Who’s Who in Media Policymaking
Goal and approach
The goal of this project is to map the individuals who engage in policymaking in the field of media and journalism. We set out to create a database of media policymakers by collecting information on their track record of influencing (regardless of whether successfully or not) media policy, the nature of their interventions, and their political and business connections and interests.
In our Media Influence Matrix project, we are mapping the shifts in power relations in the field of governance and regulation on the country level. With the Who's Who in Policymaking project, we complete the picture by adding the pan-European dimension of policymaking.
Rationale and focus
In line with CMDS’ strategy which is built around researching the key forces that affect independent journalism, the focus of this project is on explaining the power dynamics between EU media policy on the one hand, and politics and business, on the other.
It is not the goal of this project to analyze the impact of these individuals on media policy. Instead, what we want to achieve through this project is to shed light on the profiles of individual policymakers with impact and influence, both positive and negative.
Researchers
Krisztina Barath graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in Political Science, and she is currently completing her master's degree in Communication and Media Studies at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. For her master’s thesis she conducts research on enemy creation on Hungarian online news portals. Her main interests are digitalization, misinformation, and political communication.
Alice Bazzichelli is an Italian student attending the European Studies Master’s degree at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (IEE). She nourishes a strong interest in European politics and cultures, with a specific focus on the concept of the rule of law. Her current thesis research investigates the freedom of academic and cultural expression in the EU, namely the independence of media, higher education and artistic field. During the last years, she has sharpened an expertise in research, project development and effective communication working as intern at Ce.I.S. (social sphere) and at ACDMAE (diplomacy). Her interest in social media dynamics and on the quality of information has grown after her experiences with ACTION AID and the Orizzonte Italia program.
Ayse Tuba Celik is a senior year Political Science and International Relations university student at the McDaniel College Budapest. Originally from Izmir, she had studied at the Izmir University of Economics for 3 years before joining the McDaniel College, and she also completed two Erasmus mobility programs at the Nottingham Trent University and in Slovakia. She has a European Studies Certificate with high honors from the Izmir University of Economics.
Maria Chiara Franceschelli studies Comparative Politics of Eurasia at the Higher School of Economics in Saint Petersburg. She is currently researching non-contentious environmental social movements strategies and environmental participation in the post-Soviet space. Her research interests cover social movements, civil society development and environmental democracy in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space. She also writes analytical articles about Russian politics and society for several Italian media projects.
Mariam Kvatadze holds a Master’s degree in Nationalism Studies from CEU, and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Tbilisi State University. She has experience working as a fact-check analyst in Georgia, focusing on anti-Western propaganda and disinformation and assisting the election analysis program’s social media analyst at the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Her research interests are focused on exploring social media influence on individuals’ political attitudes and behavior.
Sneha Singh is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Department of Gender Studies at CEU. Prior to this, she studied at the University of Delhi in India, majoring in journalism. She has been involved in writing and journalism as the Associate Editor of the Student Journal in her undergrad college. She has also worked with print media organizations at national level like The Times of India. At CEU, she wants to integrate her prior knowledge of journalism with gender studies by working on media freedom and safety of female journalists for her MA thesis.
Aiste Vaitkeviciute is currently pursuing the MUNDUS MAPP degree in European Public Policy at Central European University. Her interests include European governance, policy-making, and human rights. She holds a BA in Government and Global Studies from Colby College in the United States. Prior to coming to CEU, she was involved in human rights and anti-corruption work and activism in Lithuania.
Anastasiia Zykova is a student of the one-year Master of Public Policy program at Central European University. Her background lies in Political Science and her bachelor's thesis was on the role of Facebook in democratization. She has 4 years' experience in higher education research, an analyst work experience gained at the Moscow Government. Additionally, she worked as a social science teacher for gifted school children and as a project manager for an employer branding agency. Her current interest lies in social media influence on politics and the political consequences of the AI and digital technologies development.