"Media subsidies have proved useful and appropriate as means to attain both economic and value-related objectives. Media companies often prefer indirect (and less transparent) ‘fuel’, while States favour direct subsidies. However, there is little scientific research on the actual impact of media subsidies. Any causality is difficult to establish since external factors abound and subsidies are not critical to economic success, at least in the for-profit media business. Non-commercial, local and citizen-based media as well as certain books and films only exist because some kind of subsidy has been available to them. In times of severe/structural crisis in the media world (Trappel et al. 2015) subsidies should be considered by both companies and governments as one revenue-generating factor among others – possibly the smallest one, possibly one to be called upon only temporarily and possibly despite the risk for the beneficiaries’ independence. Experience has shown over many decades that this latter concern cannot be substantiated and that subsidies are unlikely to compromise journalistic work as long as their providers respect democratic rules and procedures. In other words media policy should not discard the subsidies tool altogether, but develop modalities and designs that make for appropriate and democratic support of the media. Good practices can be found all over Europe." (Page 89)