Content Analysis of UK Alternative Media Articles and Tweets, 2015-2018

The methodology used to create this data collection was content analysis. The studied population was left-wing and right-wing alternative media. The sampling procedure used was the most influential alternative media at the time (measured by sites that have the most shared articles on social media).

For left-wing sites, the sample included The Canary, The Skwawkbox, Evolve Politics, Another Angry Voice and Novara Media, and for right-wing sites, Guido Fawkes, Breitbart London, Westmonster and The Conservative Woman.

One first dataset examined 3452 items, and quantified the degree and nature of critique towards mainstream media. The second dataset examined 14,807 Tweets from the main Twitter accounts of alternative media sites. We examined three-week sample periods each year between 2015 and 2018 (6–25 October 2015; 9–29 October 2016; 30 April–7 June 2017; and 8–28 October 2018.).

The first dataset was examined in three ways.

Part 1 file- This contains content analysis data on the publication date, headline and article author, along with if content opinion- or fact-driven content, the topic, if it was about policy coverage, the party political focus and sentiment.

Part 2 file - this relates to different types of sources which could be multiple within one article

Part 3 file - this relates to the overall topic tone and tone of article.

MSM critique file - This file contains content analysis data on the degree to which mainstream media was part of routine coverage. Four areas were examined: The media entity, The media organisation, the sentiment and finally criticism or praise type.

Twitter file - tis relates to Twitter analysis. We examined the purpose of tweets, political reference and sentiment, and media reference and sentiment.