MJRC · Flagship Research Programme

Media Influence Matrix

Mapping the power behind journalism.

Created by Marius Dragomir in 2017, the Media Influence Matrix examines how regulation, ownership, funding and technology shape journalism and public information.

Understanding Information Power

The News Is Shaped Before It Reaches Us.

Journalism operates within a web of political decisions, financial relationships and technological systems. Regulators can open or restrict markets. Owners and funders can sustain newsrooms or constrain their independence. Platforms and infrastructure providers can influence what audiences discover and how journalism earns revenue.

MIM connects these relationships through a common research framework. Its country studies examine influential news media and the actors around them, combining local knowledge with comparative analysis to make the structures of influence visible.

The project began with country reports and has developed an expanded methodology for an information environment increasingly shaped by platforms, data and AI.

The Research Framework

Follow the Rules. Follow the Money. Follow the Technology.

MIM studies how these forms of power interact, and what their relationships mean for independent journalism and the public’s access to information.

Political Power

Regulation and Policy

Who sets the rules, who influences regulators, and how do policy decisions affect journalism?

  • Regulators and policy decision-makers
  • Appointments, funding and institutional independence
  • Industry, civil society and external influence
  • Transparency and the effects of regulatory decisions

Economic Power

Ownership and Funding

Who controls media and pays for journalism, and how does financial dependence shape editorial freedom?

  • Owners, investors and corporate relationships
  • Advertisers, philanthropy and other private funders
  • Public funding and state advertising
  • Revenue models, audiences and economic dependence

Technological Power

Technology and Infrastructure

Who controls information’s production, visibility and distribution, and how do technology firms engage with governments and newsrooms?

  • Platforms, telecommunications and AI companies
  • Algorithms, data and distribution systems
  • Infrastructure and access to audiences
  • Commercial relationships and government connections

Explore the Published Research

Published country reports form the project’s historical research record. The revised methodology guides the next generation of MIM country research; those earlier reports retain their original methodological basis.

The Case for MIM

Independence Depends on the System Around Journalism.

Threats to journalism include censorship, harassment and direct attacks. They also arise through less visible relationships: concentrated ownership, selective funding, political influence over regulators and dependence on the companies that distribute information.

Understanding these relationships helps researchers, journalists, civil society and policymakers identify where influence is exercised and where reform can make a difference. Country knowledge and a shared framework make it possible to compare experiences without losing the context that explains them.

Beyond Besieged: Understanding the Media’s Ills, and Finding CuresA founding perspective by Nicholas Benequista · 2017

In his essay on the case for this research, Nicholas Benequista argued that protecting journalism requires understanding the conditions in which it operates. Laws, commercial interests and technological arrangements help determine whose voices are heard and which forms of journalism can survive.

His discussion of Tunisia’s post-2011 transition illustrated the limits of formal reform when established media owners, contested regulation and control over communications infrastructure continue to shape the public sphere. It was an argument for studying the relationships behind visible events and individual attacks.

Benequista highlighted the value of research in under-studied countries, a framework connecting government, funding and technology, and publicly accessible findings that allow comparison and learning across borders. These ideas remain central to MIM’s purpose: building evidence that can inform efforts to strengthen independent journalism.

Read Nicholas Benequista’s Original Essay (opens in a new tab)

How the Research Is Built

A Shared Framework, Designed to Evolve.

MIM combines country expertise with a common set of research questions. Its original template established the basis for comparative reports; the current methodology extends that work to connected datasets and a broader range of information actors.

Current Framework · 2025+

From Country Reports to Connected Data

The revised framework is designed for comparable data on institutions, companies, owners, funding flows and technological dependencies. It expands the research to platforms, AI companies, cloud providers and other infrastructure shaping public information.

The current methodology and collection tools are available on the dedicated project site. The original reports remain accessible through the archive.

Read the Current MethodologyFramework, research scope and data structure (opens in a new tab) Download the Methodology SummaryPDF · Research handbook (opens in a new tab) Download the Data Collection TemplatesXLSX · Working research templates (opens in a new tab)

The Original Research TemplateThe foundation of MIM’s comparative country reports

The original template organized research around government and regulation, funding, and technology. Country teams used shared questions to collect evidence, profile influential actors and explain how local media systems worked. The downloadable guidelines were updated in March 2020.

Government, Politics and Regulation

  • Review the legal environment and its effects on journalism.
  • Profile broadcasting, spectrum, press, internet, data protection and other relevant regulators.
  • Examine mandates, board composition, appointments and funding.
  • Identify decision-makers, transparency practices and significant decisions.
  • Map local and external actors influencing the regulatory process.

Funding

  • Examine news consumption and the most popular and influential media.
  • Trace changes in journalism’s business and funding models.
  • Identify advertisers, philanthropies and other non-government funders.
  • Map government support, including public media allocations, state advertising and subsidies.
  • Assess the relationships between funding and editorial coverage.

