Researchers of the Media Influence Matrix

Mohammad Abu Hawash is enrolled at CEU's School of Public Policy, where he is pursuing a Master's degree in Public Administration and Sectoral Policy. His main areas of interest are Arab politics (particularly Palestinian affairs) and the political economy of the Levant sub-region of the Arab League. Other interests include Ottoman and Islamic history (and history in general), as well as entrepreneurship.

Simran Agarwal is a doctoral candidate at LabEx ICCA hosted at the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord. In her research, she focuses on the governance of platforms and the political economy of digital industries in India. She has previously worked with the Centre for Policy Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, where she undertook research on media policy and news ecosystems in India. She maintains a keen interest in narrowing the disconnect between media policy priorities and social issues.

Mariia Altergot is a Russian CMDS intern and she works as a researcher for the Media Influence Matrix project. She graduated at the CEU School of Public Policy, focusing on the role of the Internet in democracies and strategic political communications. Before coming to CEU, she completed an undergraduate degree in political science and policy and communications at the American University in Bulgaria.

Mila Bajic is a researcher currently working at SHARE Foundation on the protection of digital human rights and online freedoms. Her work focuses on the intersection of analogue and digital spheres, popular culture, conspiracy theories and visual theory and practice. She is a CEU graduate where she obtained her MA in Nationalism Studies dealing with generational memories and attitudes. During her time at CEU she worked as a junior researcher at the Open Society Archives on the Yugoslav Archives Project. Along with her MA degree she received the Visual Studies Program certificate for a series of documentary shorts, photo essays and visual-theory works. She is an alumna of the Center for Women’s Studies school at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade and a two-time participant in the Center for Comparative Conflict Studies summer school. She is a European Fund for the Balkans scholarship recipient and was a recipient of the Dositeja scholarship for young talent in Serbia for two consecutive years.

 Rodrigo Gómez is professor in communication industries and policies. His work has focused on cultural industries, media systems, media policies and media companies from a political economy of communication perspective, he is co-editor of Routledge book series Global Media Giants.

Olesya Grabova is a recent Central European University graduate, where she obtained an MA in Political Science specializing in Political Economy. Her research interests cover political violence, social psychology, and the impact of media on public opinion in Eastern Europe. She got some experience in journalism and research during internships in Hromadske TV and VoxUkraine in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ian Graham is a CMDS intern and he works as a researcher for the Media Influence Matrix project. He obtained a Master's degree in public policy at CEU. He specializes in media development, with a particular interest in good governance and anti-corruption. Prior to attending CEU, Ian worked at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), where he provided research support for projects on human rights and democracy worldwide. He also holds an M.A. in nationalism studies from CEU and a B.A. in history from Utah State University.

Nadin Helmi is a 2nd-year Master's student in Cultural Heritage Policy and Management at the Central European University. Her research focuses on influencing policymakers in Egypt for the protection of urban heritage. The research aims to provide grassroots and local communities with the proper tools for mobilizations to practice their right to protect their heritage. Nadin's experience working in the field of human rights and development in Egypt dates back to 2010. Her local knowledge and awareness of issues around these years have made her tackle challenges nationally and internationally through her research journey.

Dumitrita Holdis is a CMDS Fellow who works for the Media Influence Matrix – Romania case study as a researcher. Previously she has been managing the “Sound Relations” project together with Ian M. Cook, while teaching courses and conducting research on academic podcasting. She has previously done research on media representation, migration, and labour integration. She holds a BA in Sociology from the Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca and a MA degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology from the Central European University. She also has professional background in project management and administration. She has worked and lived in Romania, Hungary, France and Turkey.

Hein Htet is currently pursuing his Master's degree at the Department of Political Science at CEU. Prior to CEU, he studied at the University of Mandalay and Sciences Po Bordeaux. He is part of the first cohort of Political Science students in Myanmar. He also worked as a teaching and research assistant at the University of Mandalay and continues to be involved in the project to reform his alma mater. 

Giorgi Jangiani holds a Master's degree in European Public Policy from the Central European University. His research focuses on corruption, media, and data protection policy reforms in Eastern European countries. He also holds an M.A. in Diplomacy and a BA in International Relations from Ivane Javaxishvili Tbilisi State University. Before commencing his graduate studies at CEU, Giorgi worked on Euro- Atlantic integration issues at Georgia's Reforms Associates - GRASS. There he focused on the integration of Eastern European countries to the EU, as well as regional security & political trends. While at CEU, he also continues to work for the Georgian Strategic Analysis Center (GSAC) on Georgia- Russia relations. His current research is related to the EU's anti-corruption policy in public procurement and public-private partnerships. He speaks English, Russian, and Georgian, and has participated in multiple conferences concerning the current political and security challenges in Eastern Partnership countries. He became a fellow of The German Marshall Fund “Triennial Transatlantic Leaders” in 2017 and a fellow of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung's "Eastern Partnership Excellency" in 2016. 

Umair Khalid holds an MA in Political Science from the Central European University. He is interested in issues regarding media regulation, censorship, and the role of civil society. Previously he has worked as a journalist, digital strategist, and communications consultant with various organizations.

