Media and Journalism Research Center

Media and Journalism Research Center
Formation2004; 22 years ago (2004)
TypeResearch center
Director
Marius Dragomir
Websitejournalismresearch.org Edit this at Wikidata
Formerly called
Center for Media, Data and Society (2014–2022)
Center for Media and Communication Studies (2004–2014)

The Media and Journalism Research Center is a think tank that produces scholarly and practice-oriented research about journalism, media freedom, and internet policy. The organization maintains a cooperation agreement with the University of Santiago de Compostela.

The center is known for identifying trends in the use of media technologies and advancing policy discussions about media policy, state media, media ownership, and media capture.

History

The center was founded as the Center for Media and Communication Studies at Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary. It began in 2004, and was designed to serve as a focal point an international network of scholars and academic institutions, whose research ranges from media and communications policy, fundamental communications rights through media and civil society and new media and digital technology to media in transition. In September 2014 it was relaunched as the Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) to represent new interests in technology policy and big data. Philip N. Howard led the Center from 2013-2015. Media expert, journalist and scholar Marius Dragomir led the center starting in September 2016. Most of CMDS' projects are continued by the Media and Journalism Research Center, a research institute established by Marius Dragomir in October 2022 that is independent of CEU.

Projects

The CMDS' research projects focused on identifying trends and challenges in the use of information technologies and advancing policy discussions about the regulation of data and media. Projects that CMDS has contributed to have included Creative Approaches to Living Cultural Archives, Ranking Digital Rights, Strengthening Journalism in Europe, Research on Violent Online Political Extremism. Its projects have been funded by the Open Society Foundations, National Endowment for Democracy, European Union, Media Development Investment Fund, Internews Network, Thomson Foundation, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and the Prague Civil Society Center.[non-primary source needed]

The center has also been known for its monitoring work on media policy. Since its launch in 2017, the Media Influence Matrix project has expanded to over 50 countries. The center is also known for its research on media capture, co-funded by the European Commission. Dragomir has published studies that attempted to define and analyze the media capture phenomenon occurring in both public and private media outlets. In 2018, CMDS joined the Journalism Trust Initiative. The MJRC's research on public service media and state media was cited in articles published by the European Journal of Communication and The Political Quarterly in 2024. Dragomir has co-authored academic journal articles about public service media and online disinformation, as well as a report for UNESCO in 2020 on editorial independence and state-captured private media. That report was used to prepare a broader report released in 2022 on global trends on freedom of expression and media development.

State Media Monitor

The State Media Monitor serves as a database that analyzes outlets around the world based on factors like editorial independence, funding, and ownership/governance. The 2024 State Media Monitor list, including the evaluation of new sources, was released in September. The 2025 State Media Monitor list, including the updated profiles and a global comparative overview, was released in September.

State Media Monitor ratings
Rating Funding Ownership/ Governance Editorial controlOfficial description Performance
Independent public (IP) No No No Public service media whose funding and governing mechanisms are designed in such a way as to fully insulate them from government interference. Highest level of independence
Independent state-managed/state-owned (ISM) No Yes No Public service media not predominantly funded from state budget resources that are either owned by the state or whose governing bodies are controlled by the government, which, however, does not attempt to control their editorial agenda. Risk of politicisation
Independent state-funded (ISF) Yes No No Public service media whose main funding source is the state, which, however, does not own them or control their governing bodies, and does not attempt to control their editorial agenda. Vulnerable to financial pressure
Independent state-funded and state-managed (ISFM) Yes Yes No Public service media whose main funding source is the state, which owns them or controls their governing bodies, without, however, attempting to control their editorial agenda. Medium; risk of capture
Captured private (CaPr) No Yes Yes Privately owned media outlets dependent to a large degree on the government for funding or other privileges (i.e. state advertising or public procurement contracts for other businesses run by their owners). Editorial agenda aligned with government
Captured public/state-managed (CaPu) Maybe Yes Yes Public service or state-owned media not predominantly financed through state budget resources, where the state is using its status as owner and/or its control over the management of these outlets to influence their editorial agenda. Staffed by government loyalists
State-controlled (SC) Yes Yes Yes State media created as propaganda channels, typical for authoritarian regimes, or failed public media in which the government retains a major role, funding and owning them, controlling their management and closely supervising their editorial agenda. Lowest level of independence

