The Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM), part of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market strategy, is designed to identify potential risks for media pluralism in the EU Member States. After an initial study in 2009 and two pilot test implementations in 2014 and 2015, the European Parliament decided to support further European-wide studies, which have been carried out since 2016. According to President Ursula von der Leyen, the MPM should be used "to identify risks to plurality in the media sector", and to "propose cross-border projects to support independent and diverse journalistic activities”. The MPM is a key source of information for the European Commission, which relies on the findings to draw up its yearly Rule of Law Report.
Since 2014, CMC is the Austrian partner of MPM.
Full reports:
Funding
Co-funded by the EU
EC Grant Agreement LC-01871274 — CNECT/2022/4365314 (until 2026)
Cooperation Partners
Mag. Vera Wolf, Association of Austrian Community Broadcasters (2023)
Dr. Helga Schwarzwald, Association of Austrian Community Broadcasters (2015-2022, 2024-)
European University Institute, Florence – Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) (Coordinator)
Panel of Experts (the composition of the panel changes as a result of changes in CMPF's requirements):
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Walter Berka (†), University of Salzburg (2015-2020)
Dr. Ilse Brandner-Radinger, Former Chair of the Viewers' and Listeners' Council [Publikumsrat], ORF (2017-2018)
Dr. Alexandra Föderl-Schmid, "Der Standard"/IPI (2015-2017)
Josef Gruber, Verband der Regionalmedien (VRM) [Association of Regional Media] (2021-)
Mag. Dieter Henrich, Verband der Regionalmedien Österreichs (2015-2020)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Holoubek, Institute for Austrian and European Public Law, Vienna University of Economics and Business (2021-)
Dr. Daniela Kraus, Presseclub Concordia (2015-)
Dr. Maximilian Schubert, Internet Service Providers Austria (ISPA) (2020)
Dr. Helga Schwarzwald, Association of Austrian Community Broadcasters (2015-2022)
PD Dr. Christian Steininger, University of Vienna (2015-2018)
Mag. Vera Wolf, Association of Austrian Community Broadcasters (2023-)
Daniela Zimmer, Chamber of Labour/Viewers' and Listeners' Council [Publikumsrat], ORF (since 2019)
In the Media
European Federation of Journalists and European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) on "Media, Freedom of Speech, and Democracy in the EU and Beyond"
Publications and Lectures
Articles and Book Chapters
- Monitoring media pluralism in the European Union: Results of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2025. Country report: Austria. / Seethaler, Josef; Beaufort, Maren; Strobl, Walter.
in: European University Institute (EUI) - Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), 01.07.2025, S. 1-59. - Evolution of space and geography in media pluralism: A typology of community media in the European Union. / Palmer, Marie; Seethaler, Josef; Brogi, E. (Herausgeber:in) et al.
Media pluralism in the digital era: Legal, economic, social, and political lessons learnt from Europe. New York, London: Routledge, 2024. S. 149-164. - Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor in European member states and candidate countries in 2023. Country report: Austria. / Seethaler, J; Beaufort, M.
N/A. Florence: Florence: European University Institute – Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), 2024. - Monitoring des Medienpluralismus im digitalen Zeitalter: Anwendung des "Media Pluralism Monitor" in der Europäischen Union, Albanien, Montenegro, der Republik Nordmazedonien, Serbien und der Türkei im Jahr 2022. Länderstudie: Österreich. / Seethaler, J.; Beaufort, M.; Schulz-Tomancok, A.
N/A. Florence: European University Institute – Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), 2023. - Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor in the European Union, Albania, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey in the year 2022. Country report: Austria. / Seethaler, J.; Beaufort, M.; Schulz-Tomancok, A.
European University Institute, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF). Florence: European University Institute – Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), 2023. - Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor in the European Union, Albania, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey in the year 2021. / Seethaler, J.; Beaufort, M.; (CMPF), European University Institute – Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (Herausgeber:in).
2022. - Monitoring des Medienpluralismus im Digitalen Zeitalter: Anwendung des ‘Media pluralism monitor' in der Europäischen Union, Albanien, Montenegro, der Republik Nordmazedonien, Serbien und der Türkei im Jahr 2021. Länderstudie: Österreich. / Seethaler, J.; Beaufort, M.; (CMPF), European University Institute – Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (Herausgeber:in).
