Ensuring news quality in platformized news ecosystems : shortcomings and recommendations for an epistemic governance

Abstract

Social media platforms are fundamentally disrupting public communication in two ways. First, non-journalistic actors, such as social media influencers, now have easier access to audiences, increasing the range of epistemic authorities. Second, established news outlets are increasingly reliant on platforms, pressuring them to adapt to the demands of social media. This platformization threatens the quality of public communication and citizens’ realization of their epistemic rights. Drawing on these concerns, this article offers a holistic approach to systematically analyze and practically govern epistemic threats to news quality in the platform-driven hybrid news ecosystem by developing a comprehensive three-stage framework that distinguishes between the production, distribution, and reception of news quality. News quality needs not only to be produced (input) but also to be made visible on platforms (throughput) and processed by audiences (output) in order to contribute to an informed public discourse. Focusing on the EU, the article then discusses current regulatory shortcomings and the need for additional measures to safeguard news quality along its three dimensions.