It is widely held that journalism, journalists and news all play important roles for democracy and an informed citizenry. News publishers have journalistic authority and are oftentimes seen as one of the most important knowledge-producing institutions in society, routinely carrying out epistemic practices that strive towards producing verified and reliable news about public affairs. The COVID-19 pandemic has forcefully reminded us about this vital information function of the news media, with a surge in traffic to mobile applications and news sites around the world. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is simultaneously crushing the advertising business that plays such a vital role in funding news production. This commentary argues that many journalistic institutions - particularly on the local level - currently face an existential crisis, one that calls for immediate and collective action. With a normative desire of saving journalism, we put forward that society should engage in what we refer to as communal news work as an attempt to financially sustain journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and well into the future.
Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine (2020)
Understanding the relationship people in their early adulthood have to small-town news and paywalls
Within the context of a high-choice, digital media environment, this study explores how people in their early adulthood perceive the value of news from the small town where they reside and their attitude towards paying for it. Based on qualitative data from in-depth interviews and a media landscape sorting exercise, the study demonstrates how those willing and unwilling to pay differ in terms of lived and anticipated value experiences with small-town newspapers. The study posits that there is a misalignment, for them personally and for the local community, with regard to their perception of small-town news media’s value. What might not be important for them as individuals is nonetheless experienced as important for the society they live in. The study expands on studies of perceived worthwhileness of news media in a small-town context and introduces the concept of societal worthwhileness to encompass media users’ incorporation of collective interests in their value assessment of news media
Olsen, Ragnhild (2019)
Connecting People? Understanding Media’s Role as Democratic Resources for People in Digitally Advanced Local Environments
Communication abundance in the digital sphere has raised concern over audience fragmentation and the declining capacity of general news media to shape common experiences and promote shared discourses required by a well-functioning local democracy. Based on the concept of mediated public connection this paper offers an analytical framework to investigate how people orient themselves to a local public world through media in high-choice, digitally advanced information environments. Two analytical dimensions of people’s media use – practice and perception – are tested on survey data from Norway (N = 1692) using a network analysis approach combined with media experience data. The study finds substantial convergence in use of different online and offline media with the largest audience overlap occurring between online local and regional newspapers and Facebook. These digital players represent the backbone of the local media environment under study. Overall, citizens’ experiences with different media as democratic resources for their local public life are not very strong and weaker for online media than for their offline editions.
Frey, Elsebeth; Olsen, Ragnhild & Giannoumis, G. Anthony (2019)
Exploring Journalism and Computer Science Student Collaboration A Norwegian case study
In an attempt to manage a looming revenue crisis in their transition from print to digital, many local newspapers have implemented user payment (paywalls) in their online editions. This paper asks what the business and civic implications of such introduction of user payment are. Comparing audience metrics on a sample of eight local news websites (four Norwegian, four Danish) for 52 weeks before and after paywall introduction, this study finds that the numbers of both pageviews and unique visitors decrease upon the transition from free to fee-based access to the news. Hard paywalls have a more negative immediate effect on traffic than soft paywalls. This difference equalizes over time and the traffic mainly remains at a decreased level regardless of paywall type. Traffic development in Norway is somewhat better than in Denmark in a short-term perspective, but national differences also even out over time. We posit that while paywalls may constitute a new revenue stream for local news media under financial pressure, they also challenge the civic function of the local news media since fewer people consult them.
Olsen, Ragnhild & Solvoll, Mona K (2018)
Bouncing off the Paywall – Understanding Misalignments Between Local Newspaper Value Propositions and Audience Responses
Using a business model lens, we analyse local newspapers’ paywall strategies and ask how monetisation has affected the newspapers’ offerings to users and advertisers. Based on interviews with 20 local newspapers in Norway, findings suggest that paywalls represent two different strategies: A brake strategy in the user market, whereby the newspaper targets existing customers with bundled and differentiated products to secure subscription revenue and protect print from web cannibalisation. In addition, an acceleration strategy, in the advertiser market, focused on improving services with more relevant and valuable audiences and user behaviour insights from user data harvesting. Local newspapers have been relatively successful with balancing these two strategies, providing some optimism on paywalls’ potential contribution to the funding of local journalism.
Olsen, Ragnhild (2015)
Relevans og kundeorientering som redaksjonell kvalitetsnorm
Vaagan, Robert Wallace & Barland, Jens (red.). Entreprenørskap og ledelse i media
Olsen, Ragnhild (2012)
Redaksjonell kvalitet. Kvalitetssikring, evaluering og måling av journalistikk
IJ-forlaget.
Olsen, Ragnhild (2019)
Lokalavis anno 2019: Hvor viktige er egentlig lokalavisene for folk flest
Medietilsynets podcast. Den norske mediepodden [Internett]
Svensk rapport utarbeidet av Medier & Demokrati-prosjektet ved Lindholmen Science Park, Gøteborg,
Olsen, Ragnhild; Solvoll, Mona K & Gran, Anne-Britt (2018)
Digitalisering av lokalt mediebruk. DnD-rapport 1
[Report]. Centre for Creative Industries.
Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine (2017)
THUMBS UP TO TRUST? Understanding users’ relationship to algorithmic filtering and Facebook’s trustworthiness as local news source
[Academic lecture]. Future of Journalism 2017, Cardiff Sep. 14-15: TRUST AND THE MEDIA.
