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Abstract
Journalism practised within alternative media has typically been understood as being entirely different to, and separate from, journalism practised within mainstream media. However, in recent years, such “binary opposition” has been rejected by a number of authors who argue that there may be more crossover of media practice than has previously been acknowledged. By the means of an exploratory empirical study, utilising qualitative research methods, this article examines the extent of this potential crossover of both practice and personnel between journalism conducted in alternative and mainstream media. The study provides some empirical evidence to support the contention that there can be movement along what might be termed a continuum of journalistic practice. The article concludes by suggesting that consideration of the perspectives of “hybrid” practitioners, who have a range of journalistic experiences across alternative and mainstream media, can inform our understanding of journalism itself.
This article draws on a paper presented to a journalism research group seminar at the School of Communication Arts, Napier University, Edinburgh, on 28 May 2004; thanks to those who took part. Thanks also to Chris Atton, Michael Higgins, Derek McKiernan and Terry Wragg for giving me the benefit of their constructive criticism on a draft version. Finally, thanks to the editors and anonymous reviewers of Journalism Studies for their helpful comments and suggestions.
Notes
1. The author is currently working on a separate article on this subject, drawing on the practitioner insights gathered during the current research project.
2. With the exception of work on the influence of the underground press of the 1960s on the commercial music press of the 1970s (see Frith, Citation1983, pp. 168–72 and Forde, Citation2001, p. 24).
3. We are not dealing with monolithic entities labelled alternative media and mainstream media. The forms of alternative media cited by the sample varied at least as much as did the forms of mainstream media, and included print, broadcast and on-line projects, both local and national, and spanned campaigning political (including party political) publications, underground cultural magazines, more investigative publications, and special interest outlets such as football or music fanzines. However, although not all the respondents were engaged in overtly political journalism, what these journalists have in common is that they were all once producing forms of media that were motivated by a desire, not to make profit, but to make change; and they have gone on to work in mainstream journalism.
4. I contacted him directly to ask if he would be willing to participate. His replies have been included as part of the sample.
5. The letter read: “I wonder if any readers could help with a research project. I am looking for people who went on to work as journalists in what might be termed the mainstream media after being involved with some form of alternative media. It doesn't matter how long ago, whether you were paid, or if you were/are staff or freelance. If this sounds like you, and you are willing to fill in a brief questionnaire, please get in touch …”
6. The letter was also sent to Free Press, magazine of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and was published on a sheet of supplementary information sent to subscribers.
7. Of whom, 23 had read it in the Journalist and two had read it in the Free Press supplement.
8. The questionnaire featured 18 questions that asked journalists how and why they had worked in both alternative and mainstream media, whether they had been able to use a similar approach in the latter to the former, if they felt alternative media had impacted upon mainstream media, and so on.
9. Mostly by email.
10. Of whom, 16 were male and six female.
11. However, such perspectives may be more pertinent in societies that operate relatively “free” media marketplaces.
12. Some media projects (Time Out, for example) may be seen as shifting from alternative to mainstream.
13. Of course, social forces (the impact of feminism, for example) will have impacted on both mainstream and alternative media, so it would be unwise to assume that because alternative media said something and then mainstream media said it, that this was a causal effect. Wider social processes will be at work at the same time, and alternative and mainstream media may be both senders and receivers of messages.
14. In the UK, at least.
15. For those practising it.
16. A journalist on the mainstream (albeit liberal) Guardian who also writes for alternative magazine Red Pepper.