Promoting availability and accessibility of public interest journalism focus of new OSCE RFoM and Forum on Information and Democracy policy manual
VIENNA, 22 October 2025 - The OSCE Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) and the Forum on Information and Democracy (FID) launched today a new policy manual on “Safeguarding Media Freedom in the Age of Big Tech Platforms and AI”. The publication for OSCE participating States aims to protect freedom of expression and media freedom, as well as promoting information integrity and independent public interest journalism in the digital era. The manual was presented as part of the OSCE RFoM’s “Healthy Online Information Spaces: From Policy Guidance to Pathways Forward” conference, held in Vienna and online.
The publication was developed in co-operation with the FID and with the support of an international steering committee consisting of renowned experts from across the OSCE region. It is the outcome of over a year of in-depth research and analysis, several expert roundtables, and consultations involving over 150 leading scholars and practitioners.
Highlighting the profound impact of AI and digital platforms on information spaces, as well as challenges related to the concentration of power and the lack of transparency, accountability, and human rights due diligence, the policy manual provides concrete guidance to promote the visibility and viability of public interest journalism as well as the safety of journalists online.
“States have an obligation to protect and promote media freedom, by ensuring an enabling environment that fosters democratic debate, and the free exchange of ideas and information. This includes ensuring that Big Tech doesn’t employ strategies that limit access to journalistic content. Our new policy manual offers analysis, tools and principled guidance, grounded in international human rights standards and OSCE commitments, to support States in designing frameworks that safeguard media pluralism, independence and public interest,” said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ambassador Jan Braathu.
Journalism finds itself in a complex relation with Big Tech, increasingly depending on it for audiences, financial models, and — to a large degree —the dissemination of news content. This results in a struggle for news visibility, which affects access to accurate, fact-based information as well as the economic and financial sustainability of media outlets.
Camille Grenier, Executive Director of the Forum on Information and Democracy, underlined that: “The behaviour of Big Tech has shown us that we can only guarantee media freedom and access to reliable information if States implement democratic rules in the information space. Building upon international human rights law, OSCE commitments, and the Declaration of the Partnership for Information and Democracy, this policy manual provides guidance enabling States to act urgently and in multilateral co-operation.”
Anya Schiffrin and Natali Helberger, co-chairs of the Steering Committee, highlighted that “the current concentration of economic, technological and political power in the hands of a few Big Tech platforms that control large parts of the digital information infrastructure is a threat to democracy”. They underlined that “the policy manual formulates concrete steps to safeguard media freedom in the age of Big Tech platforms and AI”.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom