Media and Journalism Research Center
Media ContentAnalysis Series.
Understanding the narratives that shape public debate.
Research into how issues, people and events are represented across news outlets, social media and digital platforms.
Explore the StudiesPublications
Studies From the Series
Explore MJRC’s research on political communication, conflict narratives and the visibility of humanitarian crises.
From Jokes to Votes
Memes as a Political Communication Tool in the 2024 European Elections
An examination of political memes on Instagram and TikTok during the European Parliament elections. The study combines systematic data collection with qualitative content analysis of party accounts in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Political Narratives of War
A Comparative Analysis of MEP and U.S. Presidential X Posts on Ukraine
A comparative study of how Members of the European Parliament and U.S. presidential accounts communicate about the war in Ukraine on X. It examines framing, political differences and changes in narratives over time.
Humanitarian Crisis Coverage Report
An analysis of how English-language news media cover major humanitarian emergencies. The study explores the distribution of attention, the framing of crises and the relationship between media visibility and humanitarian severity.
About the Series
Research With a Public Purpose
The Media Content Analysis Series brings together MJRC’s research expertise and computational methods to examine issues of public interest. It investigates which subjects receive attention, how they are framed and how narratives develop across different media environments.
The approach combines scalable, AI-supported analysis with expert interpretation and human validation.
Content Mapping & Monitoring
Built Around the Research Question
Projects can examine media attention, framing, sentiment and bias, with comparisons across time, geography and platforms. Analytical categories are defined around the purpose of each study.
Clear Findings, Useful Formats
Results can support academic publication, public communication or internal decision-making, using charts, timelines, coverage heatmaps and comparative analysis with expert interpretation.
What We Can Examine
- Topics & Actors
- How issues, organisations and individuals appear in media coverage and public discourse.
- Visibility & Attention
- Which subjects receive coverage and how attention is distributed.
- Framing & Narratives
- How subjects are presented, interpreted and connected to wider arguments.
- Patterns & Change
- Differences across places and platforms, and developments over time.
Content and Data Sources
Research can draw on news outlets, social media and other digital platforms. Partners may also contribute relevant material from their own sources.
Collection methods are selected according to the source and its access terms, using official APIs, licensed databases or other permitted methods as appropriate.
Expert Design and Human Validation
Partners can provide an existing coding scheme, or work with MJRC’s experts to define categories suited to the research question.
AI-supported classification follows those criteria and is checked against the context of the material. Human validation remains part of the workflow, especially where meaning is ambiguous or requires close interpretation.
Invest in independent media research and join a community of practice.
MJRC takes no government money — so the questions we chase are set by the field, not by a funder. A contribution keeps our research and global analysis independent, and buys you a seat closer to the work: early access to new findings, invitations to small-group briefings, a place in our Supporters Circle, and the option to be listed on our Supporters Page.