Abstract
Public service media (PSM) are still seen in most European countries as a core means of informing citizens of all ages. Nevertheless, PSM struggle to reach young audiences, who are often characterised as news-avoidant or news-deprived. This article asks what meaning the news and information offered by PSM have for young people. The qualitative study describes young people’s attitudes and expectations regarding audiovisual news and information content through observation of their media usage habits in an experimental setting. It provides insights regarding how young people find and select news in today’s digital media environment and highlights opportunities for PSM providers to reach and engage with young audiences more effectively.
Highlights
Public service media (PSM)’s mission is ‘to contribute to [the] democratic, cultural and social objectives of society’ (Donders, 2019: 1011) by informing citizens
Our findings revealed that documentary formats are very popular with young audiences and they often access this sort of content via social media
The resulting ambivalence gives way to a belief among young people that high-quality PSM are important for society as a whole, but not terribly relevant to their own everyday media use
Summary
Public service media (PSM)’s mission is ‘to contribute to [the] democratic, cultural and social objectives of society’ (Donders, 2019: 1011) by informing citizens. It subscribes to a set of traditional definitions, in which entertainment entails fictional characters staging an action with the intention of having that action be received pleasurably by an audience (Siegert et al, 2018: 226) and information entails non-fictional content with a certain social value (Lunenborg, 2013: 213) This dichotomy sees hard, political news as the core of information-oriented journalism and views soft news – newsy content dedicated to topics such as celebrities, lifestyle, pop culture, and sports – as a part of entertainment, to be consumed and preferred by women and young adults (Newman et al, 2016). All of the SRG’s content is, by law, dedicated to informing and entertaining audiences in a way that contributes to social cohesion – agreeing to this condition is a must if they wish to retain their broadcasting license (Kunzler, 2013) In return for this comprehensive PSM remit, the SRG receives large subscription fees from Swiss households. It will discuss Swiss youth’s expectations and attitudes regarding news and information, the reasons behind their relatively low level of news consumption and the implications of these findings for PSM
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