Alternative journalism and translation

Abstract

Alternative journalism refers to media practices that fall outside of the parameters of mainstream journalism. It often equates to media practices referred to as citizen journalism, or radical, underground, independent, collaborative, convergent, activist, participatory or community-based. Furthermore, it is practiced mainly through different forms of media, such as print, radio, video, film, street art, social media and community media. Although it is evident that translation is present in the production of alternative news, very few studies have investigated this phenomenon. The aim of this chapter is to focus on the status of research on translation in alternative journalism. It provides a presentation of the development of alternative journalism; an overview of different forms of alternative journalism; a discussion of research on the intersection between translation and alternative journalism; and, in conclusion, a brief look at possible future research. In general, the chapter argues that there has been very little engagement with the role of language and translation in the literature on alternative journalism, whether in journalism studies or in translation studies.