DEFINING IMPARTIALITY IN EUROPEAN PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BBC, RTÉ, AND VRT.

Abstract

Amid growing criticism and political scrutiny, defining and operationalising impartiality has become essential for public service media (PSM). This research examines how impartiality is conceptualised across policy, editorial guidelines, and regulatory oversight in three Western European markets through a comparative analysis of documents from the BBC (United Kingdom), VRT (Flanders-Belgium), and RTÉ (Ireland). The article demonstrates that, first, while regulatory obligations enforce ‘impartiality’, clear definitions in policy documents are lacking; second, editorial guidelines on impartiality show that it should be perceived as a process rather than as a measurable, achievable state of journalistic performance. Finally, the article shows the increased importance of complaint mechanisms and gatekeepers addressing concerns about impartiality and its (audience) perception. Simultaneously, it demonstrates that existing assessments fall short in researching its complexity, contributing to the perception that impartiality is an achievable state of journalism that can be achieved in news reporting by journalists.