Outcomes

Credit: M.Keefe/Creative Commons

Phase 1 of the research project resulted in a theoretical and methodological report on democracy, media freedom and independence and media policy. It also lead to the publication of a collective background information report, presenting the 14 media markets and regulatory systems under study, as well as the media-related initiatives of the European Union and the Council of Europe which are relevant and important for the safeguarding of media freedom and independence.

Phase 2 of the research project will produce 14 case study reports. The reports will investigate media policy-making in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the UK, inquiring into the factors that condition and shape activity in the field.

Phase 3 will deliver 2 comparative reports: a cross-country and cross-theme comparative report, and a report discussing the conditions under which different forms of media regulation achieve or fail to promote media freedom and independence.

Phase 4 will result in a collective policy paper addressing state and non-state actors involved in the design and implementation of media policies, the European Union and the Council of Europe. Policy recommendations will also be drafted in the national language of all project partners.

The project will further produce:

• three policy briefs, issued on a yearly basis and pointing to decision-makers and the media community;
• two edited volumes and a special issue in a scientific journal targeting the academic community; and
• one final report addressing policy-makers, academics, media professionals and civil society.

Three half-day case-study workshops, fourteen national discussion groups and one final MEDIADEM conference have been specifically planned to enable MEDIADEM’s partners to present their findings and engage directly with key stakeholders and civil society organisations. These events complement other dissemination activities that are undertaken by project partners on a regular basis.