2025 Candidate for SC Member: Andrea Roth
Who I am
For the past 26 years, I have been working as a freelance journalist in the areas of science/education and foreign affairs for the public service television station ARD / Bayerisches Fernsehen (Bavarian Television).This includes a variety of EU-related topics as well as European projects such as with TV channel ARTE in collaboration with French and Polish colleagues. Many years I worked on documentaries and news related on topics in Eastern Europe, and I travelled and filmed in nearly each Eastern Europe Country, so I am familiar with the political and social situation there.
My educational background is political science, which led me to a six months internship with the UNO in New York, and this helped me to acquire my intercultural and diplomatic skills. Further, it had a strong impact on my life as a journalist and member of the steering committee in the BJV (part of DJV (German Journalists’ Federation) because of the firsthand experience of how important and valuable it is to build up and maintain an international collaborative network with colleagues around the world. And my multilingualism helps (German, English, French and basic skills in Italian). Since 2017, I am Deputy Head of the Bavarian Journalists’ Association (BJV), which is the largest regional group within the German Journalists’ Federation. Part of my duties is to lead the collective bargaining negotiations for public service media. Since 2021 I am furthermore the Chair of the Europe Commission in the German Journalist Federation DJV.
In the EFJ I began to work as the Co- chair together with Maja Sever, of the labour rights expert group LAREG. I have enjoyed this task and believe that some useful outcomes have been achieved, such as on collective bargaining in countries, where collective agreements don’t exist or are decreasing. I was involved in the series of “changing media”-workshops of the EFJ, i.e. “Capacity Building of Trade Unions”, “Working Conditions”“Security of Free and Employed Journalists”, „Mental Health“ and “The Future of Public Service Media Channels in Europe” I was involved at regional and national level in supporting our colleagues both from Belarus and from the Ukraine by organizing demonstrations and other support work.
In 2022 I have been elected in the Steering Committee of the EFJ, there we achieved a lot of good results, if it was in press-freedom issues in many countries or the Work on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) or the work on regulation of AI. It was my first period in the Steering Committe and I look forward on working together in a good team.
I am the link from the Steering Committee to the expert Group Broadcast (BREG), where – in times of many threats against Public Broadcast in most of the European Countries, we have all hands full to do to publish the alarming development as as well engage in pushing the governments to implement the European Media Freedom Act, which also guarantees the press freedom and funding of the Public Broadcast.
Why I am standing
I am convinced that as an internationally experienced TV journalist and union-Member, responsible for European tasks, I am in a position to bring new and creative ideas to the Steering Committee, which will build upon the valuable work done by the EFJ. My power with the support of my union is dedicated to strengthening the EFJ. In my first period in the Steering Committee until now I engaged with all my heart to our values and goals.
My priorities for the EFJ
My aims as a Member of the Steering Committee are to advance networking and negotiating with our European partners and organizations, to achieve stronger social rights for freelancers and digital media journalists, fair remuneration and profit sharing, especially for female journalists, and strengthening responsible media as guarantors of democracy. Press freedom is endagered like nearly never before in the last years, the picutre of a journalist as a safeguarder for democracy is in danger and we confront a world of fake news and desinformation. So we have strongly to work on measures against desinformation. We will work on regulations on the use of AI to guarantee Authors rights and prevent fake news. And I want to engage in building up structures for the health and safety of journalists in times, where work-loads and threats are increasing.In the EFJ I would like to be part of an engaged team, which is open for reforms and new ideas on strengthening the work of the EFJ.
In detail:
- Disinformation: Disinformation and fake news are one of our main challenges in the upcoming future. We must develop strong networks, tools and measures against desinformation together with national organisations, unions and NGO’s and to engage in the work and frameworks for media literacy.
- AI: We will continue our work on regulations for the use of AI if it is the protection of Authors rights, data misuse, fact checking or the Data ownership of the Big Players.
- PSM as a public good and facilitator of democracy. Status and development are uneven in Europe. In many European countries meanwhile, PSM lose their acceptance, face financial difficulties, have to defend their right for existence and are attacked by right-wing parties or controlled by governments. I shall dedicate a significant part of my time and efforts to support the PSM and the implementation of the EMFA (Art. 5!) in the countries. Only if PSMs are strong they can offer programs that will foster democracy without being influenced by governments or political parties.
- The future of our profession in the digital age: We must not let digitization take control of the working conditions in our profession and tackle the new challenges by making sure that our work will be fairly remunerated. Social rights must be extended to digital journalists. And that means: Building up monitoring systems and developing concrete proposals for solutions within the legislative power of the EU.
- Defend the rights of freelancers: I am a freelancer, living in a freelancers world, where the workload and digitization increases. We have to defend our rights and salaries, as well as a secure workplace. We have to engage in negotiating collective agreements for freelancers. And it is equally important to support the development of new professional and future-oriented business models.
- Build up safety and health structures as well as measures for journalists: As the monitoring of the EFJ shows, the violence against journalists, physically or online is constantly increasing. I want to contribute to building up health and safety measures for journalists. Furthermore we have to integrate the work for the health of journalists, who belong to the most endagered profession regarding physical or psychic health problems.
- Strengthen the Unions and build additional capacities. The stronger the union, the stronger it’s impact, so let us strive for strengthening work councils and trade unions and build new and additional capacities. This is most critical and urgent. Losing members will seriously impact our EFJ as a whole. In the context of all the above I want to use my international and diplomatic experience and put a special focus on expanding and strengthening relations between the EFJ and other organizations, NGOs, the EBU as well as the Council of Europe.
