State Aid for Newspapers: Theories, Cases, Actions (Media Business and Innovation)

Ever since newspaper companies first turned to their governments for support in the 1950s, print media has been supported by state aid in many parts of the world. Today, the principles and practicalities of these subsidies have been called into question, endangering the secure funding of expensive high-quality press output. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of today’s global challenges in the print news media’s struggle for survival. It presents current practices concerning government subsidies to newspapers for political, economic, and socio-cultural purposes against the background of declining readership and revenues, increased inter-media competition, austerity budgets imposed on national economies and shifting audience tastes. Using the insights of theoretical debates in the fields of media economics, media governance, and modern management theory, the book analyses these issues by investigating the power of government subsidies to shape and control newspaper markets. It brings together experts in these fields to combine theory with industry practices, aiming to help all parties involved to understand the complexity of issues and requirements necessary to preserve the social benefits of print media. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Context, Purpose, and Structure of the Book....Pages 3-19 State Aid for Newspapers: First Theoretical Disputes....Pages 21-46 Front Matter....Pages 47-47 State Support for News: Why Subsidies? Why Now? What Kinds?....Pages 49-57 Industrial Subsidies: Surveying Macroeconomic Policy Approaches....Pages 59-71 Good Intentions, Bad Results: The Effects of Newspaper Subsidies on Journalistic Quality....Pages 73-83 State Aid to the Press in the EU: Legal Issues and Trends....Pages 85-97 Press Governance: A New Concept for Analyzing Press Regulation....Pages 99-111 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 Australia: State Aid to Newspapers—Not a Priority....Pages 115-131 Austria: Press Subsidies in Search of a New Design....Pages 133-148 Belgium: Big Changes in a Small News Economy....Pages 149-162 Bulgaria: Press Subsidies in the Shadows....Pages 163-177 Finland: The Rise and Fall of a Democratic Subsidy Scheme....Pages 179-194 France: Press Subsidies—Inefficient but Enduring....Pages 195-214 Germany: Evaluating Alternatives to Finance Quality Journalism....Pages 215-235 Greece: Press Subsidies in Turmoil....Pages 237-251 Hungary: The State as Strong Media Governor....Pages 253-269 The Netherlands: Initiatives to Subsidise Press Innovation....Pages 271-289 Russia: Subsidies Between Industry Support and State Control....Pages 291-305 Sweden: State Support to Newspapers in Transition....Pages 307-322 Switzerland: The Role of Swiss Post in Indirect Press Support....Pages 323-336 Front Matter....Pages 113-113 United Kingdom: Subsidies and Democratic Deficits in Local News....Pages 337-355 The United States of America: Unfounded Fears of Press Subsidies....Pages 357-372 Front Matter....Pages 373-373 State Aid for Newspapers: A Summary Assessment....Pages 375-391 Back Matter....Pages 393-402