How Do Citizens Understand Media Autonomy and Its Role in Democracy?

In a new scientific article published in the international journal ESSACHESS – Journal for Communication Studies, Peace Institute researchers Brankica Petković and Mojca Pajnik find that citizens in Slovenia continue to see the media as essential to democracy, while at the same time expressing deep concerns about the political and economic pressures that undermine media autonomy. The findings suggest that citizens view media autonomy as inseparable from the quality of democracy itself.

The article, titled Democracy in Question, Media in Doubt: Citizen Perceptions of Media Autonomy in Slovenia, appears in a special issue of ESSACHESS dedicated to perceptions of media and democracy across Europe. The study draws on four focus groups conducted in Ljubljana, Maribor, and Koper in 2024 as part of the European research project MeDeMAP (Mapping Media for Future Democracies). The article approaches media autonomy as a multidimensional concept. In doing so, the authors draw on normative theories of the media and on the classical distinction between negative and positive liberty, which has been revisited and further developed in contemporary debates on media autonomy. Media autonomy therefore entails not only freedom from political and economic pressures, but also the freedom to act in accordance with professional norms and in the public interest.

The authors explore how citizens understand the relationship between democracy and media autonomy. Participants identified political influence over the media, concentration of ownership, dependence on advertising revenue, and precarious working conditions for journalists as some of the most significant obstacles to media autonomy. At the same time, they continue to expect the media to serve the public interest, provide reliable information, and hold political and economic power to account.

The study also reveals that citizens do not separate questions of media autonomy from broader concerns about democratic institutions. Many participants pointed to a gap between democratic ideals and democratic practice, stressing that informed decision-making is impossible without access to reliable and independent information. The findings therefore suggest that citizens see media autonomy both as a reflection of democratic conditions and as a prerequisite for a functioning democracy.

An important finding concerns citizens’ perceptions of journalists themselves. Rather than viewing journalists as fully autonomous actors, participants often described them as working under pressures exerted by media owners, editors, political interests, and commercial imperatives. Job insecurity, fear of dismissal, and the growing influence of market logics were seen as factors limiting journalists’ ability to work independently and ethically. Nevertheless, citizens continue to value professionalism, objectivity, fact-checking, and public accountability as core principles of journalism.

The research further shows that citizens understand media autonomy as a multidimensional concept. It is not only about protection from political and economic interference, but also about journalists’ ability to act according to professional and ethical standards and about the media’s capacity to foster public debate, represent diverse voices, and encourage democratic participation. Media autonomy thus emerges as a democratic concern rather than merely a professional or institutional issue.

Despite their critical assessment of current conditions, citizens have not abandoned their expectations of the media’s democratic role. They continue to view the media as guardians of the public interest, spaces for public deliberation, and vital mechanisms for holding centres of power accountable.

The article was produced as part of the MeDeMAP project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. The special issue of ESSACHESS brings together contributions from researchers across Europe examining the relationship between media, democracy, and citizens in contemporary societies.