Metacoverage taking the place of coverage: wikiLeaks as a source for the production of news in the digital age

While recent studies have engaged critically with the publication of news on multiple platforms, and the competition to mainstream media from non-traditional online news platforms, scholars have devoted less attention to the changes brought about to the production of news by the host of online sources becoming available for journalism. This article investigates the way in which the availability and competition from digital sources place the production of news from war zones in transition. Theoretically, metacoverage is introduced as one prevailing strategy applied by mainstream news media, when following up on stories launched by non-traditional, online media actors. The empirical point of departure for this article is the coverage of WikiLeaks’ publication in 2010 of the gun camera video Collateral Murder in three US, three UK and three Danish newspapers, which focused on the changing conditions for news production.