Between Transparency and Capture

Media Ownership in Romania

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2026.5403.14
Keywords: media ownership, transparency, media control, media capture

Abstract

This article examines media ownership structures, transparency risks, and regula­tory challenges in Romania as part of the Euromedia Ownership Monitor (EurOMo) 2025 edition, a comparative research initiative aligned with the European Democracy Action Plan, the European Media Freedom Act, and the Anti-Money Laundering Directive. Drawing exclusively on publicly available and verifiable sources, the study maps ownership, control relationships, management structures, economic interests, political links, and public policy safeguards across a diverse sample of Romanian legacy media outlets and influential digital news accounts. The analysis also includes platform-based news actors, reflecting the growing role of social media—particularly TikTok and Facebook—in news consumption in Romania. The findings reveal a structurally diverse and pluralistic media landscape that nevertheless remains vulnerable to significant transparency deficits. While ownership information for audiovisual broadcasters is largely accessible through regulatory disclosure requirements, the ownership and funding structures of print media, online-only outlets, and platform-native news actors are often opaque or only indirectly traceable. A key risk identified by the study concerns the non-transparent flow of public funds—primarily through political party spending—into the media sector, undermining editorial independence and public accountability. Additionally, growing convergence of media ownership with non-media sectors, including telecommunications and public relations, raises further concerns about economic and political influence.

Author Biographies

Andreea Alina Mogoș, Babeș-Bolyai University

Professor at the Department of Journalism and Digital Media at Babeș-Bolyai University. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Babeș‐Bolyai University and a PhD in Information and Communication Sciences from Université Paris 8 Vincennes–Saint‐Denis, where she completed a dissertation on media representations. Her research employs mixed‐methods approaches to analyse textual and visual media frames, social representations, and information disorders, with a particular focus on disinformation in Central and Eastern Europe.

Hanna Orsolya Vincze, Babeș-Bolyai University

(PhD, Central European University, Budapest) is a Professor in the Department of Communication, Public Relations and Advertising at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj‐Napoca. Her research focuses on news cultures and intellectual history, with particular attention to the representation of social issues, political language, and questions of translation and transferability. She explores these topics in both historical and contemporary discourses, primarily using corpus‐assisted discourse analysis and computer‐assisted content analysis.

Radu Mihai Meza, Babeș-Bolyai University

Professor in the Department of Journalism and Digital Media at at Babeș-Bolyai University with a background in journalism, computer science, media communication, and sociology. He earned a PhD in Sociology with a dissertation on the structure and dynamics of popular social network systems. His research focuses on online media, media representations, and online hate speech, employing computational methods for data collection and analysis.

Constantin Trofin, Babeș-Bolyai University

Lecturer at the Department of Journalism and Digital Media, Babeș‐Bolyai University, Cluj‐Napoca. His research focuses on visual journalism and political communication, particularly televised electoral campaigns and the recent developments in visual news reporting and production. He holds a PhD in Sociology from Babeș‐Bolyai University. His previous professional experience as a television producer, presenter, and media executive has significantly informed both his teaching and research.

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PK-54
Published
2026-09-30
How to Cite
[1]
Mogoș, A.A., Vincze, H.O., Meza, R.M. and Trofin, C. 2026. Between Transparency and Capture: Media Ownership in Romania. Perspectives on Culture. 54, 3 (Sep. 2026), 233-252. DOI:https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2026.5403.14.
Issue
Vol. 54 No. 3 (2026): Contemporary Media Management: A Multidimensional Approach to Social, Political, and Technological Contexts
Section
Media Management and the Political Contexts

Copyright (c) 2026 Ignatianum University in Cracow

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