ABSTRACT
Most research on third-sector media organisations, by which I mean companies representing a sector of media production understood to be relatively autonomous of state and commercial interests, and operating in the interests of community and public life, has tended to focus on how they are bounded by socio-political imperatives. Key examples include providing news and other informational content specifically tailored to meet the requirements of audiences un-catered to by mainstream media, encouraging wider participation in the making of such content and functioning as both a critique of and a corrective to the dominance of mainstream media. In doing so, it is argued, third-sector media organisations demonstrate distinctive social and cultural value in facilitating informed and inclusive debate.
