Understandable, but still wrong: How freedom of communication suffers in the zeal for sanctions

It was announced at the end of February that Kremlin-backed media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik would be banned in the EU, and the decision was confirmed by the Council of the European Union on 2 March 2022, meaning that no broadcasters or online platforms are permitted to distribute RT/Sputnik content within the EU, and regulators are expected to monitor compliance. The ban had led to heated discussions regarding the potential consequences for freedom of expression and access to information online, and to a proposal for a new crisis mechanism in the latest version of the Digital Services Act. Here, Professor Natali Helberger of the University of Amsterdam and Professor Wolfgang Schulz of the Hans-Bredow Institute, Hamburg, explain the implications of the ban for media freedom and freedom of communication.