Journalism(s) at the margins have often been perceived to focus exclusively on public service obligations.The motivation for this lies in the inability and/or unwillingness of mainstream public service and commercialmedia to provide a range of civic programming that caters to the needs and interests of diverse groupsin society. This research, however, shows that evolving socio-political and socio-economic circumstanceshave had a considerable impact on contemporary marginal journalism(s). Whilst a commitment to publicservicegoals remains perceptible, this article makes two key arguments. First, the changing conditionsin which journalists at the margins operate increasingly compel them to embrace mechanised journalisticroutines associated with mainstream media, thereby compromising their public-service function. Secondand following on from the first point, marginal journalism(s) have devised innovative media strategies tocope with the evolving circumstances in a manner reminiscent of the concept of the “third sector”. Thisevidence – based on data gathered through ethnographic research at three selected case study organisations- provides us with an enhanced understanding of current trends in this field. The article highlightsthese developments and in doing so, makes a contribution to the development of a conceptual frameworkof contemporary marginal journalism(s).
Localism and the third sector: New relationships of public service?
