Auntie Knows Best?
JOURNAL
Public broadcasters and current affairs knowledge
Stuart Soroka, Blake Andrew, Toril Aalberg, Shanto Iyengar, James Curran, Sharon Coen, Kaori Hayashi, Paul Jones, Gianpetro Mazzoleni, June Woong Rhee, David Rowe and Rod Tiffen.
Cambridge University Press, 1 January 2013, British Journal of Political Science
Abstract
“PSBs are a central part of national news media landscapes. In many countries, PSBs are the first choice of citizens when it comes to news providers. And in perhaps more countries still, PSBs are thought of as specialists in provision of hard news.
We test this proposition here using survey data from a large cross-national survey involving indicators of current affairs knowledge and media consumption. Specifically, we examine whether exposure to public versus commercial news influences the knowledge citizens possess about current affairs, both domestically and internationally. We also test, using propensity score analysis, whether there is variation across PSBs in this regard.
Results indicate that compared to commercial news, watching PSB has a net positive influence on knowledge of hard news, though not all PSBs are equally effective in contributing to knowledge acquisition. This knowledge gap between PSB and commercial news media consumption appears to be mitigated by factors such as de jure independence proportion of public financing, and audience share.”
Ripe 2013: The Value of Public Service Media
Book | Journal
The sixth publication in the series of RIPE Readers on PSM published by NORDICOM
Editors: Gregory Ferrell Lowe & Fiona Martin
2013
Overview
With public service media under increasing scrutiny by governments and media markets alike, this reader contains a selection of chapters which investigate the diverse conceptions of public service value in media, keyed to distinctions in the values and ideals that legitimate media as a public service in many countries.
Chapters include ‘Comparing Public Value as a Media Policy Term in Europe’, ‘Disaster Coverage and Public Value from Below’ and ‘ A Market Failure Perspective on Value Creation in PSM’ as well as many others.
To access the full publication, click here.
Mapping Digital Media: News and New Media in Central Africa
REPORT
Challenges and Opportunities
Marie-Soleil Frère
The Open Society Media Program, December 2012
Abstract
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda and Burundi are among the continent’s smallest states. More than just neighbours, these three countries are locked together by overlapping histories and by extreme political and economic challenges. Their populations are overwhelmingly rural and young. In terms of media, radio is by far the most popular source of news. Levels of state capture are high, and media quality is generally poor. Professional journalists face daunting obstacles.
Telecoms overheads are exorbitantly high. In these conditions, new and digital media — which flourish on consumers’ disposable income, strategic investment, and vibrant markets — have made a very slow start. Crucially, connectivity remains low. But change is afoot, led by the growth of mobile internet access.
In this report, Marie-Soleil Frère surveys the news landscapes of DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda. Marshalling an impressive range of data, she examines patterns of production and consumption, the often grim realities of law and regulation, the embryonic state of media policy, the role of donors, and the positive impact of online platforms. Most media outlets now have an online presence. SMS has become a basic tool for reporters. Interactivity gives voice to increasing numbers of listeners. The ease of digital archiving makes it possible to create a collective media “memory” for the first time. Chinese businesses are winning tenders for infrastructure projects.
The report ends with a set of practical recommendations relating to infrastructure, strategies to reduce access costs for journalists and the public, education and professionalisation, donor activity, governance, regulation, and media management.
Quality Indicators for Public Broadcasters – Contemporary Evaluation
Guide | Policy brief | Report
This UNESCO report discusses ways of assessing quality in public media.
This report, published by UNESCO, gives an insight into possible indicators for quality in public media. Public broadcasters and companies around the world are striving to produce high-quality content and face the market competition, but often their efforts cannot be quantified, and there is no structured way for public media companies to assess their performance. Public broadcasters can currently rely only on audience measurement instruments and ratings. According to the report, indicators are necessary to correctly assess the services provided by public broadcasters, make evaluations clearer and more objective and paving the way for continuous improvements.
This study offers a set of indicators that can be adapted or considered for different institutions and offers indicators related to production diversity, originality, the use of new languages and platforms and much more.
