The Council of the European Union wants to allow influencers to attend EU summits and selected ministerial meetings from July, alongside already accredited journalists. YouTubers, TikTokers and Instagrammers are meant to report from Brussels and reach audiences that have so far paid little attention to traditional EU coverage.
Yet access to these events comes with a loyalty test. According to leaked guidance, member states should not nominate creators who have published “views against EU values”. In other words, anyone who has expressed contrary opinions is supposed to be kept out and barred from reporting.
What exactly counts as such a view remains unclear. Criticism of EU migration policy, attacks on climate rules, mockery of Ursula von der Leyen or Euroskeptic posts could be enough to deny access if an official classifies them that way. There is no clear list of topics or statements deemed to violate “EU values”.
Meanwhile, the great outcry from the established press over this apparent attempt to permit only a form of courtier journalism has failed to materialize. Many journalists do not see digital content creators as colleagues. They are regarded as influencers, not as press. Professional rivalry, or even envy at huge follower numbers, surely plays a part. As a result, the attempt to pre-censor this kind of reporting is not being criticized as an attack on press freedom.
