What is ‘Media Democracy’?

by James Johnson

Media democracy is such a curious concept; it isn’t as if we are able to elect the reporters to ask the questions that are important to us, or the editors to package them. But, independent of our control, it is a hope that our media outlets be free of the biases and hesitations of external influences, and that is one of the major planks of October 18, 2007—the 7th annual Media Democracy Day (MDD).

“It started around 2001, and two groups had the same idea at the same time in Toronto and Vancouver,” said Media Democracy Day coordinator Stephen Anderson. “It’s my understanding they weren’t really talking to each other about the idea, they both got the idea from [Free Press founder] Robert McChesney, who said we need an Earth Day for media democracy.”

Read the rest at:
http://www.ubyssey.bc.ca/2007/10/16/what-is-%e2%80%98media-democracy%e2%80%99/