Minna Aslama Horowitz
Public media policies, Digital rights, Media activism
Minna Aslama Horowitz is a Docent at the University of Helsinki, a researcher at the Nordic Observatory for Digital Media and Information Disorder (NORDIS), and a Fellow at St. John’s University, New York. She is also a member of the Think Tank of the Nordic Council of Ministers to address platformization in the Nordics. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki and has taken part in several international research activities in the past decade.
Free time: dogs, horses, yoga, some jogging, true crime podcasts
Haris bin Aziz
International Relations, European Studies
Haris bin Aziz is currently postdoctoral visiting fellow at the Department of International History, London School of Economics and Political Science. He earned his Ph.D. in European Studies from Area Study Centre for Europe, University of Karachi and remained visiting doctoral scholar at the University of Cambridge, Columbia University, King’s College London and University of Bologna. He worked as a journalist with renowned Pakistani organizations since 2005.
Free time: reading books, writing poetry and prose, travelling and knowing about different cultures
Emma L Briant
Propaganda, Ethics in influence operations, Surveillance, Security and human rights
Emma L Briant has a PhD in sociology from University of Glasgow, UK and is a scholar and expert on contemporary propaganda and information warfare, its governance in an age of mass-surveillance and its implications for democracy, security, inequality and human rights. She is now finalizing her third book Propaganda Machine: Inside Cambridge Analytica and the Digital Influence Industry.
Free time: dog-walking, swimming, friends, enjoying live music and spending too much time on Twitter
Luis Miguel Carriedo
Journalism, Communication theories
Luis Miguel Carriedo is a professor of journalism and communication theories at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana- Unidad Xochimilco in Mexico. Luis Miguel is also an investigative journalist specializing in media analysis and elections in Latin America. He has been an electoral advisor on matters of transparency and access to public data. In 2007 he was awarded the German Walter Reuter Prize for Journalism.
Free time: Diving, guitar, dogs and more dogs.
Pooran Chandra Pandey
Trust and public perception, Media financing, Editorial independence, Democratization and human rights
Pooran Chandra Pandey is an International Visiting Fellow, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), Taiwan (R.O.C). Previously; he held senior leadership positions with UN, Times of India, and Nippon Denro including a three-year stint as Chief Executive Officer, Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute, Berlin. Pooran holds an M. Phil degree in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is also a Chevening Scholar.
Free time: reading, writing, volunteering, nature walking, mentoring
Zsuzsa Detreköi
Content regulations, Copyright, Media law
Zsuzsa Detrekői is a TMT lawyer and a part-time academic. She was a consultant of OpenNet Initative at Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University for several months in 2007 and 2008. Zsuzsa was the general counsel of major Hungarian online content provider origo.hu. She also provides legal support for the Association of Hungarian Content Providers. Her research area is online content and internet related regulations about what she wrote her thesis on and achieved PhD in 2016.
Free time: sailing, podcasts
Marius Dragomir
Regulation, Public service media, Media capture, Business models, Research methodology
Marius Dragomir is the Founding Director of the Media and Journalism Research Center, which continues the work of the Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS), which he led between 2016 and 2022. Dragomir previously worked for the Open Society Foundations (OSF) for over a decade where he managed the research and policy portfolio of the Program on Independent Journalism (PIJ), formerly the Network Media Program (NMP), in London.
Free time: cycling, reading biographies, playing football
Francesca Fanucci
Civic freedoms, Digital rights, Artificial Intelligence, Neurotechnology, Regulation, Impact assessments
Francesca is an Italian/British lawyer who has worked in international and EU law for over 20 years. She currently serves as Senior Legal Advisor at the European Center For Not-Not-Profit Law (ECNL) where she mostly works on projects at the UN, Council of Europe and EU level aimed at developing standards and regulatory frameworks addressing the impact of new and emerging technologies on civic freedoms, including freedom of expression and right of peaceful assembly online and offline.
Free time: raising feisty teenage son, reading, gardening, watching movies (Netflix addict), training for triathlon, playing the piano, listening to jazz music
Rodrigo Gómez
Media policy, media industries and digital democracy
Rodrigo Gómez is professor in communication industries and policies at the Communication Department in Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Cuajimalpa. His work has focused on cultural industries, media systems, media policies and media companies from a political economy of communication perspective. He is co-editor of Routledge book series Global Media Giants. He is also associate researcher of the Latin American Think Tank Observacom.
Free time: Hiking in natural parks
Peter Gross
Media systems, Media theories, Media in transitioning societies, Journalism cultures
Peter Gross has a Ph.D. in Mass Communication/International Communication from the University of Iowa where he is now an adjunct professor. He is professor emeritus and former Director of the University of Tennessee’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media (2006-2016). He frequently served as consultant to the International Media Fund, The Freedom Forum, Freedom House, the U.S. Information Agency, and Voice of America. His latest book, The Cultural Core of Media Systems – The Romanian Case, wad released in 2023.
