IPF Project Final Activity Report:
March 2002 - February 2003
Matúš
Minárik
The activities in the first half of the IPF project year
went on according to the approved time-table and without substantial modifications.
Beyond the scheduled time-table, I participated at the Reuters Journalism
Course in London - a practice oriented course on writing and reporting for
journalists. Another activity that was not foreseen was the participation
at the Conference on Media Law, Media Freedom and Media Policy
at the European University Institute in Florence. The Conference was
organised by the former IPF Media Policy fellow Izabella Karlowicz, a PhD
Candidate at the European University Institute.
March – April 2002
• Refining methodology and discussing the research objectives
with assigned mentors
• Participation at the IPF seminar on policy processes in Budapest
• Project’s First Phase: Research of two Western media models
(Italy & UK)
• Background Research on Private Media in Italy
• Background Research on Private Media in the UK
May – June 2002
• Research Trip to the UK
- participation at the Reuters Journalism Course in London
- meeting with project mentor Colin Sparks (University of Westminster)
and discussion on project goals and objectives
- library research
• Research Trip to Italy
- participation at the Conference on Media Law, Media Freedom
and Media Policy at the European University Institute in Florence
- the conference focused on media law and media freedom in the post-communist
countries with participants from both academic institutions and policy-making
bodies
- discussions with media experts at the European University Institute,
Florence
- meeting with the OSI Resource Person Helen Darbishire
- library research
• Participation at the IPF Seminar on policy-making in Budapest
• Comparative Policy Research Paper on Media Policies in Italy
& United Kingdom
- independence of mass media & freedom of expression
- legislative framework
- institutional arrangements
- political culture
- policy recommendations
July - August - September 2002
Finishing the comparative policy research paper on media policies in
Italy and United Kingdom, I continued the ongoing work on the second and
main phase of the project: analysing the media policies towards private media
as well as behaviour of private media in Poland and Slovakia.
• Project’s Second Phase: Comparative Analysis of Private Mass
Media in Poland and Slovakia
• Background Research on Private Media in Poland and Slovakia
• Research of Private Media in Poland and Slovakia
- research and analysis of mass media legislation in Poland and
Slovakia
- analysis of the decisions of television oversight bodies (National
Broadcasting Council in Poland and Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission
in Slovakia)
- ongoing monitoring of behaviour of private television channels
(TVN, TVN 24, Polsat in Poland and Markíza, Joj, TA3 in Slovakia)
- research and analysis of monitoring data (MEMO
98 in Slovakia, Rzeczpospolita Report in Poland)
October
- November - December 2002
• Publication of an article 'The Quality of Democracy:
Learning from the Candidates?' on importance of media
monitoring both in EU member states and accession countries at the EU Accession
Monitoring Programme website www.eumap.org. The article was based on the research
of media policies in Italy & United Kingdom (Interim IPF Policy Research
Paper) and ongoing research of media policies in Poland and Slovakia.
• Research and Policy Papers on Private Media in Poland and Slovakia
- in the light of the findings of the Western media models analysis
(Italy & UK)
- independence of mass media & freedom of expression in Poland
and Slovakia
- legislative framework
- institutional arrangements
- similarities and differences of two models
- strengths and weaknesses of two models
- political culture
- policy recommendations
- broader conclusions applicable to most of CEECs
• Presentation of Policy Paper to Policy-Makers & Stakeholders
January - February 2003
• Finishing the research on private television broadcasting in Poland
and Slovakia and drafting the final IPF papers:
- Policy Research Paper
- Policy Paper with a set of recommendations
• Participation at the Final IPF Seminar on policy-making, discussions
with other IPF fellows on challenges of the policy fellowship; set of policy
recommnedations and strategies for their implementation
• Invitation
to outline a proposal for the EU Accession Monitoring Program of OSI to launch
media monitoring in EU member states and accession countries
• Preparation of publication of research findings in an international
media studies journal