This thesis seeks to explore issues of media governance and engagement in nations at the margin of democracy, subsequently establishing the basis of a policy framework which can bolster media freedom and enhance the potential for democratic consolidation. The paper conducts a case study on the domestic media markets of Hungary and Poland, and explores foreign-influence efforts in Ukraine. It concludes with an analysis of the policy or market-based tools available to promote and protect media freedom.

In the Spring Semester of 2022, I embarked on an experience that would change my life forever: a study abroad trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, right before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To honor such a unique story, I have decided to incorporate it into my Barrett Honors Thesis, which will analyze Russian public opinions on the War in Ukraine and situate them to my own personal encounters of Russian reactions to the invasion, alongside telling my own story. My final assignment for Barrett will cover both the perilous and the peculiar, as I describe my observations and interactions with the city and its inhabitants. My goal is to create a piece of long-form journalism that compares the perceptions I had in the former Union of Soviet Social Republics with the research findings of numerous news sources, in an attempt to illustrate the true political climate in Russia today.