom Act, which is set for adoption this week by the European Parliament plenary. European press publishers will continue engaging with regulators to support with the interpretation of internet regulations in light of media freedom policies.

Our contributions:

For any questions, please contact Aurore Raoux (EU Policy Manager), aurore.raoux@newsmediaeurope.eu .