Technology, Public Sphere and Journalism

  • Describe the technological environment for news production and distribution.
  • Profile key companies, their ownership and local operations.
  • Examine relationships with governments and regulatory authorities.
  • Study distribution agreements, automation and monetization.
  • Trace connections between technology companies and news media.
Open the Original Template (PDF) (opens in a new tab) Explore the Original Methodology (opens in a new tab)

The People Behind the Project

An International Research Network

Country researchers, specialists and research assistants have helped build MIM across successive studies. Explore the contributors and areas of expertise behind that work.

Project Founder

Marius Dragomir

The Director of the Media and Journalism Research Center created MIM in 2017, bringing together research on policy, funding and technology within a common framework for understanding media influence.

Open a country to see the people who have contributed to its research.

Argentina

  • Guillermo Mastrini

    Media ownership, cultural industries and communication policy.

  • Carla Belén Repetto

    Broadcasting business models and communication industries.

  • Martín Razzeto

    Pay television businesses and content production.

Brazil

  • Guillermo Mastrini

    Media ownership, cultural industries and communication policy.

  • Rafael Paes Henriques

    Philosophy, communication, journalism and territorialities.

  • Gabriela Maia Peterle Reis

    Gender, source selection and intersectionality in journalism.

  • Igor Miranda Dadalto

    Journalism research contributor.

  • Larissa Cors

    Journalism research contributor.

  • Letícia Tononi Fortaleza

    Journalism research contributor.

  • Matheus Aldyr Moraes

    Journalism research contributor.

Bulgaria

  • Mariia Altergot

    Public policy, media regulation and internet policy.

Colombia

  • Gabriel Ernesto Levy Bravo

    Telecommunications, digital communication and digital transformation.

  • María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo

    Digital communication, audience research and communication strategy.

  • María Paula Ángel Benavides

    Communication research, media and higher education.

Czech Republic

  • Marius Dragomir

    Project founder; media policy, ownership and funding.

Georgia

  • Giorgi Jangiani

    Disinformation, digital policy and media business.

  • Ekaterine Basilaia

    Media research, policy advocacy and democratic governance.

  • Levani Tevdoradze

    Research contributor.

India

  • Vibodh Parthasarathi

    Media policy, political economy and creative industries.

  • Simran Agarwal

    Media governance, policy and political economy.

  • Manisha Venkat

    Advertising, creative industries and developing media economies.

  • Kripa Fernandes

    Research assistant.

  • Prem Sylvester

    Research assistant.

  • Shivani Chunekar

    Research assistant.

  • Shubhangi Heda

    Research assistant.

  • Tushita Shekhar

    Research assistant.

Indonesia

  • Nurma Fitrianingrum

    Public policy, media and social media governance.

  • Lisette Reuvers

    Public policy, inequality and journalism.

Israel

  • Roni Dorot

    Political communication, Israeli media and documentary analysis.

Italy

  • Matteo Trevisan

    Media freedom, freedom of expression and European policy.

Jordan

  • Ian Graham

    Media regulation and philanthropic support for journalism.

Kazakhstan

  • Adil Nussipov

    Digital policy, government–media relations and global governance.

Kyrgyzstan

  • Gulnura Toralieva

    Media development, communication and open government.

Mexico

  • Rodrigo Gómez

    Media systems, communication policy and media business.

  • Juan S. Larrosa-Fuentes

    Public and political communication.

  • Argelia Muñoz Larroa

    Cultural industries, sustainability and public policy.

  • Gabriel Sosa Plata

    Public media, communication policy and accountability.

Pakistan

  • Ifra Asad

    Public policy, civil society and minority rights.

  • Mackenzie Nelson

    Public discourse, online intermediaries and platform governance.

Romania

  • Dumitrița Holdiș

    Media representation, migration, labor and audio research.

Russia

  • Leonardo Ingannamorte

    Law, human rights and international relations.

  • Olesya Shmagun

    Investigative journalism and corruption reporting.

Slovakia

  • Marius Dragomir

    Project founder; media policy, ownership and funding.

Spain

  • Francisco Campos-Freire

    Media enterprises and public service media.

  • Marta Rodríguez-Castro

    Public media, digital services and platform regulation.

  • Ana Isabel Rodríguez-Vázquez

    Media audiences, innovation and audiovisual communication.

  • Alejandro Gesto-Louro

    Public media funding and technological change.

  • Óscar Juanatey-Boga

    Media marketing, communication strategies and funding.

  • Valentín Alejandro Martínez-Fernández

    Media management and the transformation of print.

  • Marius Dragomir

    Project founder; media policy, ownership and funding.

  • Norina Solomon

    Editing, translation and research assistance.

Ukraine

  • Olesya Grabova

    Political economy, public opinion and Eastern Europe.

  • Anastasiia Tarasova

    Public affairs, international law and human rights.

United Kingdom

  • Leo Watkins

    Media ownership, media reform, technology and telecommunications.

Yemen

  • Abdullah Qaid

    Journalism on conflict, human rights and corruption.

Continue Exploring

Explore Media Influence Matrix

Visit the project’s updated website for country research, published reports and the methodology guiding its next generation of work.

Open the MIM Website (opens in a new tab)