Desperately seeking the news public

This article, drawing upon an empirical study of news consumption among Greek, Greek Cypriot and Turkish-speaking audiences, attempts to rethink two assumptions about audiences and publics for news. On the one hand, the article challenges the normative perspective in which the news audience is traditionally studied. News consumption emerges as a multi-faceted process that transcends the public-private divide. The affective and sometimes instrumental uses of the news are deeply intertwined with the rational and critical dimensions of news consumption, rendering audiences both rational and emotional, both citizens and consumers. On the other hand, the article recognizes the diversity of the news audience, thus challenging the equation of the public with the nation and other supposedly homogenous groups. The article not only describes the plurality and ethnic diversity of the audiences for the Greek news but also goes on to identify the moments when difference is translated into withdrawal and even exclusion from public life.