Long before Jello Biafra told us to "be the media" another great American, Benjamin Franklin, stated that the only free press is one you own yourself.

When I studied journalism in the early 1980's it became obvious that censorship of the media is a multilayered and insidious thing. Multinational media ownership ensures compliance. Multinational corporations also pay for the media, through advertising, which exerts its own subtle influence. Editorial teams are selected to maintain the editorial line, subs tweak perceptions by how they write headlines, caption pictures and what they choose to leave in or take out of a story. Journalists self censor - writing only what they think will get published and constrained by the narrowness of their own perceptions. It is informative that political studies are not usually part of journalism training curricula. Production technique is emphasised, hence so much well produced pap.

Technology has opened the door to independent media. DTP makes print zines easy to produce. Indymedia and 'undercurrents' style video production has opened up the camera's lens to a wider range of commentators. And the internet...ahhhh the internet.

So I'm doing it. nandor.net.nz is me making my own media (with a little help from my friends. OK a lot of help from my friends). Peruse, enjoy, tell us what you think.

JaH blessings