Media Influence Matrix Reports

"The future of news, and even the future of the physical and logical infrastructure that underpins the news industry, is uncertain, and that future will be determined by innumerable decisions - large and small, local and global..."

This set of reports, produced by the Media Influence Matrix Project, investigates and maps the influence that rapid shifts in policy, sources of funding, and technology companies in the public sphere are having on journalism today.

Launched by the Centre for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) in 2017, the Media Influence Matrix Project is run collaboratively by the Media & Power Research Consortium, which consists of local, regional, and international organisations. The consortium members are academic institutions (universities and research centres), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), journalism networks, and private foundations. What brings all these groups together is their interest in pursuing a set of common research and advocacy goals.

The premise of the project strategy is that "much of how independent journalism and media perform their fundamental role in informing and enriching the democratic discourse is shaped by policy decisions, funders and owners, and the state of the public sphere. All form a power dynamic that shapes and influences independent media and journalism. The extraordinary rise of populism in 2016, accompanied by waves of confusion, propaganda and fake news, is now part of this dynamic. The role of the media in society and politics is changing fundamentally. Now, more than ever, grasping the key shifts in these relationships is central to understanding and influencing the policy-making process, empowering civil society and improving the environment in which journalists work."

The research undertaken by the Media Influence Matrix Project focuses in particular on the changing landscape of:

• Government and policy space, with a focus on changes in the policy and regulatory environment;
• Funding, with a focus on the key funding sources of journalism and the impact on editorial coverage; and
• Technology in the public sphere, with a focus on how technology companies, through activities such as automation and algorithm-based content distribution, impact news media and journalism.

The project emphasises news media in particular, including newly emerged players. As CMDS states, "The study is neither aimed at exhaustively mapping the entire media industry nor is it intended to target specific media sectors. Instead, it maps the most popular and most influential news media on a country-by-country basis and analyses their changing relations with politics, government and technology companies." It focuses on countries that are considered under-researched, such as those in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

The Media Influence Matrix and the reports that are produced aim to answer the following questions:

On Regulation:

• What are the key changes in regulation? - The project maps regulatory authorities whose remit includes decisions that affect media and journalism. The map is accompanied by an analysis of the main shifts in media policy and regulation, including changes in the remit and tasks, composition, and funding of the broadcast, print, internet, and data regulators.
• Who makes policy decisions and how, and what impact do these decisions have on media? - The project maps the key decision-makers in the regulatory and policy space. The map is accompanied by an analysis of the mechanisms in place to ensure transparency in the decision-making process and a review of major regulatory decisions that have had an impact, positive or negative, on media outlets and journalists.
• Who's influencing the watchdogs? - The key influencers in the regulatory process are also mapped, including local industry players, civil society groups, and external organisations.

On Funding:

• How is the funding model for journalism changing? - The project maps popular and influential news media and researches their funding models. This is accompanied by an analysis of the key changes in their funding models over the past five years or so.
• Who are the biggest funders of media and journalism? - The project is building a matrix of the main funders of media and journalism, grouped by their political (and other) affiliations. In one category, there are non-governmental funders (including advertisers, philanthropies, political parties, and other types of non-governmental groups and organisations). In the second category, the reports map the funding disbursed by governments to the media in various forms, including public media allocations, state advertising, and other forms of state subsidies.

On Technology:

• Who are the largest technology companies? - The reports profile technology companies that produce or distribute news media content, analysing their ownership and the nature of their local operations.
• How do technology companies work with governments? - The database of key technology companies is accompanied by an analysis of relations with governments, including compliance with local regulations, cooperation over data ownership, and unofficial connections with government representatives.
• How do technology companies work with news media? - The project collects data and information to analyse the impact technology companies have on news media content, focusing on various forms of cooperation for content distribution, decisions related to automation methods used in the distribution of media content, joint monetisation models, and ownership links with players in the media industry.

The Media Influence Matrix has grown to more than 40 countries. A series of comparative articles, analytical papers and datasets is going to be gradually added to the collection of country reports.