"A country with a population of 6 million provides about DKK 500m (around $80 million) in direct cash subsidies for private news media every year. On top of that comes almost as much in indirect subsidies through VAT exemptions, as well as significant investment in both the main public service provider DR and a network of regional public service providers."
"In total, Denmark spends about 0.2% of its GDP on supporting the media through direct subsidies, indirect subsidies, and investment in public service. That is twice the figure called for in the "A New Deal for Journalism?", a report published by the Forum for Information and Democracy, and is one of the highest levels of support worldwide. Relative to GDP, a similar level of support in the United States would amount to about $60 billion a year"
Six basic questions must be answered to design public subsidies for news: what should be distributed, to whom, how, on what basis, why, and so what. Political and popular resistance and the risk of state-driven media capture complicate subsidy debates. Denmark provides an example of extensive support: roughly DKK 500m in direct cash to private news outlets plus comparable indirect subsidies and significant funding for public service media. Total media support equals about 0.2% of GDP, a high international level that, if scaled to larger economies, would represent very large absolute fiscal commitments. Securing funds does not resolve allocation and implementation challenges.
Read at Nieman Lab
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