The Public Sphere, Social Networks and Public Service Media
JOURNAL
Sociology, City University, London
2011. Information, Communication and Society, 14(5), p. 619-637
Taylor and Francis Publications
Abstract
“The traditional Habermasian concept of the national public sphere created by the mass media of newspapers and television is said to have transformed to a multi-layered sphere of online and social networks which are increasingly important in engaging and mobilizing citizenship and in shaping the discourse within which rational discussion takes place. This article argues that the democratizing and empowering functions of the Internet and the new social media is being exaggerated and represent technological optimism for a number of reasons: the open participation of the Internet can turn chaotic; there is a problem of inclusiveness; censorship might be an issue; the Internet has become a major arena for corporate activity; the Internet’s content is highly partisan; and above all, extensive dialogue and critical discussion (the very essence of the public sphere) is often absent on the Net. The article argues that open-platform Public Service Media (PSM) are capable of developing more comprehensive and inclusive social frameworks than online providers. Despite the growing financial gulf between PSM and their commercial competitors, public institutions should be free to expand online and into different platforms. As trusted media brands, PSM contribute to the creation of an inclusive public sphere, enhanced civic engagement and informed citizenship.”
To read the full article, follow this link to Taylor and Francis Online.
Media Coverage of Science and Technology in Africa
JOURNAL
Sponsored by UNESCO
Department of Journalism and Communication, Makere University
Principal Investigator: George W. Lugalambi, PhD
2011
Overview
This paper critically analyses the role media has to play in facilitating the public understanding of science and technology across Africa. It does so against the backdrop of little or no previous studies on the subject, with few of them having systematically investigated the volume, quality, scope and perceptions of science and technology coverage.
This article seeks to amend this lack of previous research and explores coverage within the context of the contemporary media landscape of Cameroon, Kenya, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, and Uganda.
Public policies for public service media
JOURNAL & REPORT
UK and the German policy cases, with warnings and lessons from the USA
A 2010 article by Prof. Peter Humphreys (University of Manchester) that focuses on the impact of new technologies and changing media markets on public service broadcasting. The first part of the article focuses on the impact of new technologies and changing media markets on PSB whilst the second focuses on how to maintain a plurality of content and public service players. US examples and broadcast experiences are used comparatively throughout this paper.
This article was published for the RIPE@2010 conference series.
For the full article, click here
Riding the Wave
JOURNAL
Public Service Television in the Multiplatform Era
La Trobe University, Australia
Media, Culture and Society, Sage Publications, 2009, 31(5), p.807-827
Abstract
Despite their funding dilemmas, public service broadcasters are finding new legitimisation in the digital era. Re-asserting their mainstream status in the fragmenting marketplace, PSB institutions around the world are identifying new ways of delivering public service goals via interactive, on-demand media services across a range of platforms. By repositioning as media content companies, PSBs are forging new kinds of relationships with the public as viewers, users and producers, connecting communities, while also delivering an array of pluralist, personalised services. However, such changes inevitably bring new problems – conflicts with established practices, increased costs, new enemies in the marketplace and the temptation of new commercial revenue streams. Grounded in a series of industry interviews taken from across six case studies and referencing recent literature and policy documents, this article analyses the impact of public broadcasting’s digital rebirth on traditional public service principles.
Beyond Broadcasting: The future of state owned broadcasters in Southern Africa
JOURNAL
Written in 2009, this recommended article, supported by FesMedia Africa, conveys the complicated changes facing state-owned broadcasters in Southern Africa.
These changes include those influenced by the “digitisation of production, distribution and consumption of public interest news and current affairs” and their impact on key broadcast players across the region.
The report is split into sub-reports about the media landscape in individual states and the influence of technological, regulatory and conceptual changes to broadcasting services.
For full access to this open-source article, click here
Media System, Public Knowledge and Democracy
JOURNAL
A Comparative Study
James Curran, Shanto Iyengar, Anker Brink Lund, Inka Salovaara-Moring
Goldsmiths University London, Stanford University, Copenhagen Business School, University of Helsinki
European Journal of Communication, SAGE Publications, 2009, 24(1), p.5-26
Abstract
This article addresses the implications of the movement towards entertainment-centred, market-driven media by comparing what is reported and what the public knows in four countries with different media systems. The different systems are public service (Denmark and Finland), a ‘dual’ model (UK) and the market model (US). The comparison shows that public service television devotes more attention to public affairs and international news, and fosters greater knowledge in these areas, than the market model. Public service television also gives greater prominence to news, encourages higher levels of news consumption and contributes to a smaller within-nation knowledge gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged. But wider processes in society take precedence over the organization of the media in determining how much people know about public life.
To read this recommended article in full, click here.