Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MeDeMAP (Mapping Media for Future Democracies)
Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-02-29
To set out future-proof pathways to strengthen democracy through improving accountability, transparency and effectiveness of media production and expanding active and inclusive citizenship, the project aims to clarify the extent to which certain media under which legal and regulatory conditions perform which democratic functions for which audiences, thus making it apparent what is at stake for democratic media—and for democracy itself.
In analytical terms, the project deals with the dimensions of the “political information environment” in which we live: media law and regulation, media supply, and media use—with all three dimensions embedded in a democratic political order. This is why MeDeMAP goes one step further and involves European citizens in reflecting on media supply and demand and developing a vision of a future democratic media landscape (Figure 1).
In line with these dimensions, the project aims to pursue the following five objectives (Figure 2):
(1) Establishing an up-to-date overview and understanding of the state of democracy in the European Union, its opportunities, strengths and threats, and the roles and functions of media and journalism that can be derived from it
(2) Mapping legal and (self-)regulatory frameworks within which traditional and new media organizations and journalists operate
(3) Mapping democratic qualities of media supply and media-enabled participation by differentiating between participation through and in the media—and missed opportunities to support participation at all
(4) Mapping people’s media use, information needs and democratic attitudes in diverse societies and high-choice media environments
(5) Mapping future pathways for building a more resilient democratic media system and enhancing political participation and civic engagement
By applying an innovative multi-method design consisting of data science methods, large-scale quantitative analyses, in-depth qualitative approaches and participatory action research and in collaboration of ten European partners with different expertise, experiences, and organisational cultures (Figure 3), the project will cover the entire range of news media and how they promote or jeopardize political participation in the sense of both representative and participatory notions of democracy as they exist in EU policy and European societies.
In analytical terms, the project deals with the dimensions of the “political information environment” in which we live: media law and regulation, media supply, and media use—with all three dimensions embedded in a democratic political order. This is why MeDeMAP goes one step further and involves European citizens in reflecting on media supply and demand and developing a vision of a future democratic media landscape (Figure 1).
In line with these dimensions, the project aims to pursue the following five objectives (Figure 2):
(1) Establishing an up-to-date overview and understanding of the state of democracy in the European Union, its opportunities, strengths and threats, and the roles and functions of media and journalism that can be derived from it
(2) Mapping legal and (self-)regulatory frameworks within which traditional and new media organizations and journalists operate
(3) Mapping democratic qualities of media supply and media-enabled participation by differentiating between participation through and in the media—and missed opportunities to support participation at all
(4) Mapping people’s media use, information needs and democratic attitudes in diverse societies and high-choice media environments
(5) Mapping future pathways for building a more resilient democratic media system and enhancing political participation and civic engagement
By applying an innovative multi-method design consisting of data science methods, large-scale quantitative analyses, in-depth qualitative approaches and participatory action research and in collaboration of ten European partners with different expertise, experiences, and organisational cultures (Figure 3), the project will cover the entire range of news media and how they promote or jeopardize political participation in the sense of both representative and participatory notions of democracy as they exist in EU policy and European societies.
From the outset, the project was geared towards achieving the abovementioned objectives. This was supported by the structure of the work packages, which—framed by a coordination (WP1) and a dissemination work package (WP7)—correspond to the five objectives (Figure 4).
The first objective is the precondition for achieving all the others: WP2 provided a theoretical reflection on the intersection of the fields of democracy and media, outlining core characteristics, conditions of possibility, struggles over and threats to democracy and the roles that media should play in a democratic society.
Based on this theoretical concept and extensive quantitative data collection, in the first year of the project, the methodological foundations have been laid in all dimensions of the “political information environment”.
(1.) For the analysis of the legal and regulatory frameworks (WP3), a unique analytical model was developed that examines conditions of, struggles over and threats to democracy in terms of the European values embodied in the legal provisions and regulatory measures.
(2.) The innovative research design for analysing the supply side (WP4) pursues the same goal by defining cross-media and cross-national applicable criteria, which can be regarded as a prototype of systematic monitoring of media landscapes at the EU level.
