Digital Services Act

Evaluating the Digital Services Act: Defining the Role of News Media

On Tuesday, January 14, the ORM (Observatory for Research on Media and Journalism) and the MiiL, UCLouvain’s Media Innovation Lab, organized a study day in partnership with Villa Numeris, a European think tank, to dissect one year of the DSA’s implementation.

As Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced the end of fact-checking in the United States, the European Digital Services Act marked its first year of application. This milestone offered an opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness amid significant changes in the media and digital landscape. Scholars, lawyers, and journalists gathered at a study day hosted at the University of Saint-Louis Brussels by the ORM, the MiiL, UCLouvain’s innovation hub, the CRIDES (UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels), and Villa Numeris.

Villa Numeris leads a working group chaired by Pascal Beauvais, professor at the Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne Law School, and Thaima Samman of the Samman law firm. Their report, titled Reaffirming Freedom of Expression, shaped the symposium’s discussions, structured around three roundtables. The first two sessions, focused on legal perspectives, explored the roles of traditional and emerging actors in regulating freedom of expression and implementing the DSA. The third session examined the transformations of the digital sphere and their impact on journalism. Key questions included: How can we effectively combat fake news and foreign interference? What role does freedom of expression play in unmoderated digital spaces? These topics fueled the debates.

The final roundtable, chaired by Benoît Grevisse, professor at UCLouvain’s School of Journalism, featured several academic and industry experts. Jean-Paul Philippot, Director General of RTBF, highlighted that the sustainability of media outlets relies on the independence of major digital players. Charlotte Michils, Secretary General of the VVJ, represented the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). Alain Strowel, law professor at UCLouvain Saint-Louis, provided insights into the DSA’s impact on the media sector. Lastly, Antonin Descampe, professor of media innovation at UCLouvain’s School of Journalism, proposed strategies for navigating the digital space and positioning AI as an ally rather than an adversary.

The day concluded with a reinforced observation: addressing issues of freedom of expression and journalism requires a holistic approach. This interdisciplinary perspective is “essential,” remarked Benoît Grevisse: “The survival of journalism in democracies cannot be resolved solely within the journalism profession.” The fight for freedom of expression and against fake news, emphasized David Lacombled, president of Villa Numeris, “cannot be the responsibility of one group or another; it is everyone’s business.”