On the Need for a Popular Media

As the trend towards the concentration of the media in the hands of fewer and fewer people continues, the range of viewpoints and opinions expressed is becoming more and more restricted. People who disagree with the views of the economic elite, which owns virtually all of Canada's newspapers, magazines, and radio and television networks, find that there is little or no outlet for their opinions. Cultural expression which does not fit the mould or which does not lend itself to quick profits also finds itself shunned by the mainstream media, which is thereby marginalizing an increasing section of society.

Increasingly, the Canadian mainstream media is also becoming an instrument for the dismantling of Canada as a nation and for the economic, political and cultural annexation of Canada by the United States. This is not accidental, but a reflection of the fact that the capitalist class in Canada, both that which is domestic in origin and that which is simply a branch of American capital, no longer sees any financial value in maintaining a border and a separate identity from the United States.

This situation has created the necessity for a truly popular and genuinely mainstream media, one which reflects the values and aspirations of the majority of Canadians. This necessity is felt the strongest among those who are already in action to change the situation, whether they are struggling against specific injustices or against capitalism and the imperialist system as a whole. As a result, the individuals and groups involved in these struggles have recognized the need for their own forms of communication - newspapers, magazines, the internet, etc. Various examples of alternate media already exist. These play an important role in providing different points of view and different sources of information. However, because at present these forms of media address themselves to specific, and usually fairly limited, audiences, they have been unable to break out of the marginalization imposed on them by the corporate media. Consequently, the vast majority of the population has little or no access to points of view which differ from those of the mainstream media.

Changing this situation will not be easy, but it is a necessity if any progress is to be made on changing the nature of Canadian society. A new, popular media must emerge which reflects the views and aspirations of the Canadian people themselves, a media which is capable of providing coherence to the struggles of Canadians for democracy, sovereignty and social progress. Such a media will find broad acceptance from the Canadian people and will rapidly become the norm in both form and content, thus reducing the corporate media to "alternate" status.