(Alternative) Media Sources in AfD-centered Facebook Discussions

Abstract

In this research report, I investigated which (media) sources were shared on 122 AfD-related Facebook pages during the year 2016. Results show that mainstream media outlets were not absent from these discussions. The established media sources Welt and Focus were by far the most frequently shared sources, and all major media outlets were represented. However, many of the outlets, which were often mentioned in the debates on an alternative-right (online) media universe, were also highly visible. They were supplemented by a variety of less well-known websites and YouTube channels, many of which are explicitly positioned against the (self-perceived) political and media mainstream. The comparison of party and user messages indicated that the AfD and its supporters preferred somewhat different sources. The party communicators were more likely to refer to more intellectual, conservative-right outlets; the users were more likely to share more controversial and less well-known alternative sources.