Framing Nordic public service media: Comparing policy discourses in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

This article analyses how the role and remit of public service media (PSM) and its relationship to current media and societal developments are framed in recent media policy discourses in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, countries often described as Media Welfare States (MWS). Employing the framework of discursive (media) institutionalism and frame analysis as a method, we analyse policy documents covering a 10-year period to identify differences in national PSM framing. Our findings confirm shared challenges related to platformisation, disinformation, audience fragmentation, and competition with commercial media. More interestingly, clear national differences emerge in how PSM is framed. Comparing these national findings to the four pillars of the MWS, we identify a recent paradigm shift where the consensus on the societal role and remit of PSM has weakened. We argue that future policymaking should consider these developments when discussing how best to safeguard Nordic PSM.