Lawsuits used to prevent public interest stories, political propaganda money used to buy media goodwill, a media blacklist published by a party, and public broadcasters under interim management: clearly, 2021 was not a good year for journalism in Romania.

In Portugal, in the aftermath of the pandemic, and with trust in news still high, overall interest in news fell significantly. Meanwhile, the rebranding of a news channel has changed competitive dynamics in a very packed market for TV news channels.

In Poland, the war in Ukraine and the accompanying refugee crisis has led to a surge in news consumption across TV and digital channels. Before the conflict it was a different story, with declining interest in news and increased government pressure on independent media outlets.

The Norwegian media landscape combines strong national publishers and public service media with a reputation for innovation in content and business models. Norwegian media still lead the field in payment for news online, despite some decline in use of and trust in news.

The Dutch news market is characterised by a strong public service broadcaster and highly concentrated newspaper ownership.