Locate Alternative Media in the Digital News Ecosystem: A Cross-Country Comparative Study of Alternative-Mainstream Audience Overlap Networks

Authors

• Qinfeng Zhu, University of Groningen
• Fan Liang, Duke Kunshan University
• Gabriel Miao Li, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-26-2026

Abstract

This study examines alternative media within the digital news ecosystem in six European countries: Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, France, and Spain. Using a network approach and a cross-country comparative design, we analyze audience overlap between alternative and mainstream media, the positions alternative media occupy within these networks, and how media systems and political contexts may shape these dynamics. Our findings show that while overall audience overlap is low, it is higher in countries where far-right populist parties have greater institutionalized access to political discourse. We also identify alternative media enclaves within the Northern-type media system characterized by strong professional journalism—particularly in Sweden, where far-right populist actors remained politically marginalized at the time of data collection. This study advances audience-centric alternative media research and offers insights into how contextual factors may shape the relationality between “alternative” and “mainstream”.

Comments

This article was originally published in Digital Journalism in 2026. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2026.2683342

Recommended Citation

Zhu, Q., Liang, F., & Li, G. M. (2026). Locate alternative media in the digital news ecosystem: A cross-country comparative Study of alternative-mainstream audience overlap networks. Digital Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2026.2683342

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.