This book examines the emergence of alternative forms of news reporting in Brazil with a focus on progressive not-for-profit initiatives. In combining different genres of non-commercial journalism, this study allows us to better understand the potential of alternative news producers in times of continuing technological shifts and their efforts to diversify the news production.
Sarmento explores a range of significant questions, including: what does it mean to practice “alternative” journalism? To what extent do non-mainstream practices subvert the taxonomy of news values? Do alternative journalists adhere to or reject journalism’s core values? And, more specifically, as more and more journalists or media producers are collecting, disseminating and interpreting news without being employed by large media groups, what insights can they provide in relation to the economics of digital journalism?
Using the turbulent political landscape of Brazil as a case study, Sarmento asks us to reflect on what the erosion of traditional journalism really means. The resulting conclusions will be of value to all those who study or practice journalism around the world, in addition to media researchers and activists.
Author(s): Claudia Sarmento
Series: Palgrave Studies in Journalism and the Global South
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 210
City: London
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
Why Brazil?
Methodology
Overview of the Book
References
Chapter 2: What Is Alternative Journalism?
Introduction
The Alternative Ideology
Radical, Critical, Citizens’ Media?
Rethinking the Public Sphere
Defying Conventions
Citizen Journalists
The Example of Indymedia
Digital Native Non-profit Journalism: A New Collective Force?
Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: The Roots of Alternative Media in Brazil
Introduction
The Birth of the Brazilian Press
The Pasquins
The Modern Press
Publications from the Margins of Society
Fascist Inspiration
The Power of the Broadcast Industry
Alternative Press Versus the Dictatorship
Counterculture, Irreverence and Resistance
Journalism Post-Dictatorship
Grassroots and Community Media
Midialivrismo
The “Ninjas”
Conclusion
References
Chapter 4: The Role of Alternative Journalists in Brazil
Introduction
Note on the Methodology
Self-Definitions
The Representation Gap
Making Local News
Fighting the “Impossible Version” of Women
Setting Their Own Agenda
Contesting the Myth of Neutrality
Conclusion: Rebalancing Media Power
References
Chapter 5: Framing the News from Peripheral Angles: An Expansion of News Agenda
Introduction
News Values
Case Studies and Qualitative Content Analysis
Investigative Journalism
Socio-environmental Journalism
Women at the Centre of the News Agenda
News from the Favela
Analysis and Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Sustainability of Alternative Journalism: A Negotiated Entrepreneurship
Introduction
Seeking Longevity
Not-for-Profit Entrepreneurship
Financial Viability with Editorial Autonomy
Hybridisation Is the Norm
Moments of Convergence
Non-hierarchical Structures
Conclusion: No Single Recipe
References
Chapter 7: Conclusion: The Renewal of a Tradition of Resistance
Introduction
Media Power: Why Does Alternative Journalism Matter?
Shaping the Public Sphere
Diversity of Frames
Where Is the Money?
Background, Limitations and Future Directions
References
