Democracies need “reciprocity mechanism” to combat propaganda by authoritarian regimes

NewsLegal action in Europe involving China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Chinese state TV broadcaster, has highlighted the degree to which despotic governments export their propaganda while barring independent news media domestically. Democracies must respond to this dangerous imbalance by imposing the same positive obligations on foreign media as on their own media. Reciprocity is entirely legitimate.Decisions involving CGTN have shown the need for urgent measures by democracies to rectify this imbalance and give themselves mechanisms for countering propaganda by authoritarian countries.

© Reporters sans frontières - mardi 27 avril 2021