| Description |
Although public service media (PSM) have a strong position in most European countries and are perceived as the most trusted source of information (Eurobarometer, 2023), they currently face two major challenges. First, the fragmentation of the media landscape causes an outflow of audiences to the online environment where the role of PSM is not that strong (Donders, 2021). The second challenge is the increasing politicization, which is rooted in attacks by populist politicians who label them as mouthpieces of biased elites (Holtz-Bacha, 2021). These challenges have the potential to shape how the role of PSM and its boundaries are perceived by its three key stakeholders (the public, politicians, and journalists) and to challenge the social consensus on what role PSM should take on in society. This is where this study steps in, asking how the public (audiences), journalists and PSM managers, and politicians construct the boundary of the role of PSM and where their perspectives diverge and overlap. Our research builds on two streams of literature: the studies that explore how journalists define the boundaries of their work (e.g. Carlson and Lewis, 2015; Hanitzsch and Vos, 2018; Hanusch and Hanitzsch, 2013; Örnebring, 2013) and the research focusing on audience expectations of the news media (e.g. Banjac, 2022; Banjac and Hanusch, 2020; Loosen, Reimer and Hölig, 2020; Riedl and Eberl, 2020; Tandoc, Duffy and Li, 2016; Vos, Eichholz and Karaliova, 2019). Despite this rich literature, only a limited number of studies have examined how audiences (e.g. Campos-Rueda, 2023; Campos-Rueda & Goyanes, 2022; Just, Büchi & Latzer, 2017) and journalists (Urbániková, 2023) perceive the role of PSM which, in addition to producing quality news, are tasked with creating educational and entertainment content and bringing society together (Syvertsen, 2003). At the same time, to the best of our knowledge, no study has examined how politicians perceive the role of PSM. This is particularly relevant as politicians set the regulatory framework for the operation of PSM, including their oversight and funding (Lowe and Berg, 2013). The Czech Republic serves as a suitable case for this study because it combines low general trust in the news media with high trust in the PSM (Newman, 2023). Moreover, the Czech Republic currently finds itself in the midst of a discussion about the change in the financing of PSM, which is closely linked to debates on defining the mission and remit. To bridge these gaps, our study utilizes empirical data from 10 focus groups with the public (N=60), 23 interviews with journalists and PSM managers, and 11 interviews with politicians (MP's from opposition and government parties). Employing principles of thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2022), the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these three stakeholder groups construct the boundaries of PSM's role, identifying areas of convergence and divergence in their perspectives.
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