Is a financially viable news media market the key to fighting disinformation in Europe? A cross-country quantitative study

Komorowski, Marlen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1944-9855, Lambrechts, Gijs and Picone, Ike 2024. Is a financially viable news media market the key to fighting disinformation in Europe? A cross-country quantitative study. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics 20 (2) , pp. 173-201. 10.1386/macp_00096_1

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Abstract

The rise of fake news poses a significant challenge for governments worldwide, prompting the European Commission to address the urgency of combating disinformation. In the contemporary ‘market of attention’, where economic considerations often overshadow democratic and societal concerns, disinformation thrives. This study asserts that financial viability within news media markets is a critical yet overlooked factor in the fight against disinformation. The authors define financial viability as the capacity of institutions to balance income and expenses, positing that a financially sound news media market creates a resilient news landscape less susceptible to disinformation-induced harm. The research employs a comprehensive approach to assess this claim, commencing with a literature review on the financial viability of news media markets that leads to the development of a conceptual framework consisting of nine indicators to measure the financial viability of news media markets in relation to disinformation. Subsequently, primary and secondary data are collected from official and non-official data sources for each of the indicators across ten European countries and compared to the perceived exposure to disinformation in each country. Findings from the analysis reveal that financially viable news media markets exhibit greater resilience to disinformation. This underscores the significance of incorporating financial considerations into governmental efforts to counter disinformation. The article concludes by emphasizing the implications of the research for policy-makers, the news media industry and future research endeavours.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Journalism, Media and Culture
Publisher:	Intellect
ISSN:	1740-8296
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 August 2025
Date of Acceptance:	5 November 2024
Last Modified:	20 Aug 2025 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180570

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