The Power of Global Community Media

Book excerpt: Drawing on both theoretical and practical case studies, Community Media moves from developing attempts at local media to case studies and on to cyber-examples. Alphabetically, its more than two dozen cases include reports on the Asian Pacific region, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Ghana, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latin America, Lebanon, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as a number of other perspectives and (virtual) visions. The contributors, all distinguished international communications scholars, present a range of perspectives on the ever-burgeoning area of grassroots, local media by the people, for the people, their research representing participant observation, hands-on community involvement, serving on international boards of directors, content analysis, and ethical inquiries. It will appeal to a range of academic disciplines, community media groups, and the thousands of people who work in their local cable television centers to provide an alternative voice to mainstream media.