Coop Media de Montreal

The Media Co-op is a coast-to-coast network of local media cooperatives dedicated to providing grassroots, democratic coverage of their communities and of Canada. 

 PO Box 741, Station H, Montréal, QC H3G 2M7

 Phone: 514 563 1399

local, national

The Media Co-op is reader-funded and member-run. It relies on the participation of hundreds of people through discussions of coverage, photography, written accounts, videos and other forms of participatory journalism. But it also seeks to fund experienced journalists to produce high-quality, in-depth reporting, drawing whenever possible on input and material generated by the membership.

The Media Co-op was initiated by members of The Dominion’s editorial collective in 2006. The project formally began in February of 2007, when The Dominion reincorporated as a cooperatives and announced its intentions to establish a Media Co-op with a cross-Canada tour.
The Media Co-op idea came from a recognition of the limitations of The Dominion’s rigorous and labour-intensive editorial process, and the need for a more broadly participatory media organization.

• Established: May 2011
• Umbrella Organization: Media Co-op

video production

photography

web production

The Media Co-op is a coast-to-coast network of local media cooperatives dedicated to providing grassroots, democratic coverage of their communities and of Canada.

“Grassroots” means that for each topic we cover, we talk to the people directly affected by policies or activities first. Once a journalist thoroughly understands the story of those directly affected and has time and resources left over, she brings their questions to those making the decisions: politicians, corporate executives, and so on.
This approach stems from a certain kind of common sense: if we start by talking to the people who have a vested interest in (and experience with) spinning, framing or outright lying to their own advantage, then we’re not likely to get the real story. The approach also takes the position that what is actually happening on the ground is more important than what influential people are saying about what’s going on.

The Co-op seeks to represent the common interests of the various groups. For example: the readers want high-quality grassroots coverage, and are willing to pay for it; the contributors want to cover stories free from the constraints of the corporate press and be paid for their work. The editor members are charged with organizing the cooperative and keeping things running day to day.

[youtube width=”600″ height=”365″ video_id=”ehFCYAg5LKQ”]

The Media Co-op is reader-funded and member-run.