Local and community media in Europe : a comparative analysis of the Media Pluralism Monitor data between 2020 and 2023

Local and community media have traditionally received less attention in policy discussions and academic research compared to national media. The dominance of national media can be attributed to several factors, such as the well-defined boundaries of nations and the fact that media and news production tends to prioritize national agendas and champions national actors (Hanitzsch, 2009). However, there has been an increasing interest in local and community media in recent years. This is partly due to greater recognition of the importance of these media forms, and partly to a perceived crisis in the sector. Indeed, as the next section will discuss, local and community media have essential roles in a functioning democracy and in fostering inclusive communities. Over the past two decades, however, these sectors have encountered significant challenges due to digital transformation and economic downturns that have hindered their capacity to fulfil their political and social functions (Gulyas and Baines, 2020). This report offers an international comparative analysis of key issues in local and community media across 27 EU member states and five candidate countries (Albania, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia & Turkey) based on data gathered as part of the Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) project by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute between 2020 and 2023.