Breaking barriers: the role of external innovation support in enhancing media organisations’ innovation processes

In recent years, external support for journalism innovation has grown, driven by public, private, and philanthropic actors, such as governments, tech companies and foundations. This paper analyses how these supporters assist media organisations in overcoming common challenges and barriers in their innovation processes. Using the German WPK Innovation Fund as a unique research setting, it adopts a qualitative longitudinal multiple-case study approach combining interviews, document analysis and observations to examine 20 innovation ventures in journalism. Findings show that such support can play a pivotal role for media organisations, particularly at the meso level of organisational challenges. The paper provides a framework for future research to analyse other support structures more systematically and holds practical implications for all parties designing and improving them.