Interesting Stuff on Future of Niche Media

A couple of interesting articles that shed some light on possible media futures.

First The Guardian reports on Pew Research Centre findings that suggest niche publications – particularly the little trade magazines that were once not taken seriously by mainstream journalists – are becoming the new sites of serious political reportage. There are implications for equity:

Press coverage is being remoulded to serve an elite that will pay a premium price to keep tabs on how politicians and civil servants are affecting elite interests. News of how democratic institutions work is being segmented and privatised. And this process began 20 years ago, long before the recession and even before the growth of the internet.

But for a more positive take on the potential of niche journalis, look at this article from Editor and Publisher, which reports on the New York Times experiment with highly local citizen journalism.