The study of journalism is the bread and butter of the Media & Journalism Research Center. In 2017, our director Marius Dragomir wrote:
“Much of how independent journalism and media perform their fundamental role in informing and enriching the democratic discourse is shaped by policy decisions, funders and owners, and the state of the public sphere,” the strategy read. “All form a power dynamic that shapes and influences independent media and journalism. The extraordinary rise of populism in 2016, accompanied by waves of confusion, propaganda and fake news, is now part of this dynamic. The role of the media in society and politics is changing fundamentally. Now, more than ever, grasping the key shifts in these relationships is central to understanding and influencing the policy-making process, empowering civil society and improving the environment in which journalists work.”
We research the big shifts in journalism triggered by technology as well as the factors, political and economic that affect the work of journalists. The center’s global comparative study Media Influence Matrix measures the impact that a slew of factors, of political, economic, technological nature have had on journalism since the rise of social media in the mid-2000s.