Public service media as critical media infrastructure for the digital era

PSM organisations across the globe have been disrupted by a generalised switch in media consumption towards online and the rise of big tech platforms. This article argues that because, in the digital environment, the role that PSM plays in underpinning democracy and promoting social cohesion is pretty much essential to the proper functioning of everyday life and national security, PSM now deserves recognition as a critical infrastructural asset. From this starting point, we ask what if any insights PSM organisations might garner through studying the experience, functioning and performance of organisations in other critical sectors such as rail, aviation and healthcare. Our findings, drawing on UK-based multi-case analysis, highlight the importance of themes including interdependence, industry structure and universality, public versus private ownership and resilience. They also highlight how frameworks developed relating to protection of critical infrastructure can usefully be applied to PSM to yield insights about strengthening the resilience of PSM in the digital environment.