The Role of Media Freedom in Democratic Resilience
On 9 June 2026, a public discussion on media freedom, democracy, and the future of journalism was held in Prague, jointly organised by Aspen Institute Central Europe and the French Institute in Prague.
The event featured Christine Ockrent, one of Europe's most respected journalists, and Peter S. Green, an award-winning foreign correspondent whose reporting has documented wars, democratic transitions, and political transformations across Central and Eastern Europe for several decades.
The discussion examined the multiple challenges confronting independent journalism, including political pressure, financial sustainability, digital platforms, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Beyond these structural factors, participants highlighted a broader societal shift: people increasingly consume information that confirms their existing beliefs rather than information that helps them better understand complex realities.
Particular attention was devoted to the role of trusted media institutions. In an information environment saturated with content, credibility has become an increasingly scarce and valuable public resource. Building trust requires years of consistent professional work, while losing it may happen remarkably quickly.
The discussion also underscored the close relationship between information integrity and democratic resilience. A society's ability to distinguish credible information from misinformation directly affects the quality of public debate, policy-making, and collective decision-making during periods of uncertainty and crisis.
These questions closely align with the Economic Resilience Institute's research agenda on economic resilience, governance, and institutional capacity under conditions of prolonged crises. As contemporary conflicts increasingly combine military, economic, and information dimensions, understanding the role of trusted institutions—including independent media—has become an essential component of resilience research. The ability of societies to preserve trusted sources of information is increasingly recognised as a prerequisite for effective governance, informed public decision-making, and long-term societal resilience.
The event provided an important platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on one of the defining challenges facing democratic societies today.
