Research and policy
The economics of the news industry, media policy, and the effects of AI.
What I work on
My work concerns how technology reshapes democratic societies, with particular attention to the news industry. I am interested in why some news markets weather digital disruption better than others, what press policy and subsidy can and cannot do, and how artificial intelligence is changing the business of journalism and the public sphere. Through my policy work at Langsikt I have also worked on artificial intelligence more broadly, from its governance to what its rapid development means for national security.
My doctoral research at the University of Cambridge examined the technological and financial transformation of the Norwegian newspaper industry, drawing on 125 interviews with media executives and a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Recurring themes across my work: newspaper economics; media policy, regulation, and competition; digitalisation and innovation; leadership and strategy; and the effects of AI on news and democracy.
I have also worked on the role of newspaper commentators, the working conditions of freelance journalists, and the social effects of social media.
More broadly, I am concerned with questions of power, inequality, and political economy.
Selected projects
- The Ten AI Commandments — led the secretariat for Langsikt’s expert committee on AI, which developed principles for the development and adoption of artificial intelligence in Norway.
- The Norwegian Newspaper Industry in the Digital Age — explores the digital transformation of newspapers since 2000, with added focus on the impact of AI.
- The Nordic Media Programme — I develop and lead this executive education for media leaders across the Nordics.
- Subsidised access to journalism for young readers — developed a novel policy scheme for the Norwegian Media Authority.
- Substitution and ownership in the Norwegian newspaper market — explored market dynamics for the Norwegian Competition Authority.
- Advanced AI: threats and opportunities for Norway — a Langsikt report on the security risks of rapid AI development, and the investments and institutions Norway needs in response.
- Boards and strategic change in media groups — a study of how boards of directors drive or prevent renewal and innovation.
- Norwegian AI Safety Institute (NAISI) — a Langsikt concept note which proposes a national AI safety body.
- A foreign policy for artificial intelligence — a Langsikt report on how Norway should position itself in AI geopolitics.
Selected publications
- Raabe, T. S. (in progress) Newspaper Economics in the Digital Age: How Norway’s Press Combined Print and Digital for Profit (book).
- Raabe, T. S. et al. (revise & resubmit) ‘Kampen om pressestøtten: Norske avisers strategiske respons på forskriftsendringer’, Norsk medietidsskrift.
- Raabe, T. S. (2023) The Norwegian Newspaper Industry in the Digital Age. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge.
- Raabe, T. S. (2018) The Power of Political Commentators in the Age of Social Media. MPhil dissertation, University of Cambridge.
- Raabe, T. S., Kopperstad, I. and Gjerding, C. (2017) ‘Transcenderende ledelse’, Magma, 20(2), pp. 69–75.
Essays and columns are listed under Writing.
Academic presentations and peer review
I have lectured undergraduate, graduate, and executive students at the University of Oslo, the University of Bergen, and the Norwegian School of Economics, among others. I have also supervised master’s students, examined master’s theses, and presented my research at academic conferences including the International Communication Association (Toronto), Behind the Paywall (Gothenburg), Infrastructures and Inequalities (Helsinki), NordMedia (Bergen), and Norsk medieforskerkonferanse (Ålesund). I review for the academic journals New Media & Society, Journalism, Convergence, and Norsk medietidsskrift.