Doctoral Research 2025: What Did the New Nordic Doctors Study?
Algorithmic bias, social media and mental health, climate communication, newsroom innovation, and the role of AI and automated fact-checking in journalism were among the topics explored in doctoral theses defended at Nordic universities in 2025. In total, 103 researchers earned their PhDs in the region. Congratulations to all!
Where Does Public Service Media Research Stand? Södertörn University Releases Report and Database
Researchers at Södertörn University have published a comprehensive overview of international research on public service media, alongside a searchable research database hosted by the Knowledge Center for Public Service Media (K-pub).
A Shifting Landscape for Nordic News Media
A new Nordicom report brings together fragmented knowledge on the role of journalism and news media in the Nordic countries, offering a rare comparative overview at a time when global platforms increasingly shape national media systems.
Who Gets to Speak in the News? Reflections from a Nordic Summit on Gender Equality in Journalism
Thirty years after the Beijing Platform for Action, the Nordic summit “Who Makes the News?” revisits gender equality in news media, drawing on GMMP 2025 data to examine progress, stagnation, and the media’s responsibility for more inclusive representation.
Should Scientists Optimize Research Outcomes for AI?
Tools built on large language models often use many words to say very little. We should be concerned that what truly means something risks being lost in a cloud of AI-generated filler, argues Professor Marija Slavkovik from the University of Bergen, Norway.
Nordicom Brings Back Academic Publishing Workshop for Doctoral Students
Building on strong interest from early-career researchers across the Nordic region, Nordicom will once again offer its workshop on academic publishing for doctoral students. The workshop will take place on 26–27 August at Nordicom’s premises in Gothenburg. The number of places is limited, and applications close on 29 May.
Gender Imbalance in Nordic Media Leadership Persists, Report Shows
Progress toward gender equality in the leadership of Nordic media companies has largely stalled, according to a new mapping by Nordicom. While many company boards have achieved gender balance, this progress has yet to reach executive leadership.
Who Owns the Media? Nordic Insights from Europe’s EurOMo Mapping Tool
The European Media Ownership Monitor (EurOMo) 2025 offers a new, EU-wide overview of ownership and control in the news media sector. In Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, the mapping points to relatively high transparency compared with the EU average, while also highlighting concentrated ownership structures and emerging structural risks.
Nora Theorin Joins Nordicom as Researcher and Editor
At the turn of the year, Nora Theorin took up her new position as a researcher at Nordicom. She joins from the Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG) at the University of Gothenburg, where she completed her PhD and conducted a postdoctoral research project on media effects across different European countries. At Nordicom, Theorin will work with the Media Barometer and serve as an editor of Nordicom Review.
First-Ever Nordic Media Literacy Survey Reveals Gaps in Trust, News Use, and Participation
Media literacy in the Nordic countries remains comparatively strong, but the picture is far from balanced. The first-ever Nordic Media Literacy Survey, conducted in early 2025 by governmental media authorities in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, reveals significant generational divides in trust, news consumption, and participation. The study was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Decades of Swedish Public Opinion Data Now Accessible Through an Online Tool
The SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg has launched a new interactive data analysis tool that allows users to explore nearly four decades of Swedish public opinion data online. Developed in collaboration with the data visualization company Datastory, the platform provides open access to hundreds of survey variables from the national SOM surveys.
Recent Report Reveals Insights into Algorithmic Content Recommendation from Nordic–Baltic Media Policy and Regulatory Experts
Algorithmic content recommendation is widely regarded as an unavoidable feature of today’s digital media environment, particularly as a response to information overload. A new report from the Digital Democracy Centre at the University of Southern Denmark, however, points to growing concern among media policy and regulatory experts across the Nordic–Baltic region about how major online platforms currently implement these systems.
Can, May, Might Media Scholars Be Utopic Activists? A Manifesto from Danish Researchers
At a national workshop, Danish scholars asked what media researchers could do differently and better, searching for cracks and gaps. Their conversations gave rise to a manifesto, published last year in MedieKultur. In the hope of sparking debate, and above all encouraging action, the NordMedia Network republishes its seven statements for the year ahead and those that follow.
New Nordicom Review Article Expands on NordMedia2025 Keynote
Professor Kim Christian Schrøder’s keynote address at NordMedia2025 in Odense has now been published in an expanded and revised article in Nordicom Review, titled “The Nordic media welfare state and the challenge of imagining livable futures”. The publication deepens the arguments he presented at the conference, offering a clear-eyed assessment of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the Nordic media welfare state.
NordForsk Funds New Research Project on Influencers and Democratic Resilience in the Nordics
NordForsk has awarded a new research initiative examining how social media influencing shapes democratic trust and societal security in the Nordic region. The project, “The Double Edge of Social Media Influencing: Participatory Antagonism and Communicative Resilience in the Nordics”, will run from 2026 to 2029.
Nordicom to Launch Research Briefings Bridging Academia and Society
Nordicom is launching a new publication series that aims to make research on media, communication, and journalism more accessible to society. The Nordicom Research Briefings series will provide concise overviews on current topics.
Wiley Releases Comprehensive AI Guidelines after Global Survey Findings
A global survey of researchers, conducted by Wiley, reveals a striking momentum of AI adoption among researchers. Along with this increased use comes calls for clear guidelines to assist researchers in using AI responsibly. Wiley has responded to the calls with comprehensive guidelines for authors, editors, and reviewers, and has introduced a “chat” series in order to discuss issues surrounding AI and research with experts.
The Dual Climate Impact of News Media Organizations
Commercial news media organizations hold a unique and vital role in the climate crisis. As business organizations, they have a corporate responsibility to evaluate, report on, and minimize the environmental impact of their operations. As news organizations, they are often held accountable for the environmental impact they have through their journalism. A recent research article in the MedieKultur Special Issue “Media and the Environment” examines how these two different ways of addressing climate responsibilities are addressed in Nordic commercial news media organizations.
Pursuing Equitable Data Governance and Epistemic Justice–Oriented Research: Continuing the Discussion
A couple weeks ago Professor Emeritus Robin Mansell shared her thoughts about Rethinking Democracy in the Age of Data. Today, we go into depth with co-author Gyan Prakash Tripathi about the motivations for taking a global approach and highlighting the differences and inequities between different parts of world when it comes to equitable data governance and the knowledge production needed to support it – and why understanding these dynamics is essential to building policies and practices that support equity and justice in the digital age.
New Journalistica Issue Highlights the Agency of People and Networks in the History of Nordic Journalism
The latest special issue of the Danish journal Journalistica examines Nordic journalism history, highlighting the journalists, editors, and professional networks that have driven the field beyond its institutional frameworks.