The Media Co-op is a network of collectives from several cities across Canada doing independent and alternative media work and publishing it online. In some ways an attempt to build on the strengths but overcome the weaknesses of the earlier “indymedia” model, The Media Co-op is reader-funded and member run, and it operates through the participation of hundreds of people. It is a forum for both open-ended, get-your-own-story-out self-publishing as well as for high-quality, in-depth reporting, and it usually provides ways for readers to distinguish and navigate this content without silencing or erasing the former. The emphasis on “grassroots” content means placing priority on ordinary people as sources rather than the powerful. Personally, I think there are some ways that the emphasis on a very journalistic form for the higher quality pieces limits what this model can achieve, but at that same time there is power and opportunity in sticking to that very specific focus. Worth reading!