Iheb Klai is a senior student at the McDaniel College Budapest where he is majoring on Political Science and International Relations with a focus on journalism. Peacekeeping, conflict resolution, migration and security are also part of his educational path. He has worked with several organizations through volunteering and student-related jobs, such as AIESEC, Save The Children and UNHCR, and gained experience in journalism while writing and reporting through university workshops and associations. Iheb is fluent in three different languages: French, Arabic and English.

Juan S. Larrosa-Fuentes has Bachelors and Masters degrees as well as a PhD at ITESO, Universidad de Guadalajara and Temple University, respectively. He has been a professor in those institutions. He is currently a full-time professor at the Department of Sociocultural Studies at ITESO and a member of the National System of Researchers. Since 2020 he is the coordinator of ETIUS: Observatory of Communication and Culture. He has published in the academic journals Latin American Research Review, Internacional Journal of Communication, Media, War & Conflict, Tripodos, Communication and Society and Global Media Journal México. He is co-author with Sofía Paláu of the book Manual para la observación de medios [Handbook for media watch] (ITESO, 2014) and author and coordinator of several books on political communication. His research project focuses on the theory and empirical research of public and political communication.

Guillermo Néstor Mastrini holds a PhD in Information Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid. He works as a Professor of International Communication Policies and Introduction to Cultural Industries at the National University of Quilmes where he co-founded the Master’s Degree Program in Cultural Industries. He is also Professor at the University of Buenos Aires. Mastrini is a CONICET Research Associate. He is the author of several books including Las políticas de comunicación del Siglo XXI (2013), Los dueños de palabra (with Martín Becerra) (2009), Periodistas y magnates. Estructura y concentración de las industrias culturales en América Latina (2006) jointly with Martín Becerra) and Mucho ruido, pocas leyes. Economía y política en la comunicación en la Argentina (1920-2004) (2005), among others. He was the President of the Argentine Federation of Social Communication Careers and Director of the Communication Sciences Career of the University of Buenos Aires. 

Argelia Muñoz Larroa has a Conacyt Postdoctoral Fellowship at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Cuajimalpa campus in Mexico City. Her research has focused on the sustainability of audiovisual industries, for which she has developed an analytical framework to guide effective policy making—as a way to enhance regional economic development and cultural diversity. She has a PhD in management from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; an MA in international affairs; and a BA in history from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She has published in the International Journal of Communication, Political Economy of Communication, Norteamérica, Journal of Digital Media and Policy, Media Industries, Studies in Australasian Cinema, among others.

  Adil Nussipov is a CMDS Fellow working on the Media Influence Matrix project. He also acts as Global Governance Editor at E-International Relations. He graduated with distinction from Central European University with an MA in International Relations. Before CEU, he obtained his BA degree in Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. He has extensive experience in qualitative and quantitative research, gained through studies, research assistantships and internships. His research interests are global data policy, government-media relations and global governance. He also acts as Head of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at Accountability Initiative for Reform, a non-profit organization in Kazakhstan.

Vibodh Parthrasarathi maintains a multidisciplinary interest in media policy, creative industries and policy literacy his most recent work being the edited double-volume The Indian Media Economy (Oxford University Press 2017). He has been at the forefront of media policy research in India, and his recent visiting positions include the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities at the University of Queensland, the Metaforum Institute at KU Leuven, and the Swedish South Asian Studies Network at Lund University. He has been invited to the Boards of the Centre for Internet & Society, the India Open Data Association, and The Media Foundation. He serves in editorial advisory roles with MIT Press and Oxford University Press, and at the public intellectual platform ‘The Conversation’.

Sam Phiri  is a former journalist with the Times of Zambia and now lectures in the Department of Media and Communication Studies at the University of Zambia (UNZA) where he teaches Communication Theory; Critical Media Analysis; Introductory courses in Media and Communication Studies, and Strategic Communication Management. He is also attached to the joint Doctoral program of the UNZA Institute of Distance Education and the Zimbabwe Open University (ZIOU). He is a former Permanent Secretary in Zambia’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, and previously headed the training department of the Nordic-SADC Journalism Centre in Maputo, Mozambique; and the Media Program of the Johannesburg-based Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA).Sam has a unique mixture of journalism practice, management, academic teaching and media development expertise. Consequently, his research interests are in Media Development, Digital Rights, Gender, and their nexus with Political Communication. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Africa (UNISA), MA from Leicester in Britain and BA from the UNZA, all in the Communication Sciences.

Martín Razzeto has a degree in Social Communication from the National University of Quilmes (UNQ). He is a teaching and research fellow at the same university and studies pay television companies and content producers.

Carla Belén Repetto holds a degree in Social Communication from the National University of Quilmes (UNQ). She works as a researcher in the Research Training Scholarship Program for Students in their final stage of the Degree Career (known as BEFI) and studies business models in broadcasting media in Buenos Aires. She is also a member of the Research Center Cultural Industries, Communication Policies and Public Space (ICEP) of the Department of Social Sciences of UNQ.

 Olesya Shmagun is a journalist from Russia, and she works as an investigative journalist with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). She has a PhD in journalism.

