Sandbox Journalism: The Role of Media Labs as Innovation Drivers in European News Organisations

News organisations are seeking to innovate but face constraints related to time and resources for experimentation. In response, many have established in-house “labs” to support the development and testing of new ideas. This multi-national study explores how these media sandboxes operate within public service and commercial news outlets in Western Europe, as well as what they suggest about change within the journalistic field. Interviews with leaders from 12 diverse European media labs reveal the existence of three archetypes of news innovation labs: those focused on creativity and originality, those driven by business validation, and those that interpret innovation through educational programmes. Results show that innovative projects aim to serve both the parent organisations and their audiences to maintain their position in their respective countries’ journalistic landscape. But respondents highlighted challenges including cultural resistance, organisational complexity, and funding issues, which differ among European countries.