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Alternative Media: Chicago's Journalism Ecosystem Independent and alternative media outlets have helped diversify news coverage through independent outlets that focus on local issues or communities. These smaller organizations often cater to a specific group or issue within an issue-area. It is possible that your editorial decisions are made by a small team, which lacks the resources or capacity to hire professional journalists. Moreover, many of the people who are behind these organizations are also active in social movements. Their work tends to be activist by nature and adheres often to the normative social movement theories, which emphasize deliberative democratic involvement as well providing alternative narratives for marginalized voice.
It is critical to understand how the political context shapes these values and the organizational practices that support these values. These papers shed some light on these transformations.
Politics plays an important role in understanding and studying media. Different political theories offer different views on democracy, the public sphere, and how these outlets are to function, which determines their interpretation. 2019; Figenschou and Frischlich 2019). Some researchers may stress the concept of citizen's media that promotes participation as key to democratic processes while others focus on diversity within media coverage to counter ideological hegemony (Cushion McDowell-Naylor and Thomas 2021).
Another critical question regarding alternative media is its definition. Some authors have adopted a relational approach that defines alternative media in terms of self-proclaimed correctives who challenge dominant discourse.
Aslan Ozgul (2022), Veneti, and Aslan Ozgul (2019) examine how organizational structures of alternative news projects on a large scale in Turkey and Greece are affected by their expansion. Some retain a collaborative and participatory culture while others increase staff numbers and produce more content. Their study shows that this shift may have an impact on whether these projects maintain their “alternativeness”, but become more similar to professional actors.
Block Club Chicago provides an example of this growing recognition, reporting on local events and issues within chicago illinois jobs (illinoismail.top) neighborhoods. This organization illustrates how community journalism can bridge gaps among residents, promote civic participation and give individuals the power to make informed choices regarding their lives. This project, which focuses on community stories aims to give all Chicagoans the information they need to lead a fulfilling life. It can serve as an example to other groups looking to become the bridge that leads to civic engagement in Chicago, which our mainline news media has been unable or unwillingly provide.
