Alternative media training: Creating a ‘leftish' newspaper

What Elements Make It Possible to Create Alternative Media Platforms?

Understanding and building alternative media is essential, because most outlets today are controlled by corporations or governments with little or no commitment to global justice. As cultural conflicts intensify, shaping the political sensibilities of the masses has never been more decisive. To succeed, an alternative platform must combine rigorous journalism, visual storytelling, and values that mainstream media often lack. Below, I outline the core elements, a low-cost implementation strategy, and the communication approach needed to build and sustain such a platform.

Core Principles

• Editorial Rigor
  – Cross-validate every claim with multiple, reliable sources.
  – Avoid replicating the biases or framing tactics of mainstream outlets.

• Global Expertise
  – Collaborate with at least 60 experts worldwide to ensure diverse perspectives.
  – Maintain an international outlook rather than a narrow, national one.

• Multiformat Content
  – Combine video channels with written articles and research pieces.
  – Use visuals to engage, but back them up with well-sourced analyses.

• Values to Uphold

  1. Rigor and fact-checking

  2. Cross-validation of information

  3. Research-driven reporting

  4. Giving voice to marginalized social collectives

  5. Confronting corporate power

Low-Cost Implementation

We can leverage a service like Opennemas to launch a fully managed newspaper for minimal cost. Opennemas handles hosting, security, traffic management, and ensures discoverability and uptime.

Team Structure

• Direction Team (4 part-time members)
  – Define editorial line and long-term strategy
  – Contribute at least one editorial piece per day
  – Recruit and coordinate external collaborators
  – Select and approve news items for publication
  – Mediate any internal or political conflicts

• Edition Team (3 full-time members)
  – Monitor site performance and developments during daytime hours
  – Centralize submissions through a single editorial email
  – Edit and polish each article for publication
  – Manage social-media communication
  – Design and prepare the next day’s homepage layout

Communication Strategy

Topic Selection

Winning the narrative depends on choosing issues where our perspective is strongest. For example:

• Framing debates around inequality (where left-leaning arguments resonate) rather than migration.

• In a blackout scenario, focusing on the privatization and under-investment of Spain’s electric grid rather than on renewable-energy policy.

Framing and Language

• Select words and context that shape perception—small shifts can have huge impacts.

• Expose “revolving-door” politicians who move into corporate leadership roles, denormalizing that practice.

• Use clear, forceful language when describing human-rights abuses (e.g., Israel’s actions), avoiding the soft or ambiguous terms common in mainstream reports.

Growth and Impact

• Sustainable Funding
  – Two years of operation funded primarily by subscriptions, with almost no reliance on advertising.

• Track Record
  – Zero published corrections to date.
  – Multiple original research reports.
  – Thousands of daily readers.

• International Expansion
  – Launched editions in Latin America, each governed independently to respect local contexts.

  
  

  By combining these principles, a lean organizational model, and a strategic communication approach, an alternative media platform can thrive—offering rigorous, independent journalism that challenges corporate and governmental narratives.