Community Media

Community communication in the UK; video, local TV, film, and photography. Heinz Nigg and Graham Wade. London und Zürich 1980.

Summary (Book cover)

Community media presents documentary material on six groups working with video, local television, film, and photography in geographical communities or communities of interest.

There is a growing conviction that the means of communication and expression should be placed in the hands of those who have little power in society - the very people who need to exercise greater control over their living environment. The introduction of community media - news sheets, video, local TV, local radio, film, photography, printshops an so on - provides new channels for expressing discontent and criticism as well as advancing positive alternatives.

But community communication is not limited to community action alone. In a period of economic crisis and social apathy, community media are being used increasingly to promote consciousness raising, to stimulate group awareness and building up cultural identity among minorities.

Who are the people pioneering community communication? They are photographers and film-makers who became unhappy with their professional roles and decided to drop out. Or they are artists who rejected the privatised modes of artistic production and instead wanted to use art as a weapon for social change. They are community workers/activists who are looking to community media as tools for mobilising and informing action groups. They are teachers who use community media as a way of bringing the classroom and the community closer together.


Contents (269 p.)

Introduction
Background