Book description
Historically, alternative media have been viewed as fundamental, albeit
at times culturally peripheral, forces in social change. In this book,
however, Kenix argues that these media do not uniformly subvert the
hierarchies of access that are so central to mainstream media - in fact,
their journalistic norms and routines have always been based on the
professional standards of the mainstream. Kenix goes on to posit the
perception of 'mainstream' and 'alternative' as a misconception. She
argues that, although alternative media can - and do - construct
distinct alternative communications, they have always existed on the
same continuum as the mainstream and the two will continue to converge.
Through comparative analysis, this book argues that many alternative and
mainstream media are merging to create a continuous spectrum rooted in
commercial ideology. Indeed, much of what is now considered alternative
media actually draws very little from principles of the independent
press, whereas many contemporary mainstream media now use communication
techniques more commonly associated with media that do not operate for
financial gain. This book puts forward a controversial but convincing
argument around the relationship between alternative and mainstream
media, drawing on examples from the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand to
strengthen and develop the central premise. Linda Jean Kenix is a
Senior Lecturer in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the
University of Canterbury. She was previously Assistant Professor in
Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, Twin
Cities. Since receiving her Ph. D. from the University of Texas in 2001,
her work has been published broadly in over 20 international journals
and has presented her research at more than 30 international
conferences, winning 'best paper' four times. She has been awarded two
prestigious Erskine Fellowships with placements as a Visiting Research
Fellow at Oxford University and the University of Cambridge.
