Prof. Auksė Balčytienė (PhD)

Auksė Balčytienė is journalism and communications scholar and professor, and media critic. She was born on May 12th, 1966 in Lithuania. In 1989 she has graduated from Kaunas University of Technology, and then she pursued graduate and Ph.D. studies at the University of Joensuu in Finland. She defended her Ph.D. dissertation “Using Hypertext to Read and Reason” and received doctorate in 1996.

She has returned to Lithuania in 1996, and became part-time lecturer at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas where she taught courses on the impact of new media on cognition and communication. At the same time she was working as a consultant and media and communications expert at the Information Program developed and supported through the Open Society Fund Lithuania. She was also very closely involved with new training programs and innovative educational projects and was a board member of the Foundation for Educational Change (1999-2000).

In 1998 she became a core person to establish the Department of Journalism at the Faculty of International Relations and Law (now Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy) at VMU. Since its establishment the department had a very clear aim not only to educate future to be journalists and communication professionals, but also to advance academic media research in the Baltic countries. For eight years (in the period from 1998 until 2006) Auksė Balčytienė has been responsible for the development of journalism and communications programs, establishment of international student and staff exchanges as well as other professional and academic partnership projects. During those years she has designed and established two MA level programs (Journalism and Media Analysis, and Integrated Communications) and one BA program in Public Communication; she also has built an internationally known school of comparative media research (for more information please visit these projects: www.mediaresearch.lt, www.balticmedia.eu).

Her main scholarly interests are in international journalism and communication cultures, media cultures, political communication cultures, political communication, Central and Eastern European studies, the rise and decline of the European Public Sphere, European reporting, and multilingual and multicultural journalism online.

Auksė Balčytienė has a broad international network and professional contacts and is regularly teaching at various academic institutions in Europe (at the universities of Dortmund, Iserlohn, Tartu, Bergen, Tampere, Madrid, Riga, Ulster, Ljubljana, Wroclaw, and others) and in the USA. She has been acting as a Visiting Guest Professor (Erich-Brost Professor in International Journalism) at the Institute of Journalism of the University of Dortmund in 2001-2002. She also has taken an active part as a consultant, teacher and professional trainer in different schools and trainings organized through the Open Society Institute, European Journalism Centre, Transparency International, and other international organizations. She has been a fellow in the IVLP: International Visitor Leadership Program “Contemporary Challenges in Higher Education” in 2008 which has given an opportunity to visit and familiarize with a significant number of HEI and journalism and media research programs in the USA.

She is also an active member of different professional associations (ICA, IAMCR, ECREA, BAMR: Baltic Association in Media Research) and is a board member of ECREA: European Communication Research Association and vice-chair of ECREA’s “CEE Network”. She is also a member of the EMRG: Euromedia Research Group.

She is an editorial board member of several international refereed journals and academic book series (book series “On the Boundary of Two Worlds: Identity, Freedom, and Moral Imagination in the Baltics” published at Rodopi, and the following journals: European Journal of Communication, Central European Journal of Communication, Media Transformations: Medijų transformacijos, Informacijos mokslai: Information Science, Žurnalistikos tyrimai: Journalism Research).

Auksė Balčytienė has an extensive experience in collaborative project design, administration and coordination. She is leading a number of international media research and journalism education projects coordinated through the virtual Media Research Center. Few years ago she was closely involved in several international projects funded through the European Commission – 6th FP projects “AIM – Adequate information management in Europe” (2004-2007) and “CINEFOGO – Civil Society and New Forms of Governance in Europe – the Making of European Citizenship” (2005-2009); she was a core leader or national representative also in a number of other internationally funded projects (through the European Science Foundation, Nordic Council of Ministers, German Research Foundation, Lithuanian Science and Research Foundation). She has been active in two COST program projects A20 and A30, and currently is working as national representative in the project ISO906 “Transforming audiences, transforming societies”.

She also is very active in training of young scholars and researchers and takes an active part in the “Nordic Network on Journalism Research” (Nordic and Baltic Network for Ph.D. Studies). She regularly teaches at the international Ph.D. student Summer School organized through YECREA networks. At this moment she supervises five Ph.D. students. She also is a chair for Ph.D. studies program in Political Science at VMU.

