Konrad Bleyer-Simon

@ksimon.bsky.social

Research Fellow @ Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom

📢 How do illiberal actors shrink democratic space in the EU—and what can be done? Join our discussion on media freedom, civil society & gender equality with @ksimon.bsky.social @danielhegedus.bsky.social & Mila Moshelova 🗓️ Jan 20, 2026 | 🕒 15:00 CET 👉 Register: www.authlib.eu/shrinking-sp...

European Responses to the Shrinking Spaces of Democracy

How to counter illiberal attacks on civil society, media and human rights? Join our discussion on January 20 (Tuesday) at 3:00 p.m. CET.

authlib.eu

I was selfish and took the milestone episode to explain why we must get off US tech, some options that are already available to us, but also why our governments need to step up. We can’t keep allowing the US government and Silicon Valley billionaires to have so much power over us!

Tech Won’t Save Us@techwontsave.us · 9mo ago

Tech Won’t Save Us is celebrating 300 episodes! 🎉 This week @parismarx.com took over the show to discuss an issue that’s been motivating a lot of his work this year: the problem with our dependence on US tech and why we need digital sovereignty! Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/300_...

The 2025 #RuleofLaw Report recognises the growing threats to media freedom, but without consequences for non-compliance, the decline will continue. ‼️ECPMF urges the European Commission to specify what penalties will follow failure to implement EMFA & anti-SLAPP measures. www.ecpmf.eu/eu-rule-of-l...

EU Rule of Law Report: ECPMF Calls for Clear Penalties to Defend Media Freedom

Following the publication of the European Commission's 2025 Rule of Law report, the MFRR calls on the EU to act on the alarming findings to bolster its defence of media freedom across the bloc.

ecpmf.eu

"A German court has ruled that Meta must pay €5,000 to a German FB user who sued the platform for embedding tracking technology in third-party websites — a ruling that could open the door to large fines down the road over data privacy violations ..." therecord.media/german-court...

German court rules Meta tracking technology violates European privacy laws

The court in Leipzig ruled that Meta must pay €5,000 ($5,900) to a German Facebook user who sued the platform for embedding tracking technology in third-party websites — a ruling that could open the d...

therecord.media

Sam Altman isn't keen on you reading my book. EMPIRE OF AI is based on 300+ interviews, 7 yrs covering AI, and my time as the first reporter who got extensive access to OpenAI. I sought OpenAI's perspective throughout. For months they said it was coming. It never did. Pre-order here: empireofai.com.

Bild

There is no risk-free media environment. Even in countries where the media system is widely considered pluralistic and free, media workers face multiple challenges. Funding and regulation need to be constantly adapted to new realities. See: Media Pluralism Monitor. cmpf.eui.eu/media-plural...

Media Pluralism Monitor 2024 - CMPF

The Media Pluralism Monitor is a research project that assesses the health of media ecosystems in Europe, highlighting threats to media pluralism and media freedom in the European Union's Member State...

cmpf.eui.eu

Social media political advertising is opaque and unregulated in most EU countries. The exact opposite of the broadcast environment. This can pose risks to EU election integrity. Our blog post with Matteo Trevisan. New EU regulation will improve the situation a lot. cmpf.eui.eu/media-and-eu...

Media pluralism and risks to the fairness of European Parliament Elections: Insights from the forthcoming Media Pluralism Monitor 2024 - Centre for Media Pluralism and Freedom

Media coverage of candidates and the dissemination of political advertising play a vital role in the upcoming EP elections.

cmpf.eui.eu

This week’s marathon update: at km 23, I was attacked by an angry duck (!). The surprisingly fast animal kept chasing me for several meters. I escaped by looking it in the eyes, while running backwards. Looking forward to aggressive poodles or raccoons next time.

Just ran my worst marathon time ever. After 5K, I started feeling kinda sick. Probably because I got up at 4, traveled 3 hours and missed breakfast. Still, quitting was no option: as an Eastern European I knew quite well that free t-shirts are only for those who finish the race.

Bild