Eastcast

When Viktor Orbán’s government introduced laws r rstricting freedom of speech in Hungary, journalist Attila Mong made a bold statement by including a minute of silence in a radio broadcast. In this episode, he reflects on how the media landscape has evolved since then and the challenges journalists continue to face. He also examines the broader political dynamics in Hungary and its international impact. Now based in Berlin, Mong works with the Committee to Protect Journalists and contributes to various investigative journalism projects.

[In German] In this episode, we take a closer look at Belarus and the challenges Belarusian journalists have faced in recent years. Anna-Mae, Hanna, and Valerija are joined by Prof. Dr. Katja Artsiomenka, a German-Belarusian journalist and Professor of Journalism at the Media University of Applied Sciences (HMKW) in Cologne. She has extensive experience in journalism, including hosting the political talk show To the Point about Belarus for Deutsche Welle, and has been recognized with the European CIVIS Media Award for

In this episode, Ilaria, Max, and Tobi talk with Professor Bogusława Dobek-Ostrowska, former professor at the University of Wrocław, about the evolution of Poland’s media system since the fall of communism. She shares insights into its transition from a Soviet-era model to its current state in 2025, comparing Poland’s media landscape with other European systems, particularly in the Balkans and Italy.

The conversation covers key issues such as political influence on media, the role of digital platforms in contemporary political communication, and Poland’s media response to the war in Ukraine. Professor Dobek-Ostrowska also reflects on the challenges of establishing a democratic media system in a post-communist environment and shares her perspective on the future of Polish journalism and political communication.

How did digital technology shape Romania's political landscape in light of the 2024 elections? In this episode, Dr. Mihai Varga, a sociologist and researcher at the Institute for East-European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, examines the intersection of digital media and politics in Romania. He discusses the rise of far-right movements, the role of social media campaigns, and the ongoing fight against fake news, offering insights into how new technologies influence democratic processes in the country.

On the 24th of February 2022, Russia has attacked Ukraine. But that’s not the whole story. There is a second war. However, this war is not fought on Ukrainian soil. It is fought within the comment sections of the internet. To weaken support for Ukraine and promote pro-Russian sentiments, Russia, among other efforts, disseminates up to two million tweets daily.

But how did it come to all this? In this episode, we explore the various methods and contents of Russian propaganda, how it developed and whether it is working. We are joined by Valentyna Shapovalova and Natalia Grinina, researchers specializing in Russia and its propaganda strategies.

What motivates a German journalist to move to Albania? What narratives resonate most with German-speaking audiences?  And which stories about Albania remain untold? These are just a few of the questions we explored with Anja Troelenberg and Franziska Tschinderle, two Tirana-based journalists who have been covering Albania for German-speaking media for years.

If you want to hear more from Anja and Franziska, we highly recommend you check out their German podcast series “Die Botschaft” which covers the fall of Europe’s last communist regime in Albania.

In this episode, we explore the dynamics of digital propaganda during the Russia-Ukraine war. Agnese Fossa and Luca Morniroli talk with Gregory Asmolov, a communication scholar at King's College London. Gregory's research focuses, among other things, on participatory warfare, propaganda, and disinformation. We examine the development of Russia's digital propaganda strategies and discuss the concept of participatory propaganda, along with insights on how to counteract it.

Vadim Basin and Jasper Hendrickx explore the topic of digital resistance with a feminist anti-war activist from Russia. Since the war in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, the Feminist Anti-War Resistance emerged in Russia from several feminist groups that existed earlier. How can

How has fact-checking evolved in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of fact-checking organizations? How can we effectively differentiate between truth and misinformation?

In this episode, we talk to Ilya Ber, founder of Provereno Media, a Russian independent non-profit dedicated to fact-checking. Ilya shares his insights on the challenges faced by journalists in this field and describes his experience working in exile as an independent Russian

In this episode, we discuss the complexities of the modern warfare, with a focus on the use of mobile phones and recording devices on the frontlines of the ongoing Russia's war in Ukraine. How have mobile media reshaped warfare and communication strategies during armed conflicts? We discuss this and other questions around communication on the frontlines with Dr. Roman Horbyk, media scholar and expert in history and media culture of Eastern Europe at Södertörn University in Stockholm.