Nicosia, Cyprus. The negative impact of generative artificial intelligence on journalism was a central topic at the European Federation of Journalists annual meeting last week, the Union of Cyprus Journalists said on Tuesday. Discussions focused on AI overviews in search engines and their effect on traffic and revenue for news organisations.
AI and news traffic
The rise of AI overviews in search engines such as Google was a key issue at the conference. Delegates heard that AI overviews have reduced organic traffic to news websites by up to 40 per cent, lowering revenue for news organisations.
The federation’s General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for fair compensation for publishers and journalists from online service providers that are limiting traffic to news websites. The resolution also noted the monopolistic influence of major technology companies.
Cypriot participation
Cypriot journalists at the meeting were represented by Union of Cyprus Journalists president Giorgos Frangos and board member Stelios Marathovouniotis.
Anti-SLAPP directive
The conference also examined the implementation of the European Union’s Anti-SLAPP Directive, a binding European law intended to protect journalists, activists and human rights defenders from abusive cross-border lawsuits.
The federation said most SLAPP cases concern domestic matters and called for national laws to address such incidents.
Union access and press freedom
The General Assembly approved a series of resolutions calling for pathways for nontraditional journalists, including Substack writers and TikTok content creators, to join unions. It also encouraged greater participation by young people in journalist unions and defended press freedoms in Turkey.
Cyprus ranking
In recent years, Cyprus has fallen sharply in the World Press Freedom Index. Cyprus ranks 80th out of 180 countries in 2026, down from 26th place in 2021. Among European Union countries, only Greece ranks lower than Cyprus.