How does the media fulfill its democratic function?

Based on the role of the media and journalism in a democratic society, the researchers in the project want to investigate three different aspects of media quality - content quality, professional quality and audience quality.

Journalism is a cornerstone of democracy. Without free media to inform the public about what is happening and examine the government's exercise of power, democracy will not function. According to what is stated in the Swedish Constitution, the will of the people cannot be fulfilled without free media. This is because this fulfillment requires free elections and freedom of opinion. Thus, the task of journalism is from a normative democratic perspective to contribute to free opinion formation, and that is why the quality of the media is central to the democratic society.

The researchers in the project, led by Professor Bengt Johansson, have identified three different forms of media quality - content quality, professional quality and audience quality - who all three contribute to the media’s ability to fulfill its democratic role. The three aspects of media quality are often discussed in the general debate, but more research-based knowledge is required in order contribute to a more thorough discussion, 

Although the project's focus is on journalism, the research group will include how journalism function in relation to interactive platforms, such as social media and various forms of public communication (advertising, political propaganda, government communication).

The researchers will, among other things, study the following areas:

• The position and responsibility of journalism in the interface with social media, propaganda and advertising.
• The price of visibility - journalism's responsibility and ability to manage the balance between the public interest and personal integrity. Within this part, the project group will initiate a sub-project with a special annual report.
• The ability of journalism to represent the whole country and different societal perspectives.
• The quality of journalism in connection with elections and referendums

The project is affiliated to the Institute for Media Studies. The institute conducts research not covered by academic research, and research the media and the journalists themselves lack interest or capability to carry out. The Institute for Media Studies has a long tradition of establishing time series of measuring the quality of journalism in Sweden, together with investigating current phenomena of media and journalism.