The Baltic Film, Media and Arts School of Tallinn University, in collaboration with Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) and the Estonian National Museum (ERM), is launching a groundbreaking research project focusing on analyzing the evolving relationships between cultural, economic, and environmental discourses in ERR’s media content. Conducted between 2025 and 2026, the study aims to develop an innovative knowledge graph to map and analyze how these themes interconnect and evolve over time in ERR’s television, radio, and web content. The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture’s research fund through the Estonian Research Council.
The study focuses on structuring and linking ERR’s content to develop a new method for analyzing the evolution of media representations. During the project, a knowledge graph will be created from ERR’s programs and texts, linking key actors and topics across the three domains to provide a deeper understanding of how cultural, economic, and environmental perspectives interact and develop within ERR’s content. This approach allows for a more precise and comprehensive analysis of media messages in Estonia than previously possible.
The project employs a multi-stage methodology. In the first phase, metadata from various ERR media formats will be analyzed, and thematic text corpora will be created. The second phase involves developing new data ontologies, combining international and local frameworks. The third phase applies machine learning and language models, including EstBERT and generative models, to construct the knowledge graph. In the final phase, the knowledge graph will be used to examine the evolution of media representations, identifying how discourses have changed over time and how cultural, environmental, and economic narratives interrelate within ERR’s content.
In addition to its academic significance, the project has practical applications. ERR can use the knowledge graph to enhance its data management, while researchers and analysts can utilize it for in-depth studies and background research. The project will also contribute to improving media literacy among the public. Moreover, the knowledge graph will be integrated into the permanent exhibition of the Estonian National Museum, enabling an interactive representation of the connections between Estonian culture, environment, and economy through a data-driven approach.
The project is led by Professor Indrek Ibrus, head of media innovation at Tallinn University, with researcher Andres Kõnno coordinating the project team. Several other experts from Tallinn University and ERM are involved, contributing to ontology development, language model implementation, and knowledge graph validation.
This project introduces a novel methodological approach to media content analysis in Estonia, broadening the possibilities for understanding and studying the role of public media and its evolution. Additionally, it advances digital humanities and media research in Estonia by providing new analytical tools that can be applied across various cultural domains.