In a new policy paper, Denmark is experimenting with a bold — and increasingly rare — idea: using public funds to subsidize private news outlets, not just public broadcasters. The Scandinavian country pays roughly DKK 500 million (about €67 million) annually as direct grants to private news media — plus additional indirect support like VAT exemptions. The plan draws on a commission’s recent recommendation, which lays out eight objective criteria (editorial independence, public-interest reporting, minimum staffing, publication frequency, and more) that a news publisher must meet to qualify. Support would be allocated via transparent, cash-based subsidies tied to actual editorial investment; smaller, independent or regional publishers get extra weight, and large media groups are capped — avoiding a “winner-takes-all” effect. The idea: in a media ecosystem under funding stress globally, public subsidy of private journalism could help preserve diversity, quality and independence — without relying solely on market pressures or advertising revenue.
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