Digital Services Act and European Media Freedom Act: What they mean for content moderation and media freedom

In the internet age, online news sources command a much larger readership than printed media. However, the internet landscape is not a level playing field; with the exception of subscribers or loyal readers, most online footfall runs through intermediary services. This can include search engines, social media sites or other similar platforms. This gives the providers of these platforms significant influence over the content seen by their audiences, including news content.

The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) set out how online platforms must handle content moderation fairly and transparently – and give journalists and media service providers (MSPs) rights to challenge decisions that affect their reporting.

This guide is a practical resource for news providers, journalists and other MSPs to better understand their rights when publishing content through online intermediary services. It explains how the DSA and EMFA protect media from unfair content moderation and contains a checklist to help media manage risk and exercise their redress and complaints rights.