Publications - Articles

Can Philanthropy Save Public Interest Journalism?

Are US-style philanthropic solutions a way out of the financial crisis gripping journalism in the UK, where public spending is slowly losing ground?

Read Rodney Benson's latest article in the Byline Times on the role of philanthropic support in a diverse funding ecosystem that could support independent quality journalism for all.

How Fact-Checking Organizations Tackle Disinformation on Facebook and TikTok

In their article, Robert Nemeth and Marius Dragomir feature two organizations, Raskrinkavanje in Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Verificat in Spain, which found successful ways to combat misinformation on social media.

Beware, Revamped and Tougher Official Secrets Laws are Coming!

In her 2021 annual official speech, Queen Elizabeth II announced a series of reforms to legislation aiming to counter hostile activity by foreign states in the UK. The Official Secrets Acts of 1911, 1920, 1939 and 1989 are expected to see modifications, including on issues related to unauthorized disclosure of official material.

What are the implications of these developments on the work of journalists?

Britain’s Media Monopoly Is a Threat to Democracy

"Britain's media is owned by a tiny handful of corporations, with three companies controlling 90% of newspaper circulation – if we want a real democracy, it's time to break the power of the media moguls", writes CMDS researcher Tom Chivers, for Tribune Magazine. 

How to Bridge Divides in Small Local Communities? Some Lessons We Learned at Átlátszó Erdély

Why should we care about who is responsible for a back country road built on a huge landslip? Is it newsworthy that the mayor of a village of 1,000 inhabitants “forgot” to mention in his wealth declaration that he had hundreds of thousands of euros in revenue from EU-subsidized land, cheaply rented from the local council? Who is interested in the two women from a 500-people village who aspired to become local councilors, but couldn’t because the male majority rigged the pre-election to make their running impossible?