Alternative Media

From ArticleWorld

The creators and supporters of alternative media often say that it is a response to bias in the mass media. According to these supporters, the mass media objective is often driven by profit, political favoritism, or government pressure. The alternative media seek to balance this influence by presenting their own views in contrast to the prevalent media paradigm.

The alternative media is often heavily biased, but this is generally intentional, as the stated objective of most alternative news organizations is to present a counterpoint to what is seen in mainstream newscasts.


The functions and values of the alternative media include but are not limited to:

  • Advocacy journalism, or news to promote a certain political or social cause
  • Open publishing, where the general public is invited to write and contribute stories
  • Dissident journalism, where views that disagree with the mainstream are given special consideration, and
  • Underground journalism, where the objective is to share information and views that are often prohibited by the government.

History and Applications

Many alternative news organizations were created in response to the writings of Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Louis Althusser, and Walter Lippmann, among others. The alternative media, especially on the web, is associated with the open publishing movement, and often promotes the Creative Commons approach to copyright issues. Independent media articles are often available for distribution by anyone. Alternative media is not limited to the web, however. There are many alternative print outlets, as well as radio and television organizations.