Challenging the Public Service Remit: A Cross-National Comparison of Guidelines for PSM Multiplatform Journalism

Authors

  • Danilo Rothberg Unesp - São Paulo State University
  • Daniele Ferreira Seridório Unesp - São Paulo State University TU Dortmund University
  • Dominik Speck TU Dortmund University
  • Sivaldo Pereira da Silva University of Brasília

Keywords:

public service media, transparency, editorial guidelines, multiplatform journalism

Abstract

Public Service Media (PSM) organizations have been adapting to the introduction of digital technology and multiplatform opportunities over the past 2 decades. This process, conceptualized as a shift from Public Service Broadcasting to PSM, is intended to revitalize the public service mission. Although this movement has been well documented, we noted a lack of studies on how public broadcasters had to develop editorial guidelines to implement strategies effectively and establish leadership in a competitive media landscape. We sought to fill this research gap by applying a comparative, qualitative document analysis to assess how 11 PSM organizations from 10 countries articulated these strategies in editorial guidelines and related documents. The results indicated that all 11 broadcasters fulfilled at least one criterion for assessing multiplatform journalism documentation. However, the degree of centrality varied considerably. Our data suggest that a solid track record of investment and a central position in the national media landscape may drive PSM providers to perform better in terms of the transparency and comprehensiveness of multiplatform journalism policies.

Author Biographies

Danilo Rothberg, Unesp - São Paulo State University

Danilo Rothberg is a Professor of Sociology of Communication at Unesp (São Paulo State University), Brazil. His subjects of interest include journalism theory and ethics, public communications, media policy, health communication and popularization of science. He was a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London, University of Warwick and The Open University (UK) and Université de Lorraine (France). His publications cover subjects such as communication and water governance, media education, public journalism, right to information and proactive transparency, media framing, digital democracy, social media and democracy. Current projects include “Communication and democracy: media accountability, public service media, internet access and the right to information in Germany and Brazil”, funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (CAPES/MEC, Brazil) and DAAD (Germany). Previous projects include “Communication and memory in water governance and adaptation to climate change” and “Narratives of water (NoW): a cross-cultural exploration of digital hydro-citizenship in the UK and Brazil”, both funded by Fapesp (São Paulo Research Foundation). 

Daniele Ferreira Seridório, Unesp - São Paulo State University TU Dortmund University

Visiting post-doctoral researcher at Erich Brost Institut, TU  Dortmund, Germany, funded by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education) - Brazilian Ministry of Education. Ph.D. degree in Communication from the São Paulo State University (Unesp). Research interests: political communication, media and democracy, media policy, public service media, and public service journalism. Coauthor of the book "Participação e responsabilidade no jornalismo  público" (Cultura Acadêmica).

Dominik Speck, TU Dortmund University

Associate researcher at the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism at TU Dortmund University. In his PhD project, he compared regulatory aspects and debates about Public Service Media in four European countries. Research interests include media accountability and transparency, journalism and political transitions as well as political communication. Dominik has studied Journalism at TU Dortmund University. He also has extensive practical experience as a journalist specialized in reporting about the media branch for epd news agency. In 2020, Dominik was a Visting Researcher at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sivaldo Pereira da Silva, University of Brasília

Professor at the Faculty of Communication (FAC) and at the Graduate Program in Communication at the University of Brasília (UnB). Ph.D. in Contemporary Communication and Culture from the Federal University of Bahia, with a doctoral internship at the University of Washington (USA). Master in Communication from UFBA. He holds a postdoctoral degree at the Center for Advanced Studies in Digital Democracy and Electronic Government (CEADD), Poscom-UFBa. Production and research in the areas of communication and democracy; digital democracy; public opinion and the internet; data journalism and politics; public communication policies; regulation of digital communication, with a focus on algorithmic governance and Artificial Intelligence. He was a visiting researcher at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA); UNESCO ad hoc consultant on a study on media development indicators in Brazil and also on the application of Internet universalization indicators. He was a visiting professor at Technische Universität Dortmund (Technical University of Dortmund), at the Erich-Brost-Institut, Germany, funded by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education) - Brazilian Ministry of Education.

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Published

2024-10-29

Issue

Vol. 18 (2024)

Section

Articles

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