alternative news media Written by A.J. Bauer Contributor to SAGE Publications's The SAGE Encyclopedia of Journalism (2022) whose work appears in Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with SAGE. A.J. Bauer Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Apr. 21, 2026 •History Alternative news media is a concept that describes and explains an ideologically diverse array of media activist and journalistic initiatives around the world. While the term has been used to retroactively analyze historical forms of activist reporting, including the abolitionist, labor, and women’s movement presses of the 19th century, it was initially theorized in the latter half of the 20th century. It first became widely used in the 1980s among media scholars and activists interested...

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