Currently, Auksė Balčytienė serves as a Vice-Rector for Public Communication at VMU, and she also is Professor of Journalism at the Department of Public Communications (www.mediastudies.lt) at VMU. She gives lectures in Media in Modernity, Communication Contexts and Cultures (International Journalism Cultures), and Creative Online Writing. Previously she taught classes in Global Media and International Communication, Political Communication, and European Reporting. She provides scientific consultancy on journalism change and professionalization in Central and Eastern Europe, acts as an advisory member in different boards (project "Media and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe" at the University of Oxford), works as expert at the Academy of Finland. For a certain amount of time she has been a member of the Lithuanian Science and Research Council (Humanities and Social Sciences division, 2008-2010), and also she was a member at the Council of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television (2008-2011).

Auksė Balčytienė has published widely in international refereed journals and academic books. She is an author of the book (“Mass Media in Lithuania: Development, Changes and Journalism Culture”, European Journalism Review Series: Vistas, 2006).

Publications:

Balčytienė, A. (forthcoming, 2012). Mass Media, Alternative Spaces and the Value of Imagination in Contemporary Europe. In: Donskis, L. (ed.). Yet another Europe after 1984: Rethinking Milan Kundera and the idea of Central Europe. Rodopi.

Balčytienė, A., and Glowacki, M. (2012).  How to Approcah Change in Modern Communications. Central European Journal of Communication. Vol. 5, No 1 (8).

Balčytienė, A. (2012).  Culture as a Guide in Theoretical Explorations of Baltic Media. In Hallin, D. and Mancini, P. (eds.): Comparing media systems beyond the Western world. Cambridge University Press, pp. 51-72.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2012).   Europos viešoji erdvė: politika, komunikacija, diskursas (European Public Sphere: Politics, Communication, Discourse). Kaunas: VDU leidykla.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2011).   Reporting on Europe in New Markets: Restrictions, Challenges and Opportunities for Baltic Journalism. In Evas, T. (ed.) European Integration from the Baltic Perspective: Constitutional Challenges, Conflicting Interests and Eastern Neighbours of the EU, RECON Project Research Report, pp. 78-89.

MacGregor, P., Balčytienė, A., Fortunati, L., Nuust, V., O’Sullivan, J., Roussou, N., Saleverria, R., Sarrica, M. (2011). A cross-regional comparison of selected European newspaper journalists and their evolving attitudes towards the Internet – including a single-country focus on the UK. Journalism, Vol. 12 (5), pp. 627-646.

Balčytienė, A. (2011). Lithuania: Mixed Professional Values in a Small and Highly Blurred Media Environment. In Trappel, J., Nieminen, H., Nord, L. (eds.). The Media for Democracy Monitor. A Cross National Study of Leading News Media, NORDICOM, pp. 175-202.

Balčytienė, A., Naprytė, E. (2011). Lithuania. In Trappell, J., Meier, W. (eds.) On Media Monitoring,  Peter Lang Publishing Group, pp. 235-265. 

Balčytienė, A., Raeymaeckers, K., Vartanova, E. (2011).   Changing Practices of Journalism. In Trappel, J., Meier, W., D’Haenens, L., Steemers, J. and Thomass, B. (eds.). Media in Europe Today. Intellect, pp. 219-235.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2011).  How to Deal with Uncertainty in Modern Communications. Media Transformations, Vol. 5, pp. 4-7.

Sarrica, M., Fortunati, L. O’Sullivan, J., Balcytiene, A., Macgregor, P., Nuust, V., Roussou, N., Meso, K., Pereira, X., de Luca, F. (2010).   The early stages of the integration of the internet in EU newsrooms. European Journal of Communication, 25(4) 413–422.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2010).   Assessing Conditions for the Homogenisation of the European Public Sphere: How Journalists Report, and Could Report, on Europe. In: Bee, Cr., Bozzini, E. (eds.) Mapping the European Public Sphere: Institutions, Media and Civil Society, Ashgate, pp. 141-158.

Balčytienė, A. (2010).   Baltic Media Structures and the Influence of Media. In: Golubeva, M., Gould, R. Shrinking Citizenship: Discursive practices that limit democratic participation in Latvian politics, Rodopi, pp. 53-65.

Balčytienė, A., Lauk, E. (2009).   Some reflections on journalism education and journalism culture, Žurnalistikos tyrimai (Journalism Research), No 2, pp. 5-12.

Balčytienė, A., Harro-Loit, H. (2009).   Between reality and illusion: Re-examining the diversity of media and online professional journalism in the Baltic States. Journal of Baltic Studies.

