THE AMSTERDAM SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH ASCOR Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences

In discussing the sociology of newswork, much attention has been given to aspects such as the journalist’s background, work routines, and the influence of media ownership. Media production studies have covered empricial and conceptual ground investigating the myriad influences on editorial decision-making processes in journalism. Yet such studies (with few exceptions) have focused mainly on mainstream news media. Considering the forms of more engaged, participatory, public or civic journalism in the mainstream news media, having emerged since the late 1980s, it is time to revisit the concept and practice of alternative journalism, as it has historically projected a more involved and inclusive image of itself. The study reported here has alternative journalism as its focus, seen particularly through the eyes of journalists working within this area as they define their brand of journalism in relation to what is mainstream. If anything, our analyses uncover two worlds increasingly converging (much like anything else in today’s media landscape), with lessons to learn for both.