CJMD is a hub for research, teaching and public discussion about the forces shaping information practices, media cultures and core democratic values.

CJMD is a hub for research, teaching and public discussion about the forces shaping information practices, media cultures and core democratic values.

CENTER FOR JOURNALISM, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY

Journalism and the mediated communication environment have never been more deeply involved with the workings and health of democracy―and the expanding digital network has proven a challenging public sphere. Journalism is undercut by tech platforms and attacked by powerful political actors. It suffers unprecedented levels of mistrust among the public and must compete for attention in a media landscape littered with misinformation and engineered to fuel extremist content over quality reporting and analysis.

But the networked landscape comes with upsides. Next-level collaboration among journalists delivers reporting that would otherwise be too costly for any single organization to take on. New publishing ventures expand the range of voices and viewpoints in the news, in part by cultivating relationships with civil society actors or historically underrepresented groups. Civic engagement in some cases is deepened by citizens using widely available digital tools to create, circulate, and interact with journalism flows to a much greater degree than previously possible.

Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy scholars investigate the features of the media landscape―its tools, platforms, policies, practices―to understand how they can both support and threaten democracy. Using a range of theoretical and methodological approaches and with emphasis on international cases and perspectives, we investigate the dynamics that pass among, work on and shape journalism, media and democracy.

NEWS

CJMD Receives Civic Health Grant to Study Open Records

The Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy has received a grant from the University of Washington's Civic Health Initiative to study public records requests and their impact on requesters, public agencies, and democratic governance. The purpose [...]

Public Media Under Pressure: Why It Matters & What Can Be Done

  Last week, CJMD hosted Public Media Under Pressure, a sobering yet productive conversation with Seattle-area public media presidents Rob Dunlop, Cascade PBS; David Fischer, KNKX; and Tina Pamintuan, KUOW. Together with CJMD co-director Matt [...]

‘Technology for the People’: A New Salon Debuts April 14, 2025

You Are Invited Technology for the People is a Society + Technology at UW salon co-hosted with the Department of Communication’s Center for Journalism, Media, and Democracy arranged to showcase empathetic, community-focused engagement with technologies for [...]

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