This book provides insights into the interplay between crisis, resilience, and innovation within news media. Examining how Norwegian news media adapted and innovated during the Covid-19 pandemic, it offers new knowledge on news organisations’ resilience strategies and their ability to create value for themselves, their audiences, and for the broader society during times of unprecedented uncertainty. Through a diverse array of qualitative and quantitative methods, the research presented uncovers how crises serve as both opportunities for innovation and threats to journalism practices and businesses. Drawing on perspectives from journalism and media innovation studies, management and organisational research, and innovation theory, the empirical investigation identifies three overarching themes: the crisis as a catalyst for innovation, a critical test of resilience, and an amplifier of value creation. Through several empirical studies, we demonstrate how the Covid-19 pandemic prompted urgency- and ambition-driven innovation in Norwegian news media. This research showcases how organisations rapidly adapted to the crisis using digital tools, and how they introduced new services, amplifying economic and social value creation while navigating challenges to news workers’ well-being. In conclusion, the theoretical perspectives on crisis, resilience, and innovation shed light on the transformative journey of Norway’s news media during the Covid-19 crisis, offering valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers alike. Mona K. Solvoll is associate professor at the School of Communication, Leadership and Marketing at Kristiania University College, Norway. Ragnhild Kr. Olsen is associate professor at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. The research in the book originates from the “Media Innovation Through the Corona Crisis” project at the BI Norwegian Business School (2020–2021), funded by the Research Council of Norway.
Authors
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855923
- ISBN
- : 978-91-88855-91-6 (print) : 978-91-88855-92-3 (electronic) : 978-91-88855-93-0 (electronic)
- OAI
- oai:DiVA.org:norden-13125
- Published in
- Denmark
- Responsible organisation
- Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research (NORDICOM)
- URN
- urn:nbn:se:norden:org:diva-13125
- Year
- 2024
- pages
- 182
Files
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- Contents 5
- Preface 6
- Introduction. The innovation response to the Covid-19 crisis 8
- Learning from a crisis 8
- Exploring responses to opportunities and threats 10
- Taking a normative view on innovation and value creation 11
- Research objects and terminology 13
- The Norwegian case 14
- Norway and the Covid-19 pandemic 14
- The Norwegian media system and newspapers 15
- The structure of the book 16
- References 18
- Chapter 1. Theoretical perspectives on crisis, resilience, and innovation 20
- Abstract 20
- Introduction 21
- Crisis: Perception and responses from news media 22
- Crisis as threat 23
- Crisis as urgency 23
- Crisis as a catalyst for change 24
- Resilience: Coping with and recovering from the Covid-19 crisis 24
- Resilience as persistence – business as usual 25
- Resilience as adaptability – a turning point 25
- Resilience as transformability – radical renewal 26
- Innovation: Value creation, improvements, and novelty 26
- Innovation as value creation 27
- Innovation as improvements 29
- Innovation as novelty 30
- Types of innovation 31
- Building blocks of journalism innovation 32
- Resources 33
- Technology 34
- Organisation 35
- Management 35
- Culture 36
- Business model 37
- Summing up crisis, resilience, and innovation 38
- References 39
- Chapter 2. Innovations in resilience strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic 44
- Abstract 44
- Introduction 45
- Theories of innovation and resilience 46
- Innovative practices in the news media business 46
- Resilience to crisis: Bouncing back, forward, or beyond 47
- Methods and data 49
- Analytical design 50
- Results of the analysis 52
- Bouncing back by maintaining continuity 53
- Bouncing forward by adapting to a new normal 55
- Bouncing beyond by restructuring and reorientation 58
- Discussion: Robustness, adaptability, and restructuring 60
- Conclusion 62
- References 64
- Chapter 3. Positive renewal in newsrooms through crisis in crisis 66
- Abstract 66
- Introduction 67
- Theory and background – the “crisis in crisis” 68
- Method and data 70
- Making sense of the crisis for positive renewal 71
- When the pandemic hit – motivating excitement 71
- Accelerated growth – meaningful work 73
- Social responsibility – handling the news interest 75
- The backlash – enduring the crisis 76
- Modes for (re)organising: Flexibility, creativity, autonomy, and solidarity 77
- Discussion 80
- Conclusion 82
- References 82
- Chapter 4. The digital shift in news media’s revenue streams during the Covid-19 pandemic 86
- Abstract 86
- Introduction 87
- Literature 88
- Methods 90
- Findings and discussion 92
- Overview of revenue streams in newspapers over the years 92
- Accelerated digital transformation of the two-sided market model 95
- “Unused” direct subsidies and new opportunities for alternative revenues 100
- Conclusions 103
- References 105
- Chapter 5. Crisis-driven newsroom innovation 108
- Abstract 108
- Introduction 109
- Theoretical framework 110
- Method and data 112
- Results 114
- The increased need for information during a crisis 115
- The importance of individual initiative in innovation processes 116
- In-house technological expertise and knowledge 117
- Developer–journalist collaboration 118
- The common denominator of newsroom innovation in crisis: Fast pace 118
- Discussion and conclusion 120
- References 122
- Chapter 6. Exploring telework innovation’s value for news workers 124
- Abstract 124
- Introduction 125
- Value-driven service innovation among news media 127
- Benefits and challenges of telework 128
- Assessing the value creation of telework for news workers 130
- Material and method 131
- Findings 133
- New opportunities to connect versus feelings of isolation and stress 133
- Increased efficiency and flexibility versus communication difficulties 135
- Saving costs and increasing productivity versus decreasing creativity 137
- Discussion and conclusion 139
- Acknowledgements 141
- References 141
- Chapter 7. The effects of an external crisis on the prioritisation of innovations 144
- Abstract 144
- Introduction 145
- Context 146
- Unpacking the construct of resilience 146
- Dynamics of innovation and value creation 148
- Concepts of 8 × 2 types of media innovations 152
- Research questions 154
- Method 155
- Findings 157
- Cluster analysis 159
- Cluster 1: Keep calm and carry on 159
- Cluster 2: Polish the product 160
- Cluster 3: Go get new revenue 160
- Discussion 160
- Conclusion 162
- Acknowledgements 162
- References 163
- Conclusion. Making sense of a crisis 166
- Abstract 166
- Lessons learned from an unprecedented crisis 167
- News media’s ability to innovate and cope with the Covid-19 crisis 168
- News media’s ability to bounce back, forward, and beyond amid the crisis 169
- News workers ability to reorganise to cope with the crisis 170
- News media’s ability to create economic value amid the crisis 171
- News media’s ability to innovate in response to audiences’ information needs 172
- News media’s ability to create value for employees amid the crisis 173
- New managers’ ability for “do-better” and “do-different” innovations 174
- The crisis as a catalyst for innovation 175
- The crisis as an amplifier for value creation 177
- The crisis as a test of resilience 178
- Concluding remarks and directions for further research 180
- References 182
- Back cover 184