Researching News Media : Creating Societal Impact from Research for the Media Industry and Policymakers

Abstract

This chapter reports on two Finnish cases based on recently commissioned research projects on media management: a study focusing on the state of media and communications policy in Finland, and a three-study project on new business models in news media (focusing on Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the United States and Germany). A public authority, the Ministry of Traffic and Communications, funded the first project as a part of a wider governmental programme with the goal of preparing a new national media policy programme. The second project was financed by an advocacy organisation for the Finnish newspaper industry together with a research foundation under the Finnish Media Federation. The project was oriented to insights that would help Finnish news media companies overcome challenges in a changing business environment. Given the range of stakeholders and funding models, the processes and goals of the two projects differ. In this chapter, we describe the projects and their processes from beginning to end and discuss their challenges, outcomes and impacts.