The Media and Democracy Karol Jakubowicz Award 2026: Nominees
Five publications addressing the relationship between media and democracy have been nominated for this year’s edition of the Media and Democracy Karol Jakubowicz Award.
On March 30, 2026, the Selection Committee reviewed books submitted for this year’s edition of the Media and Democracy Karol Jakubowicz Award – an award supporting significant publications in media systems, media policies, media ethics, and public service media. Scholarly contributions to the research and practice of media and democracy were submitted by members of the Leadership team of the International Association of Public Service Media Researchers (IAPMR), Editors and Associate Editors of the "Central European Journal of Communication" (CEJC), previous Award winners and the Selection Committee.
The Committee evaluated the submissions according to three criteria:
- originality and methodological rigor,
- contribution to media and democracy scholarship,
- potential impact on media policy and public debate.
The following publications have been nominated for the 2026 Media and Democracy Karol Jakubowicz Award:
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Péter Bajomi-Lázár & Dalma Boldog (2026). Journalism ethics in Eastern Europe. Anthem Press. |
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Nico Carpentier & Jeffrey Wimmer (2025). Democracy and media in Europe: A discursive-material approach. Taylor & Francis. |
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Natalie Fenton (2025). Democratic delusions: How the media hollows out democracy and what we can do about it. Polity. |
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Filip Trbojević, Peter Berglez, Dina Vozab, Mart Ots & Zrinjka Peruško (2025). Quality of journalism and media freedom in Europe: The fsQCA approach. Central European Journal of Communication, 18(1(39)), 29–50. https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.18.1(39).686 |
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Marína Urbániková, Klára Smejkal, Iveta Jansová & Lenka Waschková Císařová (2026). Reimagining public service media: Navigating change and exploring public consensus in the Czech Republic. Routledge. |
The Winner of the Award will be announced on April 28, 2026 – the anniversary of the passing of Karol Jakubowicz.
On behalf of the Committee, we warmly congratulate all Nominees!
Dagmara Sidyk-Furman and Michał Głowacki