Free time: reading spy novels, biographies, and history books, weight training, movies, soccer
Mihaela Groza
Web design, Visualization, Project management
Mihaela joined CMDS in January 2018, fulfilling throughout her time spent with the center a variety of roles ranging from administration to project management, and research. She has been since 2017 a climate policy and climate data analyst with Urban Nature Atlas, under a Horizon 2020 scheme managed by Central European University. Mihaela pursued a Master’s in Computer Sciences with Stockholm University.
Free time: gardening (orchards in particular), reading utopian and dystopian novels, bird watching.
Giorgi Jangiani
Disinformation, Media Business, and Digital Policy
Giorgi Jangiani is a results-driven media policy professional with research expertise in disinformation, media business, and digital policy. He holds an MA in European Public Policy from the University of York and Central European University and previously led the USAID-funded Strengthening Democratic Resilience in Georgia Program at People in Need. A consultant for the Brussels-based Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), his research is focused on election-related disinformation and online content regulations in the Eastern Partnership countries.
Free time: travel, reading self-development books, playing basketball, and enjoying cooking.
Nevena Krivokapic Martinovic
Human rights, Digital rights, Online Media
Nevena Krivokapic Martinovic is a lawyer specializing in online media, freedom of expression in the digital environment and information privacy. As of 2013, she has been a member of non-profit SHARE Foundation in Serbia as its Coordinator for freedom of expression and online media where she dedicates her work to exploring new features of the media ecosystem and the position of online media in the implementation of human rights standards in the digital environment.
Free time: travel, bike riding and Netflix
Juan S. Larrosa-Fuentes
Political communication, public communication, journalism, political economy, communication theory
Juan S. Larrosa-Fuentes is in charge of ETIUS: Observatory of Communication & Culture in the Department of Sociocultural Studies at ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara. Since 2019 he has been a member of the National Research System. He has published in journals such as Latin American Research Review, International Journal of Communication, Media, War & Conflict, Tripodos, Comunicación y Sociedad, Global Media Journal México, and several books on political communication.
Free time: fiction reader, runner, soccer
Guillermo Mastrini
Media ownership, Communications policy, Culture economy, Regulation
Guillermo Mastrini has a PhD in Information Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid and a degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). He is a professor of the Social Communications Degree at the National University of Quilmes, where he was the Director of the Cultural Industries Masters, a professor of the Communication Sciences Degree at the Faculty of Social Sciences (UBA), and a research fellow at the National Scientific Research Council (CONICET).
Free time: football, cooking, wine
John Masuku
Broadcasting, Radio, African broadcasting history
John Masuku is a broadcast journalist, media consultant and radio trainer, the UNESCO World Radio Day 2023 International Campaign Coordinator. John started his broadcasting career at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in 1974 as a radio announcer and producer rising through the ranks to become general manager of radio services. In 2002 he joined Radio VOP, an independent alternative radio station. John holds an MPhil in Journalism from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Free time: storytelling, reading about anything, writing biographies, gardening
Argelia Muñoz
Audiovisual industries, streaming platforms, sustainability, cultural diversity
Argelia Muñoz Larroa is a researcher at Center for Studies in North America, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Her research has focused on the sustainability of audiovisual industries and effective policies to enhance regional economic development and cultural diversity. She has a PhD in management from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; an MA in international affairs; and a BA in history from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Free time: horticulture, stray dog support, and watching international public OVoDs
Robert Nemeth
Journalism, News media, Hungarian media market, Mis- and Disinformation
Robert Nemeth had a 15-year-long career in journalism, he worked for different Hungarian TV stations and online media outlets in various positions ranging from journalist to senior editor and news producer. Since 2018 he has been working as a communications professional and media advisor and trainer, while he participates in various research projects as well. He is also guest lecturer at the Department of Media and Communication at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary.
Free time: news addict, movies, soccer and football
Vibodh Parthasarathi
News ownership, Digital trends, Regulatory history, Policy studies, Curriculum development
Vibodh Parthasarathi maintains a multidisciplinary interest in media policy, digital transitions, and policy literacy. Associate Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, he has been a visiting scholar at the University of Queensland, KU Leuven, University of Helsinki, and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Parthasarathi has been at the forefront of media policy research in India and a winner of numerous grants including from the Ford Foundation, IDRC, and University Grants Commission. Currently, he is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Digital Media and Policy.
Free time: reading ancient history, music concerts, cricket (any) and football (live)
Giulia Priora
Copyright law, press publishers and press readers rights, media law, digital rights
Giulia Priora is Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Law Lisbon and Director of the NOVA Intellectual Property and Sustainable Innovation (IPSI) Centre. She teaches intellectual property law and legal research methodologies, while focusing her research on copyright law, online content moderation, legal incentives and access to information and education, distributive justice in (among others) the digital press sector. She holds a SJD in International Business Law from CEU and served as postdoctoral researcher at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies Pisa and as visiting researcher at Columbia Law School.
