The media watchdog Coimisiún na Meán (CnaM) has teamed up with Trinity College’s School of Law in an initiative aimed at promoting public debate about media policy and practice.

The regulator has published an essay on the topic of EU media regulation prepared by the top student taking the EU media-regulation module, as part of the postgraduate LLM programme in Trinity College.

The 2024 winning essay is entitled Balancing Counter-Propaganda Measures with Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Information Amidst the Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

Balance

It was written by Victoire Nataf and edited by Dr Ewa Komorek (adjunct assistant professor, Trinity College).

The essay explores the issues raised by the EU’s decision in February 2022 to ban two Russian media outlets in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, a decision upheld by the General Court of the Court of Justice (CJEU) after a challenge by Russia Today’s French arm.

It examines the practical implications of the ban and analyses the balance between freedom of expression and information, and the safeguarding of European public order from Russian media propaganda.

The essay also examines the details of the General Court’s decision on the issue.