Independent media continues to grow apace, while mainstream media is at best stagnant. Independent media grew by 9.7% in February 2019, compared to a paltry 1.1% at the big end of media town.
A piece I wrote a couple of months ago resonated with readers and spurred me on to start theIndependents – an online “portal” promoting the strength and diversity of independent media in Australia.
Based on data provided by “SimilarWeb” – a global online traffic measurement service – independent media traffic has grown by 9.76% from November 2018 to February 2019*. During the same period the top corporate mainstream media sites** grew by 1.1%. And that growth was entirely attributed to News Limited’s growth of 4.6%, the other three in the sample lost on average 5% of their traffic.
Some of the most notable performer among the 30 independents were:
- MichaelWest.com.au – up by 61%
- IndigenousX – up by 152%
- EurekaStreet – up by 40%
- Pearls & Irritations (John Menadue) – up by 18%
- Inside Story – up by 110%
Our list does not include the independent “big guns” – ABC News, The Guardian and The New Daily – the latter two also continuing to grow at a healthy rate and gaining influence.
Well may we lament the power that the infotainment giants have, but the best way to combat it is to stop reading their papers. Independent media has so much more to offer in terms of diversity of opinion, depth and insight.
You can find the complete link of sites plus more information about theIndependents here.
* Based on visitor traffic for 30 independent media sites in November 2018 vs February 2019 – adjusted for a 28 day month.
** Based on sample of The Australian, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and News.com.au
