Meredith Whittaker became known worldwide for her protest against surveillance and discrimination by Google and is considered one of the most competent AI experts. On May 13, she will be in Vienna for the first time for a public debate: as a guest at the ORF DialogForum, she will be talking to Klaus Unterberger (ORF Public Value), German AI expert Paul Nemitz (author of "Prinzip Mensch: Power, Freedom and Democracy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence"), Armin Thurnher ("Falter") and Nadja Hahn (ORF Domestic Politics) to answer critical questions. 

Researchers Matthias Karmasin, Stefan Strauß and Magdalena Pöschl investigated this question in their study by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). They presented the less than optimistic results to the Austrian parliament. The business ideology of social media promotes polarization and trust in politics, science and the media is dwindling. There is little regulation, which would leave liberal democracies in social networks in a "vacuum". According to the research findings, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and co. have positive effects in autocracies, but have an "increasingly negative" impact on liberal democracies. The ÖAW researchers therefore come to the pessimistic conclusion that social networks do not promote diversity of opinion and participation in discourse as expected, but paradoxically have the opposite effect. [more]

Public Value TEXTE 27 has been published. In this collection, experts deal with expectations of a PSM children's program. The full issue can be found here (in German). 

... are the hidden interests, secret agreements, backgrounds, and many connections that hold the world together but often remain hidden. Journalists working in the genre of "documentary" are precisely the ones who look at these "blind spots." They look behind the scenes of power, uncover hidden things, present unknown, new, and foreign aspects, and establish connections that are invisible at first glance. 

The new year starts with a new ORF programme. Following the recently implemented ORF law, ORF will offer an exclusive offering for the youngest generation starting in 2024. What will it look like? What are the expectations of experts, but especially the children themselves?

In September, the fourth "Leipziger Impuls" was presented at the Third European Public Value Conference, and it has now been adopted with the title "To want Europe, one must strengthen the focus on the common good." The initiators are the MDR and the Leipzig Graduate School of Management, as well as the ARD Chair, SWR, ZDF, Deutschlandradio, ARTE Deutschland, SRG/SSR, and ORF.

The "Leipzig Impulse IV" can be found here www.mdr.de/gemeinwohl.

Whether it's a TV movie or a music show, cabaret or comedy - entertainment is the biggest programming pillar on television. Is there more to it than pleasure and whimsy, is there attitude and education along with heart and pain? What quality criteria should apply? What obligations, what no-goes make up public entertainment?

Is media quality more than an assertion? Who defines it? Who judges, evaluates and controls it? The state, the audience or soon artificial intelligence? How does Public Service Media prove that they are fulfilling their mission? [more]

ORF is the largest client of the Austrian film and television industry.  Every year, the Austrian Public Broadcaster invests around 100 million in the Autrian film industry. Reason to ask: What actually constitutes "Austrian film"? What distinguishes public film production from commercial production? How will it continue in the future? [more]

RIPE, the most important scientific conference on public service media, met in Vienna in 2022 and offered a forum to address various aspects of the media quality discourse from the perspective of various European research institutions. Watch the Keynote here.

ORF is required by law to provide comprehensive quality control. In addition to the Public Value Report and the Annual Report, this consists primarily of elements created with the help of scientific expertise: The „Audience Panels”, during which the audience‘s opinion on various program pillars is explored, are evaluated by a social science institute. The representative survey on program appreciation, among other things, is conducted by social scientists, as is the testing of the quality profiles - the self-commitments of ORF editors to various program genres. [more]

Why is it so easy to spread fake news and conspiracy theories? Who can we trust online? How can the digital word be improved? Find out in this video. [more]

It's no longer a secret that Google, Facebook, Amazon and other Tech Giants collect their users' data in order to improve their software and personalize online advertising. Despite this fact, these services and platforms are used by billions of people around the world. Is there any chance to shape the digital world into a more democratic and less profit-seeking direction? A video by Viktoria Tatschl [more]

The ORF is committed to an extensive quality assurance system which is to control and optimise the fulfilment of the legal public service mandate and optimise the fulfilment of its legal public service mandate. This first-ever collection of articles documents the individual measures and provides answers how academics and media professionals assess the quality of public service broadcasting. [more] 

How does the ORF fulfil its public service mission? The Public Value Report publishes a wide range of data and makes transparent with which productions which productions on TV, radio and online value and benefit for individual citizens and and society. Articles by editors provide a glimpse behind the behind the scenes of programme production. [more]

The aim of the Expert Women Database is to improve or increase the visibility and perceptibility of women experts in the ORF media of television, radio and online. The Expert Women Database is an initiative of ORF Equality and the Public Value Competence Center. [more]

The Denk|Raum is an offer for young media professionals at ORF. In penal discussions we deal with topics that concern our future: digital transformation, new technologies, innovation, but also corporate culture, transparency, independence and reliability. We talk about the ORF of the future. How we can change it and shape it. [more] 

What are the Keys for a Successful Digital Transformation? Isabelle Richter & Viktoria Tatschl in conversation with ORF-employees. [Die Videos]