News Personalization and Public Service Media: The Audience Perspective in Three European Countries

By shining a light on the previously neglected combination of public service media (PSM) and audience perspective, this paper adds to debate (algorithmic) news personalization. While personalization may offer new opportunities, it can clearly also conflict with PSM mission universality access, reach, content. This empirical study compares perspective users non-users in Germany, France, UK. Overall, findings online survey show that Germany UK—in comparison these services—perceive more risks such as missing out certain topics or viewpoints, place greater value shared sphere, strongly prefer selection primarily made by professional editors. In however, differences between are rarely significant, which is interpreted against background different systems role PSM. The add understanding what audiences expect organizations provide while keeping difficult balance universality.