Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Freedom of speech and press independance are among the most important values of contemporary democracies. However, in recent years we can observe a crisis in worldwide mass media that manifests itself in such phenomena as: fake news, hate speech, disinformation, propaganda, and various forms of manipulation. Institute for Discourse and Dialogue has launched a program of media monitoring by volunteering analysts “INDID MEDIA WATCH” in autumn 2018. It is based on regular tracking of media information messages and analyzing them according to the previously developed and unified methodology, that was consulted with experts – scholars & journalists. In 2018, over 320 studies from Poland were collected on both traditional media (TV, radio, press) and digital (internet portals). This paper presents research results in particular dimensions: (1) partiality, (2) reliability, (3) level of expert statements in messages and their pluralism, (4) legitimacy of the title in relation to the content of the material, and (5) additional remarks about remittances collected by volunteers. The basic principle of the monitoring is applying the same criteria to all media titles, regardless of their editorial lines. The purpose of the paper is also to confront thesis about the programme – as a unique way of measuring media bias level based on intersubjective methodology.