this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2024
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Improve The News

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Improve The News is a free news aggregator and news analysis site developed by a group of researchers at MIT and elsewhere to improve your access to trustworthy news. Many website algorithms push you (for ad revenue) into a filter bubble by reinforcing the narratives you impulse-click on. By understanding other people’s arguments, you understand why they do what they do – and have a better chance of persuading them. **What's establishment bias?** The establishment view is what all big parties and powers agree on, which varies between countries and over time. For example, the old establishment view that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote was successfully challenged. ITN makes it easy for you to compare the perspectives of the pro-establishment mainstream media with those of smaller establishment-critical news outlets that you won’t find in most other news aggregators. This Magazine/Community is not affiliated with Improve The News and is an unofficial repository of the information posted there.


**LR (left/right): 1 = left leaning, 3 = neutral, 5 = right leaning** **CP (critical/pro-establishment): 1 = critical, 3 = neutral, 5 = pro**

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  • In its 2024 report, the Berlin-based Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said that media freedom in the EU deteriorated last year, with some nations nearing a "breaking point." Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
  • The report cited concerns over highly concentrated media ownership, a lack of transparency rules, and threats to public media and its sources of financing. It also reported violence against journalists and refusals to allow journalists access to information. Balkan Insight
  • Journalists in Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, and Italy reportedly faced physical attacks, while those in Hungary and Slovakia were allegedly threatened by politicians. Other instances were cited in Romania, Sweden, and Bulgaria, among other nations. The Irish Times
  • The report found that bad faith lawsuits against outlets reportedly occurred in Croatia, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden. In Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, and Poland, journalists were allegedly placed under surveillance via spyware like Pegasus and Predator. The Irish Times
  • This follows the EU's passing of the new Media Freedom Act, which includes provisions aimed at preventing the use of these lawsuits, known as "Slapps." Liberties has called on the European Commission to track closely whether countries are following the new rules. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
  • The law, passed in March, is intended to prevent media concentration, increase transparency from media owners, and protect outlets from arbitrary closures via tech platforms. It also bans the use of spyware to uncover journalists' sources, with some exceptions. POLITICO

Pro-establishment narrative:

  • As Europe faces increased threats to a free press, the Media Freedom Act is a desperately needed positive development for both public and independent journalism. It aims to safeguard media pluralism, protect user rights, and ensure the independence of public media services within the European Union — addressing challenges in the evolving digital media landscape.
    PINSENT MASONS

Establishment-critical narrative:

  • The real reason for the EU's media law is to create a new tool to target EU-skeptical countries like Poland and Hungary. If Brussels cared about fostering a truly free-speech-oriented environment for the public and its press, it wouldn't simultaneously applaud so-called "hate speech laws" that actually criminalize speech. The EU doesn't care about media concentration so long as those outlets align with the bloc's ideology.
    SPIKED

Nerd narrative:

  • There is a 50% chance that the European Union will cease to exist by Nov. 17, 2112, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
    METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)
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