Independent Media and the Internet

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Independent Media and the Internet

Independent Media has long existed across the globe. As the voice of dissent it is often repressed by governments and corporations that look the hide the truth. Indy Media began as print newspapers that often faced high production cost and difficult means of expanding beyond local circulation. They did not have the established means and financial backing that major news corporations had. Indy newspapers were often hard to obtain, quite expensive, and unable to cover all major topics due to resources. Journals such as The Nation and The Progressive managed to obtain nationwide circulation, but were often unknown outside of politically left leaning groups.

Sources such as The Nation actually began as a way to promote leftist ideals and views. Most mainstream media was fairly well balanced due to government restrictions on ownership and responsibility. The population of the United States was receiving fairly unbiased information. Then came the Clinton Administration and the decision to deregulate the Broadcast Industry. Almost all major media outlets were swallowed up by a few large corporations. In several years following the deregulation the whole industry would be controlled by seven enormous corporate conglomerates. They would come to favor profits over journalistic integrity. As advocates of big business the unspoken policy has been that the news should also be portrayed with conservative slants. In 1995 only 7.5% of quotes on television programming were from progressives (Myths).

At approximately the same time that media was being engulfed in corporatism came the internet boom. The first organization to really take initiative with this new medium was th...

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...85684604&dyn=8!xrn_7_0_A85684604?sw_aep=viva_jmu>.

“Zimbabwe: Journalist describes his "illegal" detention.” BBC Monitoring International Reports. 6 February 2002. 1 April 2003 <http://web1.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/268/613/35524752w1/purl=rc1_ITOF_0_A85327330&dyn=8!xrn_13_0_A85327330?sw_aep=viva_jmu>.

“Zimbabwe journalist Mark Chavunduka, 1965-2002.” Ed. Bill Krueger. Winter 2002. Nieman Reports, Harvard University. 2 April 2003. 3 April 2003 <http://web1.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/268/613/35524752w1/purl=rc1_ITOF_0_A97175093&dyn=8!xrn_1_0_A97175093?sw_aep=viva_jmu>.

“Zimbabwe: Some 500 opposition supporters reportedly detained, tortured.” BBC Monitoring International Reports. 11 April 2003. <http://web1.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/268/613/35524752w1/purl=rc1_ITOF_0_A99943264&dyn=6!xrn_24_0_A99943264?sw_aep=viva_jmu>.

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