Methodology

This report is part of the Media Influence Matrix project initiated by the Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) and run as part of the Media & Power Research Consortium.

The country reports in the Media Influence Matrix series aim to research the changing landscape of:

• government and policy space, with a focus on the changes in the policy and regulatory environment;
• funding, with a focus on the key funding sources of journalism and the impact on editorial coverage;
• 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 research focuses on news media, including newly emerged players. 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 analyzes their changing relations with politics, government and technology companies.

Researchers are collecting data and information following a common set of research guidelines (See Research Guidelines in Appendix I below). The analysis in these reports is carried out by researchers with experience in the country covered by the report under the guidance of a team of editorial supervisors and experts. The reports are reviewed by a team of reviewers selected by our advisory boards.

For each country report, a list of sources used in each chapter of the report is published. In the categorization of technology companies in all country reports we use the methodology of the Ranking Digital Rights project, which divides companies in two groups. The first group, internet and mobile, includes the so-called “mobile ecosystems,” companies that create mobile devices and products. In the second category, telecommunications companies, we include service operators that offer connection and access services such as voice, data or cable connections.

“In 2015, Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) launched its inaugural Corporate Accountability Index, which ranked 16 Internet and telecommunications companies. For the 2017 Index, RDR has expanded the ranking to 22 companies, which includes all of the companies ranked in the 2015 Index as well as six new companies. In addition to Internet and telecommunications companies, this year’s Index will include companies that create mobile devices and products we call makers of “mobile ecosystems.” We also added several new services to companies we previously analyzed in 2015.” (Source: RDR)

For detailed information on the data collection methodology for the two editions of the Media Influence Matrix report on Slovakia, download the pdfs below.