The print and electronic media is essential for a democracy to properly function. The press is responsible for keeping politicians and power figures in check and informing the public about what is going on around them. Without it, the people with power would be able to do anything they wanted, the press keeps them in check by following what they do and informing the public about it, so that almost everything they do comes under scrutiny and they cannot afford to abuse their power.

Nowadays, this tradition of democracy is under threat all around the globe. Even the US president labels news organisations opposed to him as "fake news" and tries to discredit them. This behaviour is not surprising for some countries on Earth, but for the US, which advocates itself as "the moral compass of the world" and is willing to bring democracy all over the world, it is just absolutely self-contradictory and shocking.

This attempt to discredit the media is very dangerous, because it is the first step towards an authoritarian state. And since it is the media's job to educate the public, we decided to bring you two days of coverage which is filled with articles and opinions about current topics. Because if we do not shout at the top of our voices and try and change this situation now, we will regret it for the rest of our lives.

The Media Team of Europolis II 2017