A reassessment of the alternative press

Abstract

This article revisits the Comedia group's assessment of the alternative press as one of commercial failure. It examines the British alternative press of the 1990s and finds that, while financial exigency and anti-commercialism are still prevalent, new methods of reproduction and distribution have evolved that enable it to overcome the economic problems caused by such conditions. These methods are highly decentralized, relying on the sharing of resources and responsibility by editors, writers and readers. The findings suggest that Comedia's view is based on an inappropriate model of `market penetration' on the mainstream's terms, not on those of the alternative press. If instead the alternative press is considered as a co-operative enterprise based on alternative economic strategies firmly within the alternative public sphere, then there is reason for it to be considered a success.