(3.) Parallel to supply-side research, demand-side research (WP5) has developed an analytical framework to conceptualize the interlinkages between media audiences, politics, and the different notions of democracy. All these models will be further elaborated in interaction with the forthcoming in-depth qualitative analyses in ten countries, the results of which will feed into the discussions with European citizens (the organization of which is the task of WP6, which will start in July 2024).
The first objective is the precondition for achieving all the others: WP2 provided a theoretical reflection on the intersection of the fields of democracy and media, outlining core characteristics, conditions of possibility, struggles over and threats to democracy and the roles that media should play in a democratic society.
Based on this theoretical concept and extensive quantitative data collection, in the first year of the project, the methodological foundations have been laid in all dimensions of the “political information environment”.
(1.) For the analysis of the legal and regulatory frameworks (WP3), a unique analytical model was developed that examines conditions of, struggles over and threats to democracy in terms of the European values embodied in the legal provisions and regulatory measures.
(2.) The innovative research design for analysing the supply side (WP4) pursues the same goal by defining cross-media and cross-national applicable criteria, which can be regarded as a prototype of systematic monitoring of media landscapes at the EU level.
(3.) Parallel to supply-side research, demand-side research (WP5) has developed an analytical framework to conceptualize the interlinkages between media audiences, politics, and the different notions of democracy. All these models will be further elaborated in interaction with the forthcoming in-depth qualitative analyses in ten countries, the results of which will feed into the discussions with European citizens (the organization of which is the task of WP6, which will start in July 2024).
The MeDeMAP results will be beyond the state of the art in three ways:
For the first time in media and communication studies, the “political information environments” are being analysed in their entirety in a European project. This means that the entire range of news media, regardless of distribution channel, mandate, ownership and source of financing, is the subject of a single comparative study, so that the democratic potential of each media type in comparison to all others and the overall performance of the entire media environment can be determined.
Secondly, analytical models have been developed that encompass the three dimensions of the policy information environment—legal and regulatory framework, supply side and demand side—and are innovative in two respects: The models are designed to provide data suitable not only for comparative analyses at country and media type level but also for establishing relationships between the three dimensions—thanks to the underlying common theoretical basis. Finally, the data will feed into a multi-layered map of political information environments in the EU as an interactive analytical tool to derive guidelines for supporting more resilient democratic media. The guidelines are aimed at policymakers, regulators, self-regulatory bodies, media houses, journalists and civil society organisations.
Thirdly, MeDeMAP goes one step further than the usual scientific projects and organises "citizens' parliaments" to discuss with citizens from several European countries how the media could or should be redesigned to serve the public interest and what conditions should be created in the media sector so that people can be addressed in such a way that they are willing to participate in public debate and decision-making. The results are also incorporated into the map.
For the first time in media and communication studies, the “political information environments” are being analysed in their entirety in a European project. This means that the entire range of news media, regardless of distribution channel, mandate, ownership and source of financing, is the subject of a single comparative study, so that the democratic potential of each media type in comparison to all others and the overall performance of the entire media environment can be determined.
Secondly, analytical models have been developed that encompass the three dimensions of the policy information environment—legal and regulatory framework, supply side and demand side—and are innovative in two respects: The models are designed to provide data suitable not only for comparative analyses at country and media type level but also for establishing relationships between the three dimensions—thanks to the underlying common theoretical basis. Finally, the data will feed into a multi-layered map of political information environments in the EU as an interactive analytical tool to derive guidelines for supporting more resilient democratic media. The guidelines are aimed at policymakers, regulators, self-regulatory bodies, media houses, journalists and civil society organisations.
Thirdly, MeDeMAP goes one step further than the usual scientific projects and organises "citizens' parliaments" to discuss with citizens from several European countries how the media could or should be redesigned to serve the public interest and what conditions should be created in the media sector so that people can be addressed in such a way that they are willing to participate in public debate and decision-making. The results are also incorporated into the map.