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Contact - Media and Journalism Research Center". 12 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "Center for Media and Communication Studies (CMCS)". Media and Information Literacy Clearinghouse. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Name change". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mission of CMDS". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Phil Howard | CMDS". cmds.ceu.edu. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "Marius Dragomir Appointed Director of the Center for Media, Data and Society | CMDS". cmds.ceu.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "About". MJRC. 12 January 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "Creative Approaches to Living Cultural Archives". Creative Europe Desk Ireland. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Ranking Digital Rights - Funders and Partners". rankingdigitalrights.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Strengthening Journalism in Europe: Tools, Networking, Training". Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom. Archived from the original on 19 September 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "VOX-POL: Virtual Center of Excellence for Research in Violent Online Political Extremism | Central European University". www.ceu.edu. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Virtual Centre of Excellence for Research in Violent Online Political Extremism | FP7". CORDIS | European Commission. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  14. ↑ "About - Media and Journalism Research Center". 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Project Summary - State Media Monitor". 24 October 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  16. ↑ Chioccioli, Beatrice (29 October 2024). "Media Capture Monitoring Report: Explore the methodology". International Press Institute. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  17. ↑ "MDIF publishes report on media capture in Europe". Media Development Investment Fund. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  18. ↑ Dragomir, Marius (2019). "Media Capture: Media Ownership, Oligarchs, and the Challenge of Developing Independent Media". In Benequista, N.; Abbott, S.; Rothman, P.; Mano, W. (eds.). International Media Development. Peter Lang. pp. 93–103. ISBN 978-1-4331-5150-7.
  19. ↑ Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis; Gorwa, Robert; de Cock Buning, Madeleine (25 November 2019). "What can be done? Digital Media Policy Options for Europe (and beyond) | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism". reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  20. ↑ Journalism Is a Public Good: World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development, Global Report 2021/2022 (Report). Paris: UNESCO. 2022. ISBN 978-9231005091.
  21. ↑ Dragomir, Marius (2024). "2. The Shift in Media Power: How Media Capture Is Changing the Game". In Goyanes, Manuel; Cañedo, Azahara (eds.). Media Influence on Opinion Change and Democracy: How Private, Public and Social Media Organizations Shape Public Opinion. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 11–25. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-70231-0. ISBN 978-3031702303.
  22. ↑ Dragomir, Marius (2024). "15. Knowledge Transfer: From Corporations to the Media and from the Media to Society". In Sixto-García, José; Quian, Alberto; Rodríguez-Vázquez, Ana-Isabel; Silva-Rodríguez, Alba; Soengas-Pérez, Xosé (eds.). Journalism, Digital Media and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 197–209. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-63153-5. ISBN 978-3031631528.
  23. ↑ "RSF and its partners unveil the Journalism Trust Initiative to combat Disinformation | RSF". rsf.org. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  24. ↑ "AFP joins RSF initiative to combat disinformation and to distinguish trustworthy media | AFP.com". www.afp.com. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  25. ↑ Milosavljević, Marko; Poler, Melita (2024). "The role and accountability of the state as a news media owner in the contemporary media landscape". European Journal of Communication. 39 (5). Sage Publishing: 486–497. doi:10.1177/02673231241267145.
  26. ↑ Moore, Martin (2024). "Keeping Democracies Alive: The Role of Public Service Media". The Political Quarterly. 95 (1). Wiley-Blackwell: 108–112. doi:10.1111/1467-923X.13359.
  27. ↑ Horowitz, Minna; Cushion, Stephen; Dragomir, Marius; Manjón, Sergio Gutiérrez; Pantti, Mervi (2021). "A Framework for Assessing the Role of Public Service Media Organizations in Countering Disinformation". Digital Journalism. 10 (5). Routledge: 843–865. doi:10.1080/21670811.2021.1987948. hdl:20.500.14018/28121.
  28. ↑ Dragomir, Marius; Rúas-Araújo, José; Horowitz, Minna (2024). "Beyond online disinformation: assessing national information resilience in four European countries". Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. 11 (101) 101. Nature Portfolio. doi:10.1057/s41599-024-02605-5. hdl:20.500.14018/27933.
  29. ↑ Dragomir, Marius; López, Miguel Túñez (2024). "How public service media are changing in the platform era: A comparative study across four European countries". European Journal of Communication. 39 (6). Sage Publishing: 608–624. doi:10.1177/02673231241290062.
  30. ↑ Dragomir, Marius (2020). Reporting Facts: Free from Fear or Favour (Report). Paris: UNESCO. ISBN 978-9231004223.
  31. ↑ "State Media Monitor – The world's state and public media database". statemediamonitor.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  32. ↑ "Global Findings of State Media Monitor 2025 Published – State Media Monitor". statemediamonitor.com. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  33. ↑ "Typology – State Media Monitor". statemediamonitor.com. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  34. ↑ "State Media Monitor: Global Findings 2025 – State Media Monitor". statemediamonitor.com. Retrieved 18 October 2025.