Balčytienė, A., Juraitė, K. (2009).   Impact of Economic and Cultural Factors on Television Production in Small Nations. Medijska istraživanja, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 33-47.

Balčytienė, A. (2009). Baltic Media and Journalism in Context: Sketching the Regional Picture. In Donskis, L. (ed.). A Litmus Test: Case of Modernity. Peter Lang Publishing Group, pp. 147-169.

Balčytienė, A., Harro-Loit, H. (2009).   Preserving Journalism. In: Dobek-Ostrowska, B., Głowacki M., Jakubowicz, K., Sukosd, M. (eds.). Comparing Media Systems: European and Global Perspectives. Budapest: Central European University Press, pp. 129-138.

Balčytienė, A., Auškalnienė, L., Birbilaitė, I., Vinciūnienė, A. (2009).   Localizing Global Political Matters through New Media: Some Reflections on Communication Culture. Baltic Journal of Law & Politics, 2 (2), pp. 165-180.

Balčytienė, A., Nugaraitė, A., Juraitė, K. (2009).   The Lithuanian journalism education landscape. In: Terzis, G. (ed.). European Journalism Education, Intellect Books, pp. 447-462.

Fortunati, L., Sarrica, M., O’Sullivan, J., Balčytienė, A., Harro-Loit, H., Macgregor, Ph., Roussou, N., Salaverria, R., de Luca, F. (2009).   The Influence of the Internet on European Journalism. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, pp. 928–963.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2009).   Das Mediensystem Litauens. Internationales Handbuch Medien’ 2006/2007, Hans-Bredow-Institute. Baden Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, pp. 423–435 (  English version).

Balčytienė, A. (2009).   Žiniasklaidos sistemos transformacijos procesai demokratinėje Lietuvoje (habilitacijos procedūrai teikiamų mokslo darbų apžvalga; Socialiniai mokslai: Sociologija). Kaunas: VDU leidykla.

D’Haenens, L., Marcinkowski, F., Donk, A., Maniglio, T., Trappel, J., Fidalgo, J., Balčytienė, A., Naprytė, E. (2009). The media and democracy monitor applied to five countries: a selection of indicators and their measurement. Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, Vol. 34, pp. 203–220.

Balčytienė, A. (2009).   Assessing pluralism and the democratic performance of the media in a small country: setting a comparative research agenda for the Baltic States. In: Czepek, A. Helwig, M., Nowak, E. (eds.). Press Freedom and Pluralism in Europe: Concepts and conditions, Intellect, pp. 127–139.

Balčytienė, A. (2009).   Market-led reforms as incentives for media change, development and diversification in the Baltic States. International Communication Gazette, Vol. 71 (1–2), pp. 39–49.

Van der Wurff, R., Lauf, E., Balčytienė, A., Fortunati, L., Holmberg, S.L., Paulussen, S., Salaverría R., (2008).   Online and print newspapers in Europe in 2003: evolving towards complementarity. Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 403–430.

Balčytienė, A. (2008).   On tripartite identity of the Baltic media and its impact on media performance. Informacijos mokslai, Vol. 47, pp. 44–59.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2008).   Political communication culture with a European touch: a view from Brussels. Sociologija: mintis ir veiksmas, Vol. 3. pp. 71–86.

Balčytienė, A., Juraitė, K., Reingardė, J. (2008).   Towards a More Successful European Communication: Research Findings and Media Policy Recommendations. Sociologija: mintis ir veiksmas, Vol. 3. pp. 115–121.

Balčytienė, A. (2008). Permainų vėjai Lietuvos žurnalistikoje. Žurnalistikos Almachas (1990-2007). Lietuvos žurnalistų sąjunga: Vilnius, pp. 48–54.

Balčytienė, A. (2008).   Changing journalistic discourses in the Baltic States – How to deal with cheap journalism? In: Jakubowicz, K., Sükösd, M. (eds.). Finding the Right Place on the Map. Central and Eastern European Media Change in a Global Perspective, Intellect, pp. 213–226.

Balčytienė, A., Leppik, T., Lonnendonker, J. (2007). Introduction. In AIM Research Consortium (eds.). Reporting and Managing European News, Projekt Verlag: Bochum, pp. 11–25.

Mancini, P., Allern, S., Baisnee, O., Balčytienė, A., Hahn, O., Lazar, M., Raudsaar, M. (2007).   Context, news values and relationships with sources – three factors determining professional practices of media reporting on European matters. In AIM Research Consortium (eds.). Reporting and Managing European News, Bochum: Projekt Verlag, pp. 117–155.

Balčytienė, A. (2007). Balancing power relations in a small news market. In Bohrmann, H., Klaus, E., and Machill, M. (eds.). Media Industry, Journalism Culture and Communication Policies in Europe, Koln: von Halem Verlag, pp. 168–187.

Balčytienė, A., Raeymaeckers, K., De Bens, E., Vinciūnienė, A., Schroeder, R. (2007).   Understanding the complexity of EU communication: the spokespersons' perspective. In AIM Research Consortium (Eds.). Understanding the Logic of EU Reporting from Brussels, Bochum: Projekt Verlag, pp. 151–163.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A., Janušaitė, K. (2007).   The Case of Lithuania. In AIM Research Consortium (Eds.) Understanding the Logic of EU Reporting from Brussels: Analysis of the Interviews with EU Correspondents and Spokespersons. Adequate Information Management in Europe – Working Papers, Vol. 2. Bochum: Projekt Verlag, p. 103-110.

Balčytienė, A. (2007).   How to meet journalistic aims in European Communication? Redefining the potential of online EU news offers. In. Carpentier, N., Pruulman-Vegerfeldt, P., Nordenstreng, K., Hartmann, M., Vihalemm, P., Cammaerts, B., Nieminen, H. (Eds.). Media Technologies and Democracy in an Enlarged Europe, Tartu: Tartu University Press, pp. 75–87.

Balčytienė, A. (2006). Mass Media in Lithuania: Changes, Development, and Journalism Culture, Berlin: Vistas.

Balčytienė, A., Harro-Loit, H. (2006). New media environment and journalism cultures online: comparing situations in Lithuania and Estonia. In Leandros, N. (ed.). The Impact of Internet on Mass Media in Europe, London: Abramis, pp. 321–337.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2006).   The Case of Lithuania. In AIM Research Consortium (eds.) Understanding the Logic of EU Reporting in Mass Media: Analysis of EU Media Coverage and Interviews in Editorial Offices in Europe. Adequate Information Management in Europe – Working Papers, Vol. 1, Bochum: Projekt Verlag, p. 97-111.

Balčytienė, A., Vinciūnienė, A. (2006).   Žiniasklaida kaip aktyvus politinių procesų veikėjas informuojant visuomenę apie ES: lyginamasis požiūris (Understanding Media Role in EU News Provision: A Comparative Approach). Informacijos mokslai, Vol. 37, pp. 91–110.

Vinciūnienė, A., Balčytienė, A. (2006).   Europinės naujienos Europos žiniasklaidoje (European News in European Media). Informacijos mokslai, Vol. 36, pp. 68–83.

Vinciūnienė, A., Balčytienė, A. (2006).   Europos viešosios erdvės formavimosi teorinės ir empirinės prielaidos: nauji iššūkiai žiniasklaidai. Regioninės studijos. Baltijos ir Rytų Azijos regionų studijos: naujieji transnacionaliniai iššūkiai ir rytų patirtis, 1, Kaunas: Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto leidykla, pp. 110-129.

Balčytienė, A., Lauk, E. (2005). Media transformations: the post–transition lessons in Lithuania and Estonia. Informacijos mokslai, Vol. 33, pp. 96–109.

Balčytienė, A., Marcinkevičienė, R. (2005). Print is dead … Long live print. In: van der Wurff, R., Lauf, E. & O'Sullivan J. (eds.). Print and Online Newspapers in Europe: A Comparative Content Analysis in 18 Countries in Western and Eastern Europe, Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis, pp. 188-200.

Balčytienė, A. (2005).   Types of state intervention in media in the Baltic States and Norway. In: Baerug, R. (ed.). The Baltic Media World, Riga: Flera, pp. 40–58.

Balčytienė, A. (2005).   Media modernisation and journalism cultures in the Baltic States and Norway. In: Baerug, R. (ed.). The Baltic Media World, Riga: Flera, pp. 167–183.

Harro-Loit, H., Balčytienė, A. (2005).   Media accountability systems: ecological viewpoint. In: Baerug, R. (ed.). The Baltic Media World, Riga: Flera, pp. 25–40.

Balčytienė, A. (2005).   About comparisons within the media. In: Baerug, R. (ed.). The Baltic Media World, Riga: Flera, pp. 8–14.

Balčytienė, A. (2005). Medien in Litauen. In: Hans-Bredow-Institut (Eds.), Internationales Handbuch Medien, Baden-Baden: Nomos, pp. 531-548.

Balčytienė, A. (2005).   Journalism in the Age of Information: News Management as a Key Function. In: Annual Proceedings of Vidzeme University College – ICTE in Regional Development, Valmiera: Vidzeme University College, pp. 22-26.

Balčytienė A. (2004).   Žiniasklaidos kultūra. Lyginamieji svarstymai: Europa ir Lietuva (Media Culture: Comparative Views: Europe and Lithuania). Darbai ir dienos, Vol. 38, pp. 75–110.

Balčytienė, A. (2004). Media organizations and their attitudes towards the Internet-based journalistic applications. In Salaverria, R., Sadaba, Ch. (eds.). Towards New Media Paradigms: Content, Producers, Organizations and Audiences, Pamplona: Ediciones Eunate, pp. 175–183.

Balčytienė A. (2004). Journalists and the Internet – Who controls who? Exploring societal role of Web-based journalism in post-communist Lithuania. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education (Japan), Vol. 6, pp. 117–132.

Balčytienė A. (2004). Das Mediensystem Litauens. In: Hans-Bredow-Institute (Eds.) Internationales Handbuch Medien’ 2004/2005, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, pp. 412-429.

Balčytienė A (2002). Lithuanian media – A question of change. In Vihalemm, P. (ed.). Baltic Media in Transition. Tartu: Tartu University Press, pp. 103–130.

Balčytienė A. (2002). Changing role of media in postcommunist Lithuania. Bochum: Projekt Verlag.

Balčytienė A. (2002).   Technikos perversmai ir žurnalistika. Darbai ir dienos, Vol. 31, pp. 155–178.

Balčytienė, A. (2002). Medien in Litauen. In: Hans-Bredow-Institut (Hrsg.), Internationales Handbuch Medien. Baden-Baden: Nomos, p. 531-548.

Balčytienė, A. (2000). Apie naujosios žiniasklaidos kuriamas iliuzijas. Sociologija: mintis ir veiksmas, Vol. 3 (4), pp. 72–78.

Balčytienė, A. (2000).   Žiniasklaidos tekstai. Darbai ir dienos, Vol. 24, pp. 109–119.

Balčytienė, A. (1999).   Cultural Representations in the New Media. Lituanus, Vol. 45:4, pp. 10-20.

Balčytienė, A. (2000). Daugialypės terpės kūriniai kaip iššūkis tradicijai. Istorija. Vol. XLV, pp. 85-96.

Balčytienė, A. (1999). Exploring Individual Processes of Knowledge Construction with Hypertext, Instructional Science, Vol. 27, 3/4, pp. 303-328.

Balčytienė, A. (1998). Skaitmeniniai kultūros paveldo atspindžiai. Istorija, Vol. 37, pp. 75-86.

Balčytienė, A. (1998). Būdas mokyti kitaip. Baltos lankos: Vilnius.

Balčytienė, A. (1997). Theoretical Assumptions for Designing Hypertext as a Constructivist Learning Environment, Informatica, Vol. 8, No. 4.

Balčytienė, A. (1997). Hipertekstinio istorijos mokymo prielaidos. Istorija, Vol. 36.

Balčytienė, A. (1996). Using Hypertext to Read and Reason. Ph.D. Theses. University of Joensuu, Finland.

Balčytienė, A. & Lehtinen, E. (1994). Hypertext and Learning: An Overview. Informatica, Vol. 5, No. 1-2, pp. 3-30.

Balčytienė, A. & Kolehmainen, P. (1994). Evaluation and Hypertext: A Shift from Technology to Learning. Complex Learning in Computer Environments: Technology in School, University, Work and Lifelong Education (interdisciplinary workshop proceedings). University of Joensuu, Finland.

Balčytienė, A. & Lehtinen, E. (1993). Problems in Navigation in Designing Hypertext for Learning. In Linna, M. & Ruotsala, P. (eds.) Hypermedia in Vaasa '93 (international conference proceedings, pp. 55-62). Vaasa: Vaasa Institute of Technology.