OSCE Chairperson and OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media reaffirm necessity of media freedom to mark World Press Freedom Day

VIENNA/HELSINKI, 2 May 2025 — On World Press Freedom Day, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Jan Braathu reaffirm the necessity of upholding media freedom in an environment marked by rapid technological developments.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day puts a spotlight on the impact of artificial intelligence on press freedom and the media. AI is transforming the way information is produced, accessed and shared globally.  It has a profound impact on our information spaces: a lack of transparency, human rights due diligence and accountability, as well as the potential use of AI for authoritarian purposes. This threatens the integrity, plurality and independence of the information landscape.

While technological advances, such as AI, can be beneficial, including by facilitating access to information, providing efficient tools to process large amounts of data, and supporting fact-checking, these advances also introduce new risks and exacerbate existing challenges. AI tools can be used to generate and spread mis- and disinformation and to enable new forms of censorship and surveillance.

“Our societies increasingly access information via social media platforms. These platforms can bring information to many people who haven’t had access to it before but the new reality also creates new challenges. We have to come up with solutions that protect our human rights, our privacy and information integrity,” said Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen. “Investing in media and information literacy from a very young age is essential to building the right capacities in our societies to navigate the complex online information space. In Finland, we are seeing very positive results with this approach.”

Jan Braathu, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, notes that “information integrity requires availability and accessibility of ethical journalism and public interest information. The question is how AI can be leveraged to strengthen the information ecosystem with reliable content so as to support an informed public. The increasing prevalence of AI increases the importance of media literacy.”

“As we approach the 50^th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, we need to reaffirm our joint commitment to media freedom as a cornerstone of democracy, and to uphold the right to freedom of expression. For the benefit of our common security and for the benefit of well-informed and resilient societies,” said both leaders.