Journal of Co-operative Studies, 58(3), 34-48

Abstract

Despite journalism’s important role in developing democratic communities, English-language co‑operative studies have long neglected news markets. Prompted by the news industry’s contemporary shakeout, the field has only recently begun to address co-operators’ role in journalism’s democratic reconstruction. This article, therefore, presents several examples of long-established, large-scale, and influential news co-operatives in national daily newspaper markets. These experiences illustrate that the model can provide feasible, enduring, and meaningful alternatives to investor-owned media firms. Identifying consumer co-operatives’ presence, worker co-operatives’ apparent predominance, and multistakeholder co-operatives’ recent emergence, the analysis next focuses on the distinctive value of news workers’ leadership. Arguing for greater phenomenological understanding of journalists’ unique economic, professional, reputational, political, and relational incentives, we draw from members’ accounts in the case study literature and journalistic reports about Athens’ Efimerida ton Syntakton newspaper co-operative; this illustrates these field-specific interests’ distinctive force. Unpacking these economic and social motivations both explains and encourages worker-owners’ leading role in successful news ventures. The paper concludes by recommending greater attention to news co‑operation’s economic sociology, including best practices to support this emerging sector—such as newsroom self-management, multistakeholder commitments, and inter‑co‑operation.

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