Eylem Hava Özkara

I am a PhD researcher in a joint trajectory between BRISPO (VUB) the RESIC (ULB). I am working at the intersection of political science, media studies, and journalism studies, focusing on digital authoritarianism, platform governance, and exiled journalism. I hold a BA in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master of Liberal Arts, focus on Media and Gender.
In my doctoral project, “Platform Bans as Selective Governance: Challenges for Exiled Journalism,” I analyse how social media platform bans operate as productive instruments of governance rather than merely as acts of censorship. From a broader perspective, my research speaks to key debates on how authoritarian and hybrid regimes use digital infrastructures to govern communication beyond their territorial borders, and how these practices affect democratic public spheres, media freedom, and exiled journalism.
Recently, I had a chance to work as a Research Assistant in the MCDA4 project at ULB’s RESIC Research Centre, contributing to a study on minorities and ethics in journalism. In this role, I helped design and distribute surveys to journalists’ unions across several European countries and conducted online interviews with representatives of press and media councils. 

Research keywords: Digital authoritarianism, Platform bans, Selective governance, Exiled journalism, Migration, Hybrid, Media freedom and censorship