Local Media and Digital Environment in the Republic of Belarus: Strategies to Survive

Abstract

The work of the editorial offices of the regional newspapers of the Republic of Belarus in the context of digitalization is considered. The results of a study of the dynamics of the transformation of local media at the stage of introducing new technological tools are reflected. The relevance of the article is due to the need for a theoretical description and conceptualization of the ideal model of digital media in a modern hybrid and polarized environment, characterized by a crisis of traditional media and the emergence of many alternative news sources. We conducted a multi-method study drawing on in-depth interviews with experts and practitioners and also on a survey of chief editors at small market newspapers. The scientific novelty of the article is to identify new theoretical and scientific-practical aspects of the study of regional media in the conditions of high-speed production and dissemination of information. This paper provides reflective analysis of how social, economic and above all technological forces are transforming the local media industry, and what this means for the professionals working in it in an era, where the pace of change is leaving many familiar concepts outdated.