The end of post-socialism and the opportunity for a European public service media house

The offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague. Photo: Shutterstock

Top diplomats, spearheaded by the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, huddled together during the latest EU foreign ministers’ gathering to discuss Trump slashing funds for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Causing as much panic, astonishment and confusion, as his other moves of the second Trump administration, this US withdrawal from the European information space could nevertheless, be also a stimuli for another age. So, what if we stop for a moment, take a deep breath after yet another erratic move, and consider the gutting the outlet as Trump does? What if sustaining a Prague-based and continent-wide media house has actually no sense for the US any longer?

What if this is not another sign of chaos but an opportunity? What if this is a chance to grow and develop further?

What if we acknowledge that Trump has done Europe a favour – and actually quite a big one?

We ought to see things beyond historical reflexes and traditional habits. The current US administration is retiring the country from participation in many of its usual global endeavours. It also clearly cares little about Europe, which pushes us also towards a recognition that this crusade is part of a larger paradigm. We must come to terms that in certain sectors the US just has to be replaced by Europe. Realizing in the past four months that we cannot outsource our security guarantees, civil society support and humanitarian aid any longer, the news media sector is clearly the next area where policies, values and funding must be reconsidered by Europeans. This is especially true if we want to be seen as global players.

In this sense, as much as the slashing of RFE/RL is a tragic event and part of a historic disjuncture in transatlantic relations, it is also an unprecedented opportunity for Europe to take responsibility and secure reliable information outlets for its own citizens and neighbours. It must also offer this information equally, objectively and for free. In an age of paywalls and subscriptions, the right to access reliable news must be a priority for public funding across the continent.

Arguably, there are legal and administrative obstacles, and one cannot just build new media infrastructure in one day. The EU cannot just replace the financing of such a long-standing and highly professionalized institution, which relies on a distinct editorial framework and standards of reporting. Even more so, in the case of an outlet, which is embedded in the traditions of a world order defined by the post-1945 and post-1989 experiences.

However, this world is disintegrating as we speak. Post-socialist structures and power levers became anachronisms to a large degree with the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration is in many ways only crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s with the carnage it is inflicting on the delicate transatlantic infrastructure and its political tools.

Hollowing out the US global news media apparatus is therefore not only an outcome of an unpredictable and utterly destructive Trump administration. It is also a symptom of a global reshuffling in which Europe must not be merely reactive but radically creative. However, it also has to be something which it rarely is: quick, decisive and effective – all at the same time.

Granted, procedures and structures need to be negotiated and RFE/RL must not lose its established geographic focus. Nevertheless, this is also a one-time opportunity to expand and rethink the profile of this house towards a truly independent, non-affiliated and fact-based media outlet for the entire continent and for the ones outside, who share its values. With an international core staff, extensive network of reporters, and considerable know-how in place, RFE/RL could develop into a public service platform informing all of us in the 21st century. After all, it is already located at the heart of Europe in a state-of-the-art headquarters with studios, offices and editorial facilities.

By guaranteeing further its autonomy from national and regime agendas or member state influence, it could become what had initially been anticipated of groups like Euronews, Arte and others. Protecting news consumers from foreign and domestic malign influence in the age of hybrid warfare, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns, it could build on the information it already provides in 27 languages. Complemented by the rapidly developing tools of large language models, AI and machine translation, such a media house could in a few transformative years accommodate all the language communities of Europe and its neighbourhood.

Relying on the traditions of uniting the continent in the times of the Iron Curtain, Europe must now recognize the needs of news audiences living in populist, authoritarian and openly oppressive regimes. Ranging from within the EU, through to Serbia and even Russia or Afghanistan, the content produced in Prague is often the only alternative.

In times when the United States is retreating from this role, Europe remains the sole actor that could provide continuity. By grasping the gravity of this make-it-or-break-it moment , it could provide a solid foundation for growth and development. If this opportunity is missed however, the continued production of malign images and narratives will erode what post-socialism was all about – spreading the values of freedom, democracy and human rights in Europe and beyond.

Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister is the Head of the Global Europe Programme at EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Prague. He holds a Phd in Literary Sciences (University of Pécs), a PhD in Southeastern European History (University of Graz), an MA in Cultural Sociology (Univeristy of Zadar), and has a primary education in Hungarian Studies (University of Novi Sad). In his work, he focuses on media freedom, structure of media landscapes, the role of the EU in Central Europe and the Western Balkans.

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EU foreign policy, freedom of press, media, media freedom, US foreign policy