As local newspapers are struggling to secure revenue streams and fund their journalistic production, Facebook is taking a prominent position as local news source by providing personalized news feeds based on algorithmic filtering. Given local newspapers’ civic role as providers of trustworthy information this paper explores Facebook’s potential to fill this role by mapping user trust and attitudes towards algorithmic filtering. Based on a national survey in Norway (N=1586) this survey identifies a substantial gap between trust and use of Facebook, particularly among young people, and general scepticism towards algorithmic filtering
Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine (2017)
Global giants, local liaisons – Diversity of local media experiences and policy implications
[Academic lecture]. NoPSA 2017 XVIII Nordic Political Science Congress, The 2nd European Symposium on Media Policy.
Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine & Solvoll, Mona K (2017)
The Potential of Paywalls to Attract New Subscribers? Business Models in Local Online Norwegian Newspapers
[Academic lecture]. EMMA 2017.
The topic of this paper is the introduction of paywalls in ultra local online newspapers. Our analysis apply a double lens approach: First, we investigate what value proposition the newspapers offer, based on interviews with commercial leaders in 20 Norwegian local newspapers. Second, we explore how users received this value proposition in terms of attitude and use, based on national survey data from 1586 respondents among local media users. Our findings suggest that the newspapers apply a problematic preservation strategy as valuable customers, such as young segments, do not subscribe to the newspapers and are locked out by the paywall. Other customers who have access to paywalled content, such as older print subscribers, have reduced the time spent on reading online local news. Online local news is not perceived as valuable, niche content worth paying for, despite overall high news interest. We argue the paywall is a shortsighted defensive, business model innovation, which drives away younger readers and pave the road for substitute offerings. These findings give cause for concern as a thinner use of local newspapers may result in a less informed local citizenry.
Olsen, Ragnhild Kristine (2016)
Reinventing Business Models for Newspapers by Building Walls
[Academic lecture]. Medieforskerkonferansen 2016.
Olsen, Ragnhild (2015)
Kun for dine øyne - Personalisering av redaksjonelt innhold i nettaviser
Innholdsmarkedsføring testet på lesere av nettaviser
[Report]. Høgskolen i Gjøvik.
Vi oppsummerer denne pilotstudien med følgende observasjoner fra samtalen i lesergruppen: • De forholder seg til at medier inneholder både journalistikk og reklame, og skjelner mellom disse når journalistikk og reklame fremstår på tradisjonelt vis. • Tradisjonell reklame leses som reklame, og dette leses på en annen måte enn øvrig innhold. Det leses som kjøpsbudskap. Dette leses med skepsis, men blir også oppfattet som positivt når man er interessert i temaet. • Innholdsmarkedsføring oppleves som mindre «masete» enn tradisjonell reklame. Leserne ga uttrykk for at de likte enkelte av eksemplene med innholdsmarkedsføring, og at den kommersielle samarbeidspartneren kunne være relevant med hensyn til temaet. Denne innholdsmarkedsføringen trigget ikke «reklamefiltrene» leserne selv hadde sagt de hadde. • Reklame som kan se ut som journalistikk, blir forvekslet med journalistikk. Det skjer ikke alltid, men det forekommer. • Selv for reklameinnhold som er tydelig merket, kan det bli forvekslet med journalistikk, slik som i eksemplet med VG Partnerstudio og Rema 1000. Der tok det lang tid før dette ble oppfattet som reklame selv om merkingen var tydelig. • Det brukes mange ulike merker for å vise at noe er kommersielt innhold. I sum blir dette uoversiktlig og utydelig for leserne. • Det er forskjell på hvordan merkelappene fungerer overfor leserne. Eksempler på merking som blir oppfattet som reklame er når det står «annonse» eller ord avledet av dette. Det gjelder også «kommersiell markedsføring» og også ikonet av handlevognen. Eksempler på ord som ikke uten videre oppfattes som reklame er merking som inneholder ord som «samarbeid», «partner» eller lignende. • Effekten av ulik merking fremstår som et spesielt interessant spørsmål videre, alternativt også å undersøke om det er andre virkemidler enn merking alene som gjør det tydelig om stoff med innholdsmarkedsføring er reklame. • Forbruker- og livsstilstoff assosieres med reklame selv om det ikke er for bestemte produkter. De gjenspeiler at mediene på disse felt leses som materielle produkter. Noen stoffområder oppfattes som kommersielle, uavhengig av merking. Det var tilfellet med eksemplene Nettavisen Reisetips og Aftenposten Reise. Sistnevnte er journalistisk, men ble lest som kommersielt innhold.
Barland, Jens & Olsen, Ragnhild (2015)
Hvordan oppfatter leserne innholdsmarkedsføring?
[Academic lecture]. Gull & Gråstein.
Olsen, Ragnhild; Omdal, Sven Egil, Bjerke, Paul & bjartnes, anders (2013)
Journalistikk og demokrati. Hvor går mediene? Hva kan gjøres?
[Report]. Fritt Ord.
Olsen, Ragnhild (2010)
På nett med fremtiden
[Popular scientific article]. SKUP 1990-2010
Olsen, Ragnhild; Bech-Karlsen, Jo & Hjeltnes, Guri (2010)
Mediehusrapporten 2010. Rapport fra ti norske mediehus.
[Report]. Handelshøyskolen BI og Institutt for Journalistikk.
Olsen, Ragnhild (2009)
Innovasjon - den store utfordringen i mediehuset
[Popular scientific article]. Redaktørinstituttets status 2009 Årbok fra Norsk Redaktørforening
Olsen, Ragnhild (2006)
Måling av redaksjonell kvalitet. Verktøykasse for kvalitetsmåling i pressen