Free time: reading novels and travel literature, learning Portuguese, jogging
Courtney Radsch
Technology policy, Human/Digital rights, Media sustainability & freedom, Regulation, Artificial Intelligence, Platform governance
Dr. Courtney Radsch is a fellow at UCLA’s Institute for Technology, Law & Policy and a strategic advisor for mission-driven media development and human rights organizations. As a global thought leader on the intersection of technology, media, and human rights whose perspective is shaped by her experience as a journalist, scholar, and press freedom advocate, she regularly publishes and provides commentary and analysis in top media outlets and participates in expert consultations with tech platforms and policymakers.
Free time: Singing, hiking, travel, yoga, cooking and reading
Damian Radcliffe
Digital trends, Business and revenue models, Journalistic practice and Media freedom
Damian Radcliffe is the Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism, a Professor of Practice, an affiliate faculty member of the Department for Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENA) at the University of Oregon. He is also a three-time Fellow of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, and an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture Studies (JOMEC). Damian has worked in editorial, research, policy and teaching positions for the past two and a half decades in the UK, Middle East and USA.
Free time: (What free time?) watching TV and movies, spending time with my young family, travel, podcasts, doomscrolling!
Andrei Richter
Media regulation, self-regulation and policy, Media freedom and human rights, Media in Ukraine, Russia and other post-Soviet countries, Propaganda and disinformation
Dr. Andrei Richter is Researcher Professor at Comenius University in Bratislava and Adjunct Professor of the Webster University in Vienna. In 2011-22 he served as Director and a Senior Adviser at the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Richter holds university degrees in law, journalism and foreign languages, a doctorate of philology in Russia and a habilitated professorship in media studies from Slovakia. He has authored more than 250 publications on media law and policy in 12 languages.
Free time: spending time with family, raising son, reading Russian novels and watching TV shows
Marta Rodríguez-Castro
Public service media, Public value, Media policy
Marta Rodríguez-Castro is Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication Sciences of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Her main research lines include public service media and media policy. She was visiting fellow at the Center for Media, Data and Society in Budapest and in the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institute (Hamburg, Germany). She is part of the leadership team of the International Association of Public Media Researchers (IAPMR).
Free time: Galician traditional dance, plants, movies and wine
Zoltan Sipos
Local media, Media sustainability, Reporting in difficult environments, Project management
Zoltán Sipos is a journalist in a slow but steady transition into a managerial role. He is editor-in-chief and manager of Átlátszó Erdély, an investigative journalism outlet targeting the Hungarian community of 1.2 million living in Transylvania, Romania. His main responsibilities are fundraising, growing the project in a sustainable way, and experimenting with new ways to reach out to the community. Zoltán teaches Investigative Journalism Techniques at the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania.
Free time: being in nature, preferably in a forest either on a bicycle, walking or running
Astrid Söderström
Public media, State media, Disinformation
Astrid Söderström is a freelance journalist and a master’s student at the University of Helsinki, where she is studying media and democracy in the Global Politics and Communication program. She has been a research intern at the Media and Journalism Center since 2021, most notably working on the State Media Monitor and the three State of State Media studies. In her university work, she has taken an interest in communication ethics, challenges to journalism, disinformation, and propaganda.
Free time: ice skating, yoga, running, creative writing, building a forever-growing reading list
Norina Solomon
Editing, Project management, Media research, Public relations
Norina Solomon graduated from the Brasov-based University Transilvania with a major in English and Romanian language and literature. She studied documentary production at the London Academy of Media, Film and TV. Norina has worked as journalist and editor. She is now in charge of MJRC’s publications portfolio, managing assignments of reports and articles for the center.
Free time: reading literature and news, crime thrillers, dogs, swimming
Eva Vajda
Investigation, Research, Media development, Human rights
Eva Vajda, a former award-winning Hungarian investigative reporter with nearly two decades of experience, is now based in London, working for the Thomson Foundation and participating in EU media development projects as a trainer and mentor. She has also worked with Amnesty International in London and conducted journalism workshops online and offline in countries across Eastern Europe. She has over a decade of teaching journalism at Eötvös Lóránd University in Budapest. Eva has an MA in Political Science from the Central European University (CEU).
Free time: having rabbits, swimming,walking in the parks in London, travelling to new places, reading literature, writing stories, watching good movies, spending time with friends
Bouziane Zaid
Sociology of algorithms, Internet governance, Media management, Media law and policy
Bouziane Zaid obtained his Ph.D. (2009) in Communication from the University of South Florida. He is currently associate professor at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. He presented his research in more than 20 countries in North and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Dr. Zaid authored and co-authored two books and numerous journal articles, country reports, and book chapters. He has served as a consultant for UNESCO, Freedom House, Open Society Foundations, and other international organizations.