In each of the participating countries, a team of local researchers undertakes the data collection for each of the 26 indicators derived from the theoretical framework, and interprets them in the national context.

Each indicator has its own empirical character, but in general, information is gathered from already existing data (desk research), and from interviews with media executives, journalists as well as bloggers and other persons active in the publication of news and current affairs. Our desk research refers mainly to international sources like Digital News Report (Reuters Institute in Oxford), V-Dem (University of Gothenburg, Sweden), Freedom House and Reporters without Frontiers, as well as national data sets on the economics of media companies, journalism surveys, and academic research on the media landscape. Furthermore, some own calculations are needed with regard to establish evidence of the economic performance, and the breakdown of consumption (using, again, existing sources, such as the Media Pluralism Monitor for EU countries).