What contribution do the media make to society? What is their public value? What is the role of public service media in this context?
Since its foundation, the HBI has repeatedly dealt with questions concerning the social contribution of public service media and their public value. With conceptual considerations, empirical studies and legal classifications, it contributes to public and political debates on the development of the media system.
Accordingly, this field represents one of the four areas of competence in Research Program 3 Knowledge for the Media Society, which the Institute uses as an example to address the overarching program question of how knowledge can be made productively and sustainably available for the media society.
In recent years, the focus has been on the question of what contribution public service media should and can make to society under the conditions of digitalization. On the one hand, it is considered analytically in order to make clear which aspects are relevant when assessing public service media in the changed media environment. At the individual level, the different dimensions of users’ needs must be taken into account, as well as the relevant offerings, their accessibility, use and impact. This was analyzed in a study for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) in 2016.
Overarching aspects were addressed in an international study on media diversity in Europe. On behalf of the European Union, the European University Institute in Florence examined the structure and regulation of media systems in Europe. The Hans Bredow Institute was involved in this study as a partner for Germany.
This field of research was also involved in other projects, such as the expert reports on the German government’s media and communications report.
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