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Media and Technology

Independent media is a pillar of democracy and key to sustaining healthy political engagement and public debate. The Institute extends CEU’s existing research into transparency and public trust in media, the origins and impact of disinformation, and power dynamics that enable or hinder democratic processes. The Institute deepens CEU’s work examining strategies deployed by de-democratizing forces to control media, how changes of ownership structures influence the scope of independent journalism, and how new rules on privacy and freedom of speech impact public debate. 

The Institute also incorporates the Center for Media, Data and Society, founded in 2004 for the study of media, communication, and information policy and its impact on society and practice. Conducted through independent investigation as well as partnerships with academic organizations, think tanks and journalists, the center’s research includes analysis of political, regulatory and policy developments, comparative and data-based studies on the shifts of power in media and journalism, and the interaction between these developments and broader political and social processes, including de-democratization, polarization and corruption. Members of CMDS participate in debates and forums, share expertise with practitioners, researchers and civil society actors, and teach and explain media policy in workshops, lectures and conferences.

As per October 2022, CMDS commenced its operations under the name Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) independently of CEU. Its website and social media accounts are archives of projects conducted by CMDS as a CEU unit and will not be updated.

 

Researchers

Eva Bognar Senior Program Officer
Kate Coyer Senior Research Fellow / CEU Visiting Professor
Robert Nemeth Communications and Outreach Officer / Editor, Review of Democracy
Grace Rademacher Fulbright Fellow
Orsolya Vasarhelyi Post-doctoral Fellow
Balazs Vedres Senior Research Fellow / CEU Professor

News

Balazs Vedres and Orsolya Vasarhelyi on Diversity in Videogame Development

Our Senior Research Fellow Balazs Vedres and Post-doctoral Fellow Orsolya Vasarhelyi talked to Qubit about how inclusion could unlock creative potential. The article is based on their recent publication in Nature Scientific Reports.

Balazs Vedres, Orsolya Vasarhelyi: Inclusion Unlocks the Creative Potential of Gender Diversity in Teams

“Gender diversity requires inclusion as well to see increased collective creativity,” our Senior Research Fellow Balazs Vedres and Post-doctoral Fellow Orsolya Vasarhelyi argue in Nature Scientific Reports.

Judit Szakacs, Eva Bognar: Digital News Report - Hungary

This year’s Reuters Institute Digital News Report provides evidence that news audiences are becoming more dependent on digital and social platforms. Our researchers, Judit Szakacs and Eva Bognar wrote the chapter on Hungary.

New Project to Support Independent Journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey

A consortium of eight organizations, including the DI, and led by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, will continue to provide systemic support to improve the quality and professionalism of journalism in the region.

Organizing Media Workers: A Manifesto

“The labor rights and income of journalists and other media workers must become a key part of the discussion on media freedom,” the manifesto published in our Journalism Breakthroughs project states.

Audiovisuals

There is Power in a Union

Participants of this workshop were invited to debate and discuss the use of organizing unions, networks, associations and communities to push forward the rights of journalists and to protect the freedom of the media.

For a Democracy, It Is Vital To Be Able To Tell Facts Apart

RevDem editor Robert Nemeth talks to Marius Dragomir and Astrid Söderström, authors of a recent study on the state of state media globally.

Marius Dragomir on the War in Ukraine and Disinformation

In this video, Marius Dragomir, Director of our Center for Media, Data and Society discusses media information and disinformation amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Democracy’s Least Appreciated Strength Is Its Ability to Reform Itself

In conversation with RevDem editor Robert Nemeth, Dean Starkman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, talks about the Pandora Papers and how tax avoidance and secrecy endangers democracy.

New Podcast: Hybrid Journalism

In the final episode of the CMDS podcast series Down, but Not Out Dumitrita Holdis and Justin Spike discuss with Monia ben Hamadi, editor-in chief of Inkyfada and CMDS Director Marius Dragomir an increasingly popular funding strategy for small, independent media organizations: hybrid business models.