Change the media, change the world? Really? Is it that simple? Well, I went to the National Conference for Media Reform this past weekend to find out.

Kudos to Free Press, based in the Pioneer Valley, for putting on such a great event — their fifth national conference (starting in 2003). The major theme banged home during the weekend was that no matter what your issue focus is, you’ve got to make media your second issue. Whether we’re talking about media policy or media making, it is imperative to transform the way we communicate to each other and to larger and larger audiences of concerned citizens. From message to medium, from media justice to media literacy, this conference brought together a few thousand people who are remaking the media from the bottom up.