Central European Journal of Communication

Quality of Journalism and Media Freedom in Europe: The fsQCA Approach

Filip Trbojević — 2024-12-30

Media freedom is often seen as the main value against which the quality and democratic success of media systems is judged. While the levels of media freedom are generally higher in Europe than in relation to the world average, there are significant variations and not all European countries measure highly on indices and scales formulated by different international organizations. With the aim of contributing to this discussion, this paper uses relevant secondary comparative quantitative data and applies the fsQCA method to analyze how the combinations of qualities of the journalism field relate to the presence and absence of high levels of media freedom among the EU countries. The results suggest that media market structure, journalistic skills, and journalistic adherence to the monitorial role of journalism constitute the “core” conditions for the implementation of media freedom.

Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Estonia and Latvia: The Role of Agents

Halliki Harro-Loit — 2024-12-30

Editorial independence and freedom of expression are not self-evident in 21st century European Union. Although the Press Freedom Index monitors the situation on a yearly basis, we ask in the context of two Baltic states – Estonia and Latvia, what the improvement of Latvia’s ranking and deterioration of Estonia’s tells us about freedom of press (FoP) and freedom of expression (FoE) in these two countries. As we differentiate between FoP and FoE in the current article, our aim is to evaluate who the agents are that play a key role in ensuring both. The main objective of this article is to propose an agent-oriented approach for the assessment of the trends concerning the practices of FoE and press freedom in Estonia and Latvia. The approach includes case research method that enables us to reveal the pressure mechanisms that are related to various agents. The study focuses on cases that put pressure on media freedom as well as those that are more related to restrictions concerning FoE: Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and whistleblowing. We conclude that cases from Estonia and Latvia illustrate how the actions and non-actions from individual and institutional agents could have detrimental effect on both the FoE and of the press, even when the highest court instances and legal frameworks are generally supportive of these freedoms.

Research With(out) Values: Institutionalization and Impact of Media Accountability as an Academic Field

Tobias Eberwein — 2024-12-30

Research on media accountability regularly stresses the importance of free and responsible media for democratic societies. But in how far can researchers themselves contribute to holding the media accountable? The paper discusses the relevance of media accountability as an academic field and its impact on journalism practice, media self-regulation, and society as a whole. The analysis is based on a comparative evaluation of research infrastructures for media accountability in 14 European countries and a discussion of cases of bidirectional interplay between journalism and academia. The study will enable a reflection of success factors for relevant media accountability research and develop perspectives for future studies.