The wider Mediterranean region is undergoing rapid and complex transformations – driven by political and economic instability, humanitarian crises, climate emergencies, as well as the digital and technological revolutions. In this context, the media’s power to interpret and frame events is particularly crucial, due to its deep role in shaping public discourse, setting societal priorities, and steering policy directions. Through the language they use, the platforms they adopt, and the audiences they target, media actors affect public perceptions of events – potentially influencing how those events unfold. This panel examines the relationship between present-day media narratives and their potential to reshape future realities. How are traditional media and new media navigating the risks, challenges and responsibilities of their narrative agency? In which domains are their impacts most visible and transformative? To what extent can the media be considered autonomous from the influence exerted by political actors?