Chapter 8

Alternative or Mainstream

The Interplay Between Social Media and Mass Media

Abstract

Al Jazeera and its role in the events of the Arab Spring; Zinor Layla, Channel 2 News, and YNET coverage of the Israeli social justice protests; Tagesschau and Abendschau reporting over the refugee crisis in Germany/Berlin; Fox News and the Guardian treatment of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. When considering the interplay between social media and mass/mainstream media in the context of collective action and social movements, a complex and paradoxical relation that goes beyond the mere dissemination of collective action or movement-related information is revealed, a relation that is affected by aspects such as newsworthiness and gatekeepers, legitimacy ...

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