Florence. 2022. - Gewappnet für die Zukunft? Öffentlich-rechtlicher Rundfunk in Österreich [Ready for the future? Public Broadcasting in Austria]. / Beaufort, Maren; Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (Herausgeber:in).
Wie steht es um den öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunk in Europa?. Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2022. - Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor in the European Union, Albania, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey in the year 2020: Country report: Austria. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef.
Media Pluralism Monitor . 2021. - Monitoring des Medienpluralismus im Digitalen Zeitalter: Anwendung des ‘Media pluralism monitor' in der Europäischen Union, Albanien, Montenegro, der Republik Nordmazedonien, Serbien und der Türkei im Jahr 2020: Länderstudie: Österreich. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef.
Media Pluralism Monitor . 2021. - Safety of journalists in Austria. / Seethaler, J.; Žuffová, M. (Herausgeber:in); Carlini, R. (Herausgeber:in).
Safety of journalists in Europe: Threats and best practices to tackle them (EUI Working Paper RSC 2021/43). Florence: European University Institute, 2021. S. 23-30. - Country Report: Austria. / Seethaler, Josef; Beaufort, Maren; Freedom, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media (Herausgeber:in).
Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor in the European Union, Albania, and Turkey in the years 2018-2019. Florence: European University Institute, 2020. - The Media Pluralism Monitor - Austria. In Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (Ed.), Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor in the European Union, Albania, and Turkey in the years 2018-2019. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef.
Media Pluralism Monitor . 2020. - Recent developments on freedom and pluralism of media in Austria. / Seethaler, Josef; Beaufort, Maren; Giannakopoulos, Angelos (Herausgeber:in).
Media, Freedom of Speech, and Democracy in the EU and Beyond. Tel Aviv: S. Daniel Abraham Center for International and Regional Studies, Tel Aviv University, 2019. S. 116-130. - The Media Pluralism Monitor – Austria. In Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (Ed.), Monitoring media pluralism in Europe: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2017 in the European Union, FYROM, Serbia & Turkey. / Seethaler, Josef; Beaufort, Maren; Dopona, Valentina et al.
Monitoring media pluralism in Europe: Application of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2017 in the European Union, FYROM, Serbia & Turkey. Florence: European University Institute, 2018. - Informations- und Meinungsfreiheit: Medienpolitische Grundlagen und Herausforderungen [Freedom of information and speech in Austria: Fundamentals of and challenges to media policy]. / Seethaler, Josef; Koziol, Helmut (Herausgeber:in).
Tatsachenmitteilungen und Werturteile: Freiheit und Verantwortung. Wien: Sramek, 2018. S. 13-26. - The Media Pluralism Monitor – Austria. In Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom. / Seethaler, Josef; Beaufort, Maren; Dopona, Valentina et al.
Media Pluralism Monitor 2016: Monitoring risks for media pluralism in the EU and beyond. Florence: European University Institute, 2017.
Research Papers
Lectures
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Wien
Pluralität und Diversität von Medienlandschaften [Plurality and diversity of media landscapes]
Seethaler, J. (Speaker)
24 Oct 2024 -
Zürich
Medienstrukturen revisited
Seethaler, J. (Speaker)
12 Oct 2023 -
Tel Aviv
Recent developments on freedom and pluralism of media in Austria
Seethaler, J. (Speaker) & Beaufort, M. (Speaker)
19 Nov 2018 -
Athens
Community medias` "added value": The case of Austria
Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)
9 May 2017 -
Wien
Demokratie, Medienpluralismus und die Rolle des nicht-kommerziellen privaten Rundfunks [Democracy, media pluralism, and the role of community media]
Beaufort, M. (Speaker)
21 Apr 2016
Popular Publications
Popular Talks
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N/A
Öffentlich-rechtlich auf Bewährung [Interview mit Viktoria Waldegger]
Seethaler, J. (Speaker)
1 Dec 2023 -
N/A
Bedeutung von Medienpluralismus für demokratische Gesellschaften [Media Pluralism in Democratic Societies]
Beaufort, M. (Speaker)
3 Oct 2022