Bringing together new and classic work by Tony Harcup, this book considers the development of alternative journalism from the 1970s up until today.
Bringing theory and practice together, Harcup builds an understanding of alternative media through the use of detailed case studies and surveys. Including opinions of journalists who have worked in both mainstream and alternative media, he considers the motivations, practices and roles of alternative journalism as well as delving into ethical considerations.
Moving from the history of alternative journalism, Harcup considers the recent spread of 'citizen journalism' and the use of social media, and asks what the role of alternative journalism is today.
Foreword: Local Journalism, Radical Reporting and the Everyday Section 1: Alternative Media, Alternative Voices 1. Introduction: From ‘Native Reporting’ to ‘Native Researching’ 2. An Insurrection in Words: East End Voices in the 1970s Section 2: The Alternative Local Press: A Critical Overview 3. A Northern Star: Leeds Other Paper and the Alternative Press 1974-1994 4. The Alternative Local Press Section 3: Reporting From The Ground Up: Alternative Journalism In Practice 5. ‘The Unspoken – Said’: The Journalism of Alternative Media 6. It Wasn’t All About Arthur: Alternative Media and the Miners’ Strike 7. Reporting the Voices of the Voiceless During the Miners’ Strike: an Early Form of ‘Citizen Journalism’ Section 4: Alternative Media Activists: Motivations And Reflections 8. ‘I’m Doing this to Change the World’: Journalism in Alternative and Mainstream Media 9. Citizens in the Newsroom: Democracy, Ethics and Journalism 10. Alternative Journalism as Active Citizenship Section 5: Alternative Media Today and Tomorrow 11. Alternative Journalism: Oppositional Reporting in Practice Appendix 1. Statements published in The Other Paper, LOP and Northern Star Appendix 2. Views on the News Appendix 3. National Conference of Alternative Papers Index
Biography
Tony Harcup is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield. His previous publications include: Journalism: Principles and Practice (2nd ed, 2009); The Ethical Journalist (2007); Newspaper Journalism (2010, co-authored with Peter Cole) and A Northern Star: Leeds Other Paper and the alternative press 1974-1994 (1994).
'This book is a must read for any budding (or professional) journalist and any journalism or media scholar who wants to make a difference to the current media landscape.' - Andrea Baker, Media International Australia
'Harcup evokes a heady atmosphere of idealism, ideology and the seemingly effortless potential of off-set litho printing.' - Tim Dawson, The Journalist and Northern Voices
'Inevitably there is mixture of the personal and political, the subjective and objective in this review, but in a sense that is what much of the best writing in the alternative press was about, and this book is a valuable contribution to the exploration of its place in the history of journalism.' - Granville Williams, Journalism Education
'...travelling from the early chapters full of relaxed memoir and the poetry of schoolchildren and factory workers - direct and powerful - to, later on, the academic theses of people such as Clemencia Rodriquez, who never use one syllable where six will do, make this a slightly peculiar read. But one with treasures all the same.' - Bibi van der Zee, British Journalism Review
'This book [will] help scholars and students think beyond the mainstream and reflect on how other media contribute to the ethical landscape of journalism.' - Syed Irfan Ashraf, Journal of Mass Media Ethics
'A wealth of interesting history...Its contribution to the field is undoubted.' Megan Knight, Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies
'Coming from an author with long-standing experience in the alternative media sector, the book gives voice to experiences of alternative media activists themselves, including the experiences of the author. This approach should make the book particularly attractive not only to journalism scholars and practitioners but also to educators and students. Another key strength of the book is its emphasis on parallels between historical cases of alternative journalism and current examples, highlighting a strong ‘continuum of practice’ between the two.' - European Journal of Communication
