About The Research
The research on the future of the media was conducted simultaneously in all Western Balkans countries and Turkey, between April and September 2024, aiming to identify and analyse the current state of play and emerging trends in media, journalism, and democracy. A large set of data on journalism, media landscape, ownership, and finances, media representation and participation, media use, media trust, and democracy was gathered and analysed on the country level by a team of researchers and editors. Data was collected from secondary sources, available indexes, diverse institutions and organizations across the region.
Data on media and journalism is often unavailable or lacks transparency, making its collection a challenging task. Our goal was to compile all relevant data in one place, making it accessible for advocacy and further analysis and research.
It is intended for various stakeholders working on media-related issues, media freedom, the protection of journalists’ rights, and freedom of expression, including regulators, advertisers, journalists, media owners, and others.
Publications and datasets herewith presented are the first part of our research on the future of media. The identified trends, risks, and opportunities will be further analysed through interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders in the second part of the research in 2025, resulting in recommendations for safeguarding journalism, media, and democracy.
This research is a part of the regional project “Our Media: A Civil Society Action to Generate Media Literacy and Activism, Counter Polarization and Promote Dialogue.” The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Press Council of Kosovo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute, and Bianet.
Regional research team
Brankica Petković holds an MA in Sociology of Culture from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. She is a Researcher and Project Manager at the Peace Institute, Institute for Contemporary Social and Political Studies in Ljubljana.
Sanela Hodžić holds an MA in Gender Studies from the Center of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Sarajevo. She is an independent researcher and was a longtime senior researcher and coordinator of research projects at the Mediacentar Sarajevo.
Sandra B. Hrvatin holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. She is a Professor at the Faculty of Humanities (Department of Media Studies), University of Primorska.
Country researchers:
Sinem Aydınlı (Turkey) earned her Ph.D. in the Media and Creative Industries programme at Loughborough University London in 2018, with a dissertation on the discursive construction of “political others” in the press in Turkey. She is a research coordinator at IPS Communication Foundation / bianet and a visiting scholar at Kadir Has University, Istanbul. Her research areas include media discourse, hate speech, discrimination, and the cultural politics of emotions.
Tamara Chausidis (North Macedonia) is an experienced journalist and editor, specialized in media ethics, labour rights, and investigative journalism. She is a philosophy graduate from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
Vesna Nikodinoska (North Macedonia) holds a Master’s Degree in Global Communications from the American University in Paris. She works as Programme Manager and Researcher at the Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM) in Skopje.
Teodora Koledin (Serbia) is a journalist and researcher specializing in disinformation and media ethics. She holds a degree in journalism and is currently pursuing a master’s in communication studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. As a journalist for FakeNews Tracker, a fact-checking portal at the Novi Sad School of Journalism, she contributes to uncovering and analysing misinformation in Serbian media outlets and the media in the region.
Valentina Sigeti (Serbia) worked as a project coordinator and a researcher in the NGO sector, specializing in media content analysis. She holds a degree in journalism, psychology, a master’s in communication studies, and is currently also pursuing a master’s degree in psychology. She particularly focuses on topics such as children and the media, media consumption and its effects, and media literacy. As a project coordinator at the Novi Sad School of Journalism, she has managed initiatives on promoting media literacy, strengthening media development, and supporting the work of journalists.
Ilda Londo (Albania) holds a degree in journalism and political science and is Research Coordinator at the Albanian Media Institute. She is the author of several research works, focusing on media development issues, media ethics and professionalism, analysing media content and narratives, etc.
Jeton Mehmeti (Kosovo) is a researcher and lecturer specializing in media policy. He earned his BA from the International University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, an MA from Central European University in Vienna, and is pursuing a PhD at the University of Graz in Austria. From 2010 to 2022, he contributed to IREX’s annual reports as the country author for the Media Sustainability Index and the Vibrant Information Barometer. His research focuses on media regulation, hate speech, and disinformation. Mehmeti is affiliated with the American University in Kosovo and has served as Vice President of the Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Authorities and Chairman of the Independent Media Commission of Kosovo.
Anida Sokol (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is an editor and researcher at Mediacenter Sarajevo. She has a master’s degree in English language and literature from the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, and she earned a PhD in History of Europe as a Basileus scholar at the Faculty of Political Science of the University Sapienza in Rome, where she worked as a researcher. She has published a number of works on the topic of media, memory and politics in BiH, among other things, in the magazine Politička misao, for Palgrave Macmillan and Mediacentar Sarajevo. She taught politics and media and political communication at the International Burch University in Sarajevo and the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology.
Milica Bogdanović (Montenegro) is a university-educated journalist by profession. She gained ten years of work experience in the media and non-governmental sector in Montenegro. She conducted this research as a research associate at the Montenegro Media Institute.
Online platform
Lamija Kovačević is a researcher at Mediacentar Sarajevo. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from University of Bologna and University of Sarajevo, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from SSST University. To date, she published interdisciplinary research on the politics of contention in digital media, the presence of marginalized narratives within foreign policy discourse, and more.
Alena Velagić holds a master’s degree in Management and Organization from the School of Economics and Business, University of Sarajevo and Adizes Academy of Management. She is a project coordinator at Mediacentar Sarajevo, with experience in local and international NGOs. Her work focuses on security, media development, institutional strengthening at state and local levels, as well as civil society and youth organizations.
Citation Guidelines
Citing work produced by the SEENPM network
To enhance access and understanding of media and journalism data in the Western Balkans and Turkey, we encourage proper citation of our work. When referencing original content from this platform, please use the following citation formats:
Regional Overview
Hodžić, S. (2025). Regional Overview. The Future of the Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey. Publishers: SEENPM, Foundation “Mediacentar”, Peace Institute. URL (available upon publication)
Country Reports
Citation details are available in the impressum of each report.
For example: Londo, I. (2025). Changing Media Landscape, Same Persisting Problems: The Future of the Media in Albania – Facts and Trends. Publishers: Foundation “Mediacentar”, Albanian Media Institute, Peace Institute. URL (available upon publication)
Dataset
Citation details are available in the introductory section of each dataset.
For example: Londo, I. (2025). Media Dataset – Albania [Dataset]. Publishers: Foundation “Mediacentar”, Albanian Media Institute, Peace Institute. URL (available upon publication)
Citing work included in The Future of Media datasets
Please refer to the secondary sources in citations, where appropriate. Original data publishers are listed in the source columns within datasets. Proper attribution is essential to support their continued work.
For example: BIRN Albania. (2023). Media Ownership Monitor – Albania.
https://albania.mom-gmr.org/en/ in Londo, I. (2025). Changing Media Landscape, Same Persisting Problems: The Future of the Media in Albania – Facts and Trends. Publishers: Foundation “Mediacentar”, Albanian Media Institute, Peace Institute. URL (available upon publication)