Media Democracy Day in Vancouver this year billed itself as “Media Beyond the Frame.”

A grassroots media organization with a yearly fair every October in major Canadian cities, Media Democracy Day formed in 1996 to protest the concentration of media ownership in Canada. It was modeled after the British example.

This is what the Canadian organizations believes:

Media Democracy broadly encompasses the following notions: that the health of the democratic political system depends on the efficient, accurate, and complete transmission of social, political, and cultural information in society; that the media are the conduits of this information and should act in the public interest; that the mass media have increasingly been unable and uninterested in fulfilling this role due to increased concentration of ownership and commercial pressures; and that this undermines democracy as voters and citizens are unable to participate knowledgeably in public policy debates.

And this is how the internet affords these opportunities:

We see great promise in the open communications of the Internet and want that openness expanded into every form of media. We envision a global system of communications that has as its foundation in the direct, democratic participation of citizens.

How do independent and alternative Canadian news organizations challenge the status-quo? How does the Internet facilitate what they do?Here’s what some Vancouver panelists had to say:

Sean Condon; editor, Megaphone Magazine

In terms of Canadian media, it means looking outside the mainstream media. We are starting to see alternative media really start to solidify itself again. I think people are beginning to look outside of that frame as to where they are getting their news. There are a lot of things I need to hear about that I may not be hearing from the mainstream media.There are two sides to our street paper: the magazine and the vendors. We can use our website to help people connect with vendors — through their profiles and where you can find them [in person, on the street].

Kei Baritugo; producer, GroundedTV.com

I’m a communications student and have a very specific understanding of how the frame defines what you’re supposed to be looking at who’s deciding what’s important and what’s not important. Today we have that power and decision-making ability to decide what is worthwhile and what is not.

Dawn Paley, The Dominion and Vancouver Media Co-op

For us as a co-operative, it means building a vibrant media that has a different revenue model that allows us to provide coverage that’s missing in the mainstream. The idea is that our revenue structure is going to allow us to be a long-term, viable alternative.I don’t think this would be possible without the Internet. The idea is to build dozens of locals across the country with them all feeding into The Dominion [specifically the online newsmagazine]. That kind of networking is not possible for people without a lot of resources if it weren’t for the Internet.

Linda Solomon; publisher, the VancouverObserver.com

It means looking beyond the limits of mainstream media in Vancouver to what immense possibilities there are. We’re in the biggest media monopoly in North America and it’s easy to just adjust to the world around us, but when you step outside of that, you realize how stifling it is here.We should be in a place where a lot of people can be competing; competition makes you try harder. The big media conglomerates just aren’t trying that hard because they just don’t have to.

Tanya Hill; podcaster, Co-op Radio 102.7

It means finding out what’s beyond what you see on your screen — finding stories on the ground and taking an interest in the topic and the people.

Alex Samur managing editor, Rabble.ca

Beyond the frame means opportunities outside of an advertising-based model and relying on members and citizens to report on the issues of the day.

Anne Roberts; Seriously Free Speech

I always assume that media democracy is something outside the mainstream media. I had always assumed that this is a culture that wants to increase the diversity in the media.I think it is a bit of an allure that anyone can publish anything, but the question is how do we create something that everybody can read the same stories so we can create a broad and general discussion?