Gulnura Toralieva is a blogger, media activist, the CEO of “Data Lab”, Head of the Bishkek School of Public Relations and a Partner at Promotank Consulting Company, with over 10 years of practical experience in media, governance and civil society development. She worked as an Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2017-2018 and coordinated the Open Government Partnership (OGP) program as well as the Open Data Initiative. In 2015, she was the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. Previously she led the media and communications team at the Prime Minister’s office in the Kyrgyz Republic. Gulnura also worked as an adviser for USAID’s strategic communications. From 2010 to 2012, she headed the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at the American University of Central Asia.

Márk Tremmel is a journalist and a media researcher in training. He is doing his MA studies at Eötvös Loránd University at the Department of Media and Communication in search of alternative possibilities for journalism and publishing in a contested media landscape. Márk has co-founded Utca & Karrier Magazine and is the co-host of the Great Galactic Ghoul radio show. He has taken part in various international projects against hate speech on social media. He regularly teaches media literacy for all age groups around Hungary.

Matteo Trevisan is an Italian researcher dedicated to Freedom of Expression and Information. He holds an MA in Interdisciplinary Research and Studies on Eastern Europe from the University of Bologna, Kaunas and Saint Petersburg, and a BA in Political Sciences, Social and International. After graduating, he worked as one of the editors, researchers and curators of the Resource Centre on Media Freedom lead by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) within the project European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF). Previously he moved to Belgrade to experience a traineeship at the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS), where he participated in the analysis of Serbia’s progress in the EU negotiation process, especially in relation to Action Plan for Chapter 23 with regard to Freedom of Expression. Besides the FoE/I-related work, he is particularly attentive to the challenging dynamics affecting the post-socialist enlargement of the EU, such as the controversial transitional processes, the persisting ethnic conflicts, migration and the rights of minorities.

Leo Watkins is a Media and Communications PhD student at Goldsmiths, University of London, researching Rupert Murdoch and the rise of neoliberalism in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s. He previously worked as an analyst at a commercial research firm specializing in technology, media and telecoms, and contributed research to the Parliamentary campaign to persuade UK regulators to stop Rupert Murdoch’s company 21st Century Fox buying Sky plc. He is on the co-ordinating committee of the Media Reform Coalition.

Lisa Weinberger is a student of Comparative Constitutional Law at CEU with a particular interest in access to information. Prior to CEU, she earned her law degree at the University of Vienna. For the past few years, she has worked for different national and international organisations including Index on Censorship, Transparency International Austria, Democracy Reporting International and OEKOBUERO – Alliance of the Environmental Movement. Her research focuses on constitutional law in relation to anti-corruption, media freedom and access to information. 

Lindsay Wojtula is completing an International MA in Economy, State and Society from Charles University Prague and University College London specializing in Politics and Security. She also completed an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Birmingham in 2017 and a BA in International Relations from the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the CMDS team, Lindsay worked for the British Council in Amman, Jordan as an English teacher, and also has worked in Vietnam, Ukraine, South Korea and Syria. She has recently completed an internship at the Prague Security Studies Institute where she was working on a project outlining the Business Model of Platforms Spreading Disinformation. Through this opportunity she wrote on different civil initiatives aimed at demonetizing platforms in the US and UK, as well as different actors and purposes behind disinformation in the private sector.

Research group "Novos Medios" at the University of Santiago de Compostela: 

Francisco Campos-Freire is a full professor of Journalism at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the University of Santiago de Compostela. He has decades of managerial experience in both print media and broadcast companies. His research focuses on media enterprises and Public Service Media.

Marta Rodríguez-Castro is a PhD candidate and pre-doctoral researcher at the University of Santiago de Compostela, and a Fellow at CMDS. In her research, she focuses on the regulation of digital services offered by Public Service Media and the impact of global digital platforms on news media and communications.

Ana Isabel Rodríguez-Vázquez is a professor at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the University of Santiago de Compostela. She has worked for over a decade in print media, television and digital media. Her research focuses on media audiences and innovation.

Alejandro Gesto-Louro is a researcher at the Department of Communication Sciences of the University of Santiago de Compostela. In his research, he has focused on the funding of Public Service Media and the use of technological advances, such as blockhain, in media industries.

Óscar Juanatey-Boga is a professor at the Department of Business studies of the University of La Coruña. He has published extensive research on the communication strategies, marketing and funding of media outlets, with a particular focus on the print press.

Valentín Alejandro Martínez-Fernández is a journalist and professor at the Department of Business studies of the University of A Coruña. He has experience managing print media outlets such as El Ideal Gallego. His research focuses on the transformation of the print press industry.

MEDIA DEVELOPMENT CENTER, BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY: Birzeit University is a leading educational institution and an intellectual hub in Palestine. The Media Development Center (MDC) was established in 1996 as one of the University’s 11 community centers and institutes. Work on the MIM: Palestine chapter is led by Nibal Thawabteh. MDC’s Director for 11 years, Nibal Thawabteh has more than 20years of experience in the area of media development, communication for development and empowerment, press freedom, civil society, human rights and gender. She is experienced in media mapping and elaboration, analysis and presentation of media landscapes