Abstract
In 2014, Trine Syvertsen, Gunn Enli, Ole J. Mjøs, and Hallvard Moe raised
two central concerns as to the future of the ideal of the Nordic media welfare
states regarding increasing demographic fragmentation and political polarisation.
Using audience data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, we offer a
comparative longitudinal perspective on how these concerns have played out in
four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) from 2016–2022,
compared with the US and the UK. We find that despite some fragmentation
according to age, fragmentation may not be problematic per se if people’s news
diets draw substantially on quality journalistic news outlets with a guarantee of
relatively shared news agendas. A moderate degree of political polarisation exists
for some types of Nordic news media, with public service media showing less
polarisation than some newspapers and digitally born outlets.
two central concerns as to the future of the ideal of the Nordic media welfare
states regarding increasing demographic fragmentation and political polarisation.
Using audience data from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report, we offer a
comparative longitudinal perspective on how these concerns have played out in
four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) from 2016–2022,
compared with the US and the UK. We find that despite some fragmentation
according to age, fragmentation may not be problematic per se if people’s news
diets draw substantially on quality journalistic news outlets with a guarantee of
relatively shared news agendas. A moderate degree of political polarisation exists
for some types of Nordic news media, with public service media showing less
polarisation than some newspapers and digitally born outlets.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Future of the Nordic Media Model : A Digital Media Welfare State? |
| Editors | Peter Jakobsson, Johan Lindell, Fredrik Stiernstedt |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| Place of Publication | Gøteborg |
| Publisher | Nordicom |
| Publication date | 2024 |
| Pages | 25-52 |
| Chapter | Chapter 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-91-88855-88-6 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-91-88855-90-9, 978-91-88855-89-3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- mediesystemer
- Denmark
- Mediebrug
- polarization
- Fragmentation