The Meteor is a not-for-profit, independent media project – an alternative, radical, community-based publication for the people of Manchester. By telling stories that are neglected in the mainstream, investigating and challenging local power structures and exploring important issues, from every day to the earth-shattering, we aim to promote social justice in our city and beyond. Our work seeks to offer an independent alternative to the mainstream media that encourages social change and is open, inclusive and diverse, both through the stories we produce and the way we work together. We incorporated as a multi-stake co-op because we believe local journalism should be democratically accountable to its readers and that readers should be able to take an active role in shaping such a vital service, beyond buying a paper or clicking and sharing online.
We want to use community organising methods to reach out, listen and build power with the communities we serve
We want to use community organising methods to reach out, listen and build power with the communities we serve and create new systems for a more diverse range of people to have a say in how their local media is run. We also want to organise with other local groups who are building power in different areas such as housing, transport and health, building reciprocal relationships built on common concerns and solidarity.
We have seen community organising methods being used by outlets such as The Bristol Cable, Bureau Local, Media Reform Coalition and the Mediafund and we can see the huge potential for this approach to be in growing and building power within the media democracy movement.
