Independent Media EOTO #2

     

    Alternative media (or independent media) is a term given to any source of news media that has no external influence either by government or by commercial funding. These sources are nonprofit and typically funded through donations. This funding structure gives the sources significantly more freedom to report on the stories that they truly believe in. Essentially, alternative media is in it for the love of the game, rather than to turn a profit. Because they are not beholden to any sponsors they are not afraid of reporting on any topic.

                                                       

    This freedom also means that they don't have an agenda for the most part. They will do what they can to treat the news as objectively as possible because they don't benefit financially from skewing it one way or another. Mainstream media news sites will almost always choose to lean in a certain direction due to its funding policies. They won't report on anything that could shed a negative light on their sources of income. With nonprofit, reporters don't need to worry about writing anything that will tick off potential advertisers, or even any political leaders because they have nothing to lose or gain by doing so. Nowadays, even if you take a look at the difference in advertising between mainstream media, it has created a sort of ecosystem within itself where the products being pushed are typically consumed by people who hold political views, bolstered by the news site and vice versa. Independent news doesn't have that luxury because it's meant to be for everyone; advertisements can't cater to specific people; certain people won't be pulled to it due to advertising. Despite the fact that personal ideologies will inevitably seep through, it is less frequent and not quite as icky. I mean, I know I’d rather read an opinionated article from someone based on what they believe in rather than what corporate believes in.

You can take a look at which corporations own which sites HERE

    At the dawn of widespread news, (thanks to the printing press) it was always a business to either gain funding from advertisers or from the government. When printing presses were first coming out, they were not cheap and to be blunt newspapers needed the money in order to keep their businesses running. While there was a certain integrity to the news as there always is, as the world kept growing, news distribution became more complex and expensive, leading independent publishing into a rapid decline.. until recently when the age of the Internet began. Multiple sites have been able to reinvigorate the field independently run media. Thanks to the advent of things like social media, blogs (like this one!), and other online self-publishing sites, people are able to host and share their news that they want to report without having to spend hardly any money. Funds are the source of funds needed in this age to host a website, the main and pay reporters to do research and write insightful articles. However, this doesn't stop anyone who has a firsthand counter experience from just sharing their real life online so thanks for the Internet. Independent media has seen a massive resurgence and it's hopeful that it can continue to rise and become more popular than mainstream media because of its strength, integrity, and impartiality.