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.

Humanitarian Journalism

The Humanitarian Journalism project is seeking to better understand how the news media report on humanitarian crises and what shapes their coverage.

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PSM research websites

Are you interested in public service media (PSM) research? Are you struggling to find specific research articles related to contemporary PSM around the world?

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Policy Websites

Recommended websites related to public service media policy

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Trust in Ethical Journalism – The Key to Media Futures

April 2018
The latest 'Ethics in the News' report from the Ethical Journalism Network explores how the communications revolution is continuing to pose more questions than answers over a public crisis of confidence, both in democracy and in sources of public information.

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A Future for Public Service Television

April 2018
This volume examines not only the unexpected resilience of TV as cultural pastime and aesthetic practice but also the prospects for public service television in a digital, multichannel ecology.

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Hate speech: What it is and how to contrast it?

January 2018
This special dossier compiled by  Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa is the third in in a series of thematic publications exploring hate speech and its implications for media freedom in Europe.

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Measuring the reach of “fake news” and online disinformation in Europe.

January 2018
Comprehensive factsheet highlighting top-level usage statistics for the most popular sites that independent fact-checkers and other observers have identified as publishers of false news and online disinformation.

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Public service media, universality and personalisation through algorithms: Mapping strategies and exploring dilemmas

2017
This contribution compares personalisation strategies of public service media (PSM) and how these are reconciled with PSM’s core values, especially universality.

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Pathways to Media Reform in Sub‑Saharan Africa: Reflections from a Regional Consultation

December 2017
This report lays out a vision for how the continuing struggle for vibrant, independent, and plural media systems in the region might more effectively bolster efforts of democratic revitalization.

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In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy

August 2017
This brilliant collection of essays explores media capture and the multifaceted threats facing independent journalism, beyond those posed by direct state control.

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Far-Right Nationalism and Populism in Europe: Assaults on Press Freedom

May 2017
New research from the University of Vienna shows that growing support for far-right groups and populist politicians poses a severe threat to journalism across Europe.

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The Future of Public Service Broadcasting in Bosnia and Herzegovina

June 2017
This working paper explores the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in light of the complex situation it is currently facing.

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The Future of Public Service Broadcasting in Serbia

May 2017
This paper examines the status, role, and main challenges of the reform of the public service broadcasting (PSB) in Serbia.

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Public Television in Latin America: Changing to the Digital Age

2017
This research article tracks the history of public television in Latin America and its journey towards digital transition.

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Obeying His Masters’ Voices

2016
This chapter focusses on governance issues within public media organisations, particularly the juggling act of “guarding editorial independence and securing accountability”.

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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