I want to start my first post by highlighting a challenge: a few days after I arrived in Amsterdam to work with the AI, Media, and Democracy Lab, the University van Amsterdam (which houses the lab's physical workspace) was occupied by protestors and closed for several days. There was significant damage done to administrative offices and building facilities; the ensuing police action evoked strong emotions and responses reminiscent of those I had seen over the past few months at Columbia. It was certainly not the easiest way to start my LiA project--the disarray left me feeling a little out of place, especially as many of the Lab's team members were still reeling from the week's events once campus had reopened. In fact, the first meeting I attended was a 2-hour long discussion about the protests and the University's reaction. Work I was hoping to jump into immediately was delayed, and I had to quickly reorient my expectations.
But while I lost out on a few days of in-person engagement, I didn't let that stop me from being an active contributor to the Lab's work. I was in constant communication with my supervisor, and I touched base with other members of the team to see where I could be helpful. I also started outlining a research file on how the EU's Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (and its reaffirmation in recent AI-focused legislation) affects local media groups seeking renumeration from technology companies--a central component of the discourse in the EU's media-focused civil society space. I am hoping to expand this work, alongside other interests in data governance and journalistic norms, into a set of recommendations and proposals with concrete impacts for stakeholders in the European local media ecosystem.