How Should Media Literacy be Taught in Special Education? Insights on Citizenship from an Ongoing Project
How could individuals with cognitive disabilities engage with media not only as tools for support, but also as content to be understood, interpreted, and critically reflected upon? To date, research has largely focused on how digital technologies can assist in everyday life. Ulrica Brolinson’s PhD project seeks to shift this perspective by foregrounding citizenship.
Review of a PhD Dissertation: Media Technologies and Migrants in Swedish Detention Centers
Miriana Cascone’s PhD dissertation, "Detain(ed): Media Technologies and Migrants in Swedish Detention Centers", is highly timely. In the winter of 2026, deportations have become public spectacles in the US, while pressure to expel non-citizens is rising across Europe. The EU’s Migration Pact, due in June 2026, will expand deportations to so-called safe third countries. "Detain(ed)" examines this political moment through Sweden – once seen as among Europe’s most welcoming countries – writes Karina Horsti.
New Global Report on Freedom of Expression to Be Presented – Follow via Livestream on 19 March
Press freedom around the world continues to decline. A new UNESCO report on global trends in freedom of expression and media development shows that levels of freedom of expression have fallen by 10 per cent since 2012. The report will be presented in Stockholm on 19 March and can be followed via livestream.
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 across the region. Congratulations to all! You can see the full list, with links to the dissertations, in this article.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- It is Time for an Interdisciplinary Network for Research on Gender and Games
Research on gender faces growing pressure worldwide, and scholars in game studies know this all too well — from #Gamergate to ongoing harassment, especially targeting marginalized researchers. Tom Legierse and Ida Martine Gard Rysjedal, PhD candidates at the University of Bergen, call for scholars on gender and games to unite in a network of care.
Rethinking Democracy in the Age of Data: An Interview with Robin Mansell
How can democracies thrive in an age dominated by data and Big Tech? In this conversation, Professor Robin Mansell discusses a new book and reflects on the global imbalances shaping today’s information ecosystems – and on how they might be transformed towards fairer, more democratic digital futures.
Once a Model of Academic Freedom, the Nordics Are Not Immune to Pressure
With strong public universities, transparent governance, and deep-rooted social trust, the Nordic countries have become synonymous with stability and integrity in higher education and research. Yet recent developments are prompting a closer examination of how secure that foundation truly is.
Distrust, Ideology, and the Turn to Alternative Media
In recent years, far-right movements have gained traction across Europe, and Scandinavia is no exception. At the same time, the public sphere has been reshaped by a hybrid media landscape that offers new opportunities for these political forces to grow and reach audiences.
The Nordic Journalism Students Project: 20 Years of Charting Ideals in Flux
In 2025, more than 3,000 journalism students across the Nordic region are participating in what is likely the world’s most comprehensive and long-running study of journalism students and their professional orientations. The Nordic Journalism Students Project – known also as Hovdabrekka – brings together 26 major institutions from across the Nordic countries to examine students’ perspectives on journalism, their education, media habits, and professional values.
Beyond NordMedia Conferences: Why You Should Embrace Annual National Research Associations’ Meetings
Across the Nordic region, the NordMedia conferences serve as a central meeting place for scholars in media and communication studies – a forum for presenting research, exchanging ideas, and building networks. Yet there is another arena that merits equal attention: the annual meetings of the national research associations. Read on to find out how these gatherings complement the NordMedia conferences, contribute to researchers’ professional development, and prove especially valuable for early-career scholars.
How Can Social Scientists Contribute to Society - Reflections from a Panel Hosted by Nordicom
At NordMedia25, Nordicom arranged a panel bringing together scientists and practitioners with broad experience in research communication, policy engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Among the topics discussed were how social scientists can contribute to society and what expectations society places on scholars. What barriers do social scientists face when collaborating and trying to share their findings with broader audiences, and what may a “more livable future” look like for research collaboration and communication?
Navigating Challenges Together: Doctoral Pre-Conference as a Space for Sharing, Learning, and Belonging
Deadlines in the holidays, parental duties, papers piling up – how much is enough? Doctoral researchers at the Nordmedia2025 pre-conference discussed the realities of academic life while presenting their own work. As described by the participants, the pre-conference is experienced as a safe environment to train academic skills in an international setting.