When the Ballot Box Becomes a Broadcast Booth: How Europe’s Public Media Are Caught in the Crossfire of Politics
In many European countries, the independence of public service media rises and falls with the political tide. All too often, a new government doesn’t just take power—it takes the newsroom. One of the first moves after an election victory is to pack public broadcasters’ governing bodies with political loyalists, turning watchdogs into lapdogs. Yet, in…