Press freedom in peril: navigating elections and political turmoil in Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria

As politics in Eastern Europe becomes increasingly volatile during the super election year, press freedom is at grave risk. Throughout the pre- and post-election periods, independent media face numerous threats, including verbal and physical assaults, cyber attacks, smear campaigns, and vexatious lawsuits.
As the dust settles on the European Parliament elections, and Central and Eastern Europe gears up for more elections on local and national levels, we analyze the state of press freedom in Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria with the leading journalists from these countries and members of IPI’s Central Europe Independent Media Network. We also delve into the media environments in the pre- and post-election periods and examine the major challenges journalists face when covering elections.
Guests: Patrycja Maciejewicz, head of Business Desk at Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland; Peter Hanak, journalist at Aktuality, Slovakia; and Angel Petrov, international correspondent at Dnevnik, Bulgaria.
Producer and Host: Teona Sekhniashvili, Europe Network and Press Freedom Coordinator at International Press Institute (IPI)
Editor: Javier Luque, Head of Digital Communications at International Press Institute (IPI)
Other episodes in this series:
Earth Day reflections: Italy’s climate reporting dilemma
Media Freedom in Focus: Untangling media capture in Greece
MFRR in Focus: Aftermath of Finland’s unprecedented state secrets conviction
MFRR in Focus: Opposition wins Poland election
MFRR In Focus: Media in Slovakia brace for populist PM’s return
MFRR Podcast: Navigating Hungary’s new Sovereignty Protection Act