Am Rande des Journalismus. Rollenverständnis und Transformationspotenzial peripherer Akteur:innen in der DACH-Region

In recent years, the blurring of boundaries within the field of journalism has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between journalism and non-journalism. Journalism research has therefore placed particular emphasis on so-called peripheral actors, who often produce journalism-like content but are not considered journalists in the traditional sense. Examples include bloggers, influencers, citizen journalists, and media startups. These actors are highly heterogeneous, which complicates systematic analysis. To facilitate a better understanding of journalism’s periphery, this study surveyed 358 peripheral actors in German-speaking countries to examine key aspects of self-identification, role orientation, and their potential to transform the professional core of journalism. The results show that many peripheral actors share core similarities with journalists but seek to focus their publishing work more strongly on issues such as social participation, opinion-forming, and social change. At the same time, they place less emphasis on autonomy and maintain a less critical distance. The study identifies five clusters of peripheral actors—Monitors, Advocates, Observers, Service Providers, and the Apolitical—which differ in their role orientations and transformational potential. While some actors seek to complement or reform journalism, others pursue antagonistic approaches.