Dimensions of Peripherality in Journalism: A Typology for Studying New Actors in the Journalistic Field

The emergence of an increasingly complex variety of digital actors who may be considered as engaging in journalism has led to a veritable explosion of scholarship on peripheral actors in the field. Numerous cases have been analyzed, yet we currently lack a systematic understanding of the shapes and forms in which such actors can be studied. To better account for the increasing complexity in this area of scholarship, this article conducts a systematic literature review of 63 articles published in English-language peer-reviewed journals. Through this review, we identify and propose a framework for assessing and classifying the peripherality of actors that is composed of three dimensions–identities, practices, and structures. These are further divided into ten components, which we have termed: values, experience, belongingness, professionalism, competencies, formats, transformativity, autonomy, audience-centricity, and organization. Together, these may help scholars better understand the diversity of peripheral activities in journalism.