Darina Sarelska

Darina Sarelska is an assistant professor in journalism, media, and communication whose research investigates news sociology, the safety of journalists, press freedom, and the mechanisms of state capture in post-communist media systems. Her work, grounded in qualitative research and comparative media analysis, builds on her dissertation examining press freedom in Bulgaria and the broader Eastern European region. She explores how political and economic pressures—both formal and informal—undermine journalistic independence, and how global trends influence media in fragile democracies. Her research aims to build a theory that connects local vulnerabilities with transnational patterns of media control, while also supporting media literacy and critical journalism education.

Definition of journalists' safety

Journalist safety, to me, means the ability of reporters to carry out critical, professional work—including investigative journalism—without fear of prosecution, job loss, or retaliation. It also includes the right to make a living from their work, without facing economic pressure or precarity as a form of silencing or control. True safety goes beyond physical protection; it’s about ensuring journalists can operate freely, independently, and without systemic threats to their livelihoods or integrity.

Future plans for research on journalists' safety

I plan to build on my dissertation, which focused on press freedom in Bulgaria, and expand the scope to include Eastern Europe more broadly. My focus will be on how state capture and political interference undermine journalism, and how these dynamics are reinforced—rather than countered—by recent changes in the media-political landscape of the U.S. I'm especially interested in how authoritarian-leaning governments borrow from each other’s playbooks to tighten control over the press.