Organisational Mediatisation and Public Research Institutions

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Organizational Communication Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Public research institutions increasingly find themselves operating in a media environment. At the same time there is a growing body of research finding that public institutions and organisations are undergoing processes of mediatisation, which potentially threaten their autonomy. Based on interviews with communication staff (11 informants in total) at six major Norwegian universities and research centres, this study explores the extent to which these institutions have adapted to and internalised media logic. This study finds that the public research institutions to a significant degree have adapted to their media environments in terms of both organisational structure and communication practise. However, the study finds little evidence suggesting that public research institutions have significantly altered their own processes and prioritisations in order to adapt to media logic and pressure.

Author

• Torgeir Uberg Naerland, Department of information science and media studies / University of Bergen