09/09/2026
Our colleague, Abit Hoxha, chairs international panel on journalistic work in Central and Eastern Europe
Abit Hoxha, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Nordic and Media Studies at the University of Agder, organized and chaired an international conference panel examining the conditions under which journalists work in Central and Eastern Europe.
The panel, titled “Perceived Influences on Journalistic Work in Central and Eastern Europe: Economic and Political Challenges,” brought together researchers from universities across Europe and the United States. The presentations drew on findings from the Worlds of Journalism Study and addressed some of the most pressing challenges confronting journalism in the region.
The four papers examined journalists’ working conditions and professional precarity, economic and political pressures on journalistic work, perceptions of professional autonomy and media freedom, and journalists’ experiences of threats and impunity.
Hoxha also participated as a co-author of the paper “Journalists’ Safety: Experiences of Threats and Perceptions of Impunity.” The study was developed with Věra Slavtcheva-Petkova, Sandra Laboy, Kenneth Andresen, Jan Višňovský, Bogdan Oprea and Carmen Ionescu. It brought together researchers affiliated with the University of Liverpool, Charles University, the University of Agder, the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, and the University of Bucharest.
By convening and chairing the panel, Hoxha helped bring comparative research on journalists’ safety, autonomy and working conditions into a shared discussion. The panel highlighted how political pressure, economic insecurity and threats against journalists often intersect, shaping both journalists’ everyday work and the broader conditions for media freedom in Central and Eastern Europe.
The contribution reflects the Institute of Nordic and Media Studies’ continuing research engagement with journalism, democracy and media freedom in Europe.
🇬🇧 ENGLISH
Abit Hoxha ledet internasjonalt panel om journalistikk i Sentral- og Øst-Europa
Abit Hoxha, universitetslektor ved Institutt for nordisk og mediefag ved UiA, organiserte og ledet et internasjonalt konferansepanel om utfordringer og arbeidsvilkår for journalister i Sentral- og Øst-Europa.
Panelet samlet forskere fra Europa og USA og tok utgangspunkt i funn fra Worlds of Journalism Study. Temaene omfattet blant annet mediefrihet, profesjonell autonomi, økonomiske og politiske påvirkninger på journalistisk arbeid, samt journalisters erfaringer med trusler og sikkerhet.
Hoxha deltok også som medforfatter på en studie om journalisters sikkerhet og erfaringer med trusler. Bidraget understreker instituttets forskningsengasjement innen journalistikk, demokrati og mediefrihet i Europa.
🇳🇴 NORSK
