PSM Research


Welcome to the PSM Research page – an online hub of academic blogs, articles and insights. 

Here you will find a broad selection of recommended journals, reports, websites and guides related to the core values of public service media, as well as specially-commissioned Research Insights written by leading researchers and academics on a chosen subject. This page is produced in collaboration with IAPMR and MJRC.

About

This page is a live resource, bringing together the most recent academic research either about, or of relevance to, public service media. Topics include best practices, country reports and the mounting challenges faced by PSM worldwide such as media capture, diminishing budgets and media convergence.

The resources below have been curated by the Public Media Alliance in collaboration with the International Association of Public Media Researchers (IAPMR) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC). You can find out more about our collaborators at the bottom of the page.


Research Insights

A collection of articles written by leading researchers & academics from around the world, especially commissioned for PMA and IAPMR.

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The State of Public Service Media Worldwide


Every year, the Media and Journalism Research Center releases the 'State Media Monitor' – the flagship study assessing the editorial, financial and governance independence of state-administered media companies across the world.

Download the 2025 report
Screenshot of the title page of the report
Screenshot. Credit: Media & Journalism Research Center.

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Latest Research

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Most of the following resources are open-source but some contain links to articles that require an institutional log-in to view. Please refer to your University, institution or employer if this is the case.

Public Service Media: Bridging Values and Trust

2023
This research focuses on the reasons why public service media have generally remained trusted institutions despite the rise of tech.

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Business models and sustainability in the newspaper industry

2023
This article seeks to comprehend the viability of media business models and how media executives deal with digital change in the market.

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Public service media as drivers of innovation

2023
This article examines PSM's innovation strategies and policies to determine if they are becoming user-centric rather than technology-centric.

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Nordic countries’ digital strategies and third-party platforms

2023
The research examined four Nordic PSM who expressed their doubts regarding the distribution of their content on third party platforms.

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Public Service Broadcasters’ Strategies About Radio Apps

2023
The article explores how public service radio stations switch to radio apps and what principles they adopt in order to compete.

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What is life like without the BBC?

2022
The BBC commissioned this study to help it understand better the value that it delivers to UK households and how this could be improved.

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Between the Fourth Estate and the Fifth Power

2022
This report brings together multiple studies from academics across Europe on the theme: "Between the Fourth Estate and the Fifth Power".

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Campaigns against PSM: Hot air or existential threat?

2022
This paper examines how populist campaigns have threatened PSM and proposes some potential responses to these challenges

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Funding Democracy: Public Media and Democratic Health in 33 Countries

2021
Funding Democracy: A new report provides evidence that where public media is better funded, they are "positively correlated with healthy democracies”.

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The Contribution of NRK to Norwegian Media Diversity

November 2021
NRK: A review from The Norwegian Media Authority to the Ministry of Culture on NRK's positive contribution to Norwegian society.

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British Public Service Broadcasting, the EU and Brexit

October 2021
'This paper analyses the historic role of Britain's major public service broadcaster, the BBC, in reporting the European Union.'

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The State of State Media

September 2021
A Global Analysis of the Editorial Independence of State Media and an Introduction of a New State Media Typology

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Public service media in Europe: law, theory and practice

2021
Contributing to a rethink of Public Service Media, this book combines theoretical insights and legal frameworks with practice, examining theory and policy development in a bottom-up manner.

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Countering Disinformation

2020
"Disinformation is a growing risk to the health of many democratic systems. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, this project will assess how leading UK public service media are counteracting it in news reporting."

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Achieving Viability for Public Service Media in Challenging Settings

2020
Multiple international organisations recognise the value of public service media (PSM) as an essential component of democratisation. Yet how can PSM achieve viability in settings where models of media independence and credibility are unfamiliar or rejected by political leaders?

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Our Partners

We are pleased to partner with the IAPMR and MJRC for this resource

IAPMR

The International Association of Public Media Researchers (IAPMR) brings together quality academic and industrial research from different disciplines. We support the continual evolution of public service media by aggregating theory and practice.  We look critically from industrial, production, audience, technological, economic and societal perspectives. We run conferences, produce publications and communicate knowledge to academia, industry, governments, and publics.


MJRC

The Media and Journalism Research Center is an independent media research and policy think tank that seeks to improve the quality of media policymaking and the state of independent media and journalism through research, knowledge sharing and financial support. MJRC continues the work of the Center for Media, Data & Society (CMDS), which until October 2022 operated as a unit of Central European University (CEU).


Header Image: Students Experimenting With Video Software stock photo. Credit: TommL/iStock