Over the past year, the research aimed at mapping the relationship between the media and democracy in Europe has made significant progress. Various materials are already available, making public the first advances achieved by the MeDeMAP consortium.
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The documents offer an in-depth approach to the concepts of media and democracy. “Democracy and Media: A Discursive-Material Approach”, publication by Nico Carpentier and Jeffrey Wimmer (Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) explores the theoretical discussion that underpins the project’s subject – from the key elements of democracy to its threats. Additionally, in “Analytical Models for Examining Media Supply and Demand Side and the Legal and Regulatory Context of Both Sides: Operationalization Proposals”, Nico Carpentier and Jeffrey Wimmer review the legal and regulatory frameworks of the media, as well as a set of analytical models regarding their operation. Also available for consultation on the project’s website is the publication “An integrative literature review on democracy and media in Europe: Theory-driven re-analysis of existing empirical data”. This document, authored by Vaia Doudaki and Kirill Filimonov (Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic), presents an extensive review on the interconnections between media and democracy.
In addition to the theoretical results, case studies are also ongoing. Interviews and focus groups are being conducted in each country participating in the consortium, with the aim of deepening the understanding of the democratic implications of legal and regulatory norms, the impact of production conditions on the quality of content and the use of media, and how people deal with the media as sources of information and what impact this has on their democratic attitudes.
With a view to open science, the project team has also made available the Methodological protocol for ethnographic research (Andrea Miconi, Giulia Ferri, Elisabetta Risi, Nello Barile, Panos Kompatsiaris, IULM University, Milan, Italy), a standard framework for the procedures adopted by the ten partners for the qualitative research on demand side and that can be replicated in other contexts and in further research.
Podcast uncovers the research, its motto and results
Aiming to reach a wider audience, the project recently launched the podcast MeDeMAP – Mapping Media for Future Democracies. Through conversations with team members, journalists, and other specialists, the podcast (available in audio and video format) aims not only to showcase the work being conducted but also to collect testimonies that can contribute to strengthening democracy and to better understand the relevance of matters of accountability, transparency, and the effectiveness of media production to promote anactive and inclusive citizenship. It is available on Spotify, YouTube, and other platforms.
Consortium meets in Krakow in September
The next in-person consortium meeting will take place in Krakow from September 18 to 20. Alongside discussions on the state of the research and plans for the following months, the meeting will feature a session with stakeholders under the theme ‘REACTIVATION: THE NEWS MEDIA FOR THE FUTURE’, as well as a roundtable. More information will be available soon on the project’s website (https://www.medemap.eu/) and social media.