Basic Details:

“Beyond the MSM” is a three-year (2019-2022) project examining the emergence of “alternative online political media”. The project is jointly based at JOMEC (School of Journalism, Media and Culture) at Cardiff University and Swansea University.

It receives funding from the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council). See details of the project team here.

What we’re researching:

We study a number of online media outlets that have emerged in recent years. This includes The Canary, Evolve Politics, Novara Media, The Skwawkbox, Another Angry Voice, Westmonster, Breitbart London, and The Conservative Woman. We also study the long-standing outlet Guido Fawkes.

We study these outlets in the context of declining trust in the “MSM” (mainstream media). Mainstream outlets have been accused of protecting the interests of elites, perpetuating certain political agendas, and not covering certain issues. To what extent is this why audiences turn to alternatives?

Project Aim:

The aim of this research project is to understand the content of these outlets, how this content is produced, and how it is consumed by audiences. It’s that straight forward! We want to understand people's views about the media, and, the degree to which they are turning to alternative media because of dissatisfactions with the “MSM”.

Research Approach:

i. Content. We are conducting longitudinal content analysis of website content and social media material, with a focus on political coverage and representations of the media.

ii. Consumption. In addition, we are conducting surveys and interviews with audiences of alternative online political media, to explore why they consume this media and what they think of the “MSM”.

iii. Production. Finally, we are interviewing the editors of these outlets as well as content contributors, to explore their motivations and aims, as well as their views on traditional and legacy media.