Cross-cultural Analysis of Russian and Spanish Alternative Media (Illustrated by the Examples of "Mediazona" and "CTXT" Materials)

This graduation paper sheds new light on the research of alternative media, still a barely researched scientific topic, especially in the field of Russian media studies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare Russian and Spanish alternative media, since Spain also has a strong and constantly changing news environment, beneficial for the development of alternative news discourses. The principal research methods are cross-cultural analysis, CANVAS bisness-model and case study based on the selected media (Russian Mediazona and Spanish Contexto) with supplementary expert interviews. Mediazona and Contexto were selected for more accurate research based on the similarity of their agenda, business model and organizational structure. The study begins with an analysis of the concept of alternative media and the difference of the cultural context of the two researched countries and media projects. The body part covers an analysis of relevant research methods, an explanation of the media sample based on the identified criteria of alternative media, and cross-cultural analysis of two media based on case study, CANVAS business-model and the analysis of conducted expert interviews. The outcomes of the thesis reveal the differences between Russian and Spanish alternative media models, helping to identify the characteristics that can be used to compare alternative media, which may help in the further research and professional development of such media to make them more significant.