Media councils in the digital age

Researcher

This European Commission-funded project under the Creative Europe Programme aims to underscore the crucial role of press and media councils in an era of declining trust in journalism and rising online disinformation. These self-regulatory bodies, established before the digital revolution, have had to adapt their practices and ethical standards to a rapidly changing media landscape. Partnering with a European consortium of press councils and academic institutions, CJS will map and compare recent complaints and decisions by Media Councils in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The project involves a two-phase approach: a quantitative content analysis in the first year to understand the functioning of these councils across Europe, followed by a qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews in the second year to examine the interpretation of three ethical principles in the digital age. The project runs from July 2023 to June 2025, aiming to strengthen the European model of media self-regulation.