The so-called “legacy” news media have lost large shares of their revenue, forcing them to reconsider their business model. The upsurge of online (social) media has marginalized the revenues of news media organizations. With advertising profits plummeting globally, news media increasingly rely on the news consumer to pay for content. In the digital age, though, citizens increasingly perceive journalism as a public good and are accustomed to consume the news for free.

However, to verify whether politicians speak “truth” or to debunk viral misinformation, citizens still rely on independent journalism. To do this properly, news media need sufficient financial resources to hire qualified journalists with time and resources to produce high-quality coverage. When these resources are not readily available, media might become dependent on other financers, which potentially harms their independence or the perception of independence in the public’s eye.

In light of this economical pressure, this project focuses on the financial challenges that journalism faces and how journalists and citizens deal with and understand issues related to the willingness to consume news. It aims to generate evidence-based insights into how these financial requirements may be safeguarded under the current societal circumstances and changing conditions in the media landscape. This leads to following question:

“What are the main factors contributing to journalism’s financial crisis, and what strategies may effectively safeguard journalism’s vital position in the democratic society?”