Introduction: Rethinking the horizons of alternative and community media

This issue of the Journal of Alternative and Community Media explores the expanding conceptual and geographic landscape of alternative and community media. While historically aligned with progressive movements, democratization and marginalized voices, recent scholarship expands this narrative by acknowledging the field’s growing ideological diversity. The six featured articles and one book review included in this issue expand diverse contexts – from exiled video activists in Germany to participatory health radio in Ghana – highlighting themes such as hybridity, professionalization and transnational activism. At the same time, contributions such as Padovani’s analysis of right-wing media in Italy reveal how alternative media can also be harnessed for exclusionary and authoritarian ends. These articles challenge assumptions that alternative media are inherently emancipatory, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced understanding grounded in specific political, social and cultural contexts. This issue calls for a re-evaluation of key concepts, such as participation and resistance, urging scholars to critically engage with both the democratic possibilities and the political ambivalence of alternative media in today’s context.