Study Examines Relationship Among Mainstream , Other Media

J.. VJLainstream daily newspapers, radio and television stations and weekly community newspapers typically serve the interests of the majority of people in their communities. However, the U.S. press system also has given rise to news outlets serving smaller community segments and groups with shared interests. From the 19th century black press, to the late-1900s populist and reform press to alternative newspapers of the 1960s, non-mainstream media helped build community and provide information unavailable in mainstream media.' More recently, a new form of non-mainstream news outlet has developed because of digital distribution. Citizen journalism and blog sites serve neighborhoods within larger cities and widely dispersed special interest communities. Blood wrote that the Internet provides almost anyone the equivalent of a printing press.^ In 2005,16 percent of people in the United States reported reading blogs;^ by 2010, the number was 28 percent."* Historically, a first reaction to a new medium is to evaluate how it fits with existing media: e.g., are public affairs blogs substitutes or complements to existing types of news media? So far, little research has addressed this question. Two studies suggested that citizen journalism sites did not serve as substitutes for daily newspapers.^ However, both studies dealt only with two types of news outlets. Additional, broader studies are needed to establish the role of citizen