Local Public Service Media in Northern Ireland: the merit goods argument

Public service media in Northern Ireland has long been a focus for scholarly attention, in particular focusing on how the BBC reported on the “Troubles”, a period in history that led to more than 3,500 people being killed. In addressing local public service media services, and those which are accessible in Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland, this chapter outlines how public service media maintain and support local journalism in the face of a decline in local newspapers, and discusses the role that they play in supporting cultural minorities through broadcasting for Irish language and Ulster-Scots communities. Theoretically, we primarily draw on Christopher Ali’s argument that local journalism should be considered as a merit good, rather than as a public good, and by applying this to public service media the argument is made for its continued role in maintaining local news provision and in protecting minority languages.