Media and Journalism Research Center Publishes Strategy for 2026–2028

The Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC) has released its 2026–2028 strategy, outlining an expanded research agenda and new priorities shaped by ongoing transformations in the global information environment. The shift is not away from journalism, supporting independent media remains part of its mission, but beyond traditional media mapping toward analysing the broader information ecosystem, with a particular focus on provenance, influence networks, and emerging intermediaries shaping public communication.

The strategy reflects changes driven by synthetic media, evolving regulatory frameworks, fragmented audiences, and the growing role of AI companies and political networks in shaping visibility, trust, and access to information. MJRC’s future work includes tracking ownership, funding, regulatory environments, and narrative flows not only across media outlets, but also within tech companies, political actors, data brokers, platform operators, and other entities that increasingly determine how information circulates (including retail companies, energy providers, telecommunications companies, etc.).

MJRC’s core strategy pillars presented in the document include:

  • Provenance and Influence Mapping, including expansions to the State Media Monitor, Media Influence Matrix and Media Capture Monitoring Report.
  • Support to Independent Journalism, particularly in fragile or captured contexts.
  • Academic and Community Engagement, with plans to grow the Media and Journalism Exchange into a truly global knowledge network.
  • Preparation for the Quantum Internet era, including quantum-resilient verification, secure provenance, and research examining how quantum infrastructures may reshape journalism, regulation, and public communication.

The strategy emphasizes that preparing for the Quantum Internet is now essential, not only internally at MJRC, but across the media and policy fields. The Center plans to begin monitoring the rollout of quantum-secure communication systems, assessing their implications for verification, authentication, censorship, access, and editorial independence.

With this strategic cycle, MJRC positions itself as an institution committed to documenting how information is produced, controlled, and trusted in a rapidly changing technological landscape, while ensuring that human judgment, field knowledge, and independent reporting remain central to the public information sphere.

See the MJRC Strategy here.

Photo: Strategy document cover (original source of photo: Canva Pro)