1. Media ownership and open publishing

Newspapers, radio and television - the cornerstones of the 'old' media infrastructure have all developed under the twin influence of capital and government. In most countries the financial demands of running a media production and distribution mechanism, and the strictures of government regulation, have concentrated ownership into just a few hands. However, there have always been small independent insurgents into the newstands and the airwaves. Added to that, the internet now provides a platform which can change the dynamics of media production and consumption completely. Hanna Nikkanen looks at the Finnish case. She describes how small inventive initiatives are intervening into a heavily conglomerated mass media, and points out some of the new challenges that they bring. Our examples show how production can be opened up to diverse voices, and that media need not be big to be effective.