The comments left below the Cable’s article on September’s anti-austerity march were the usual mix of those supportive of the protesters and those who thought it was all a waste of time. One commenter said the protesters should learn to ‘play the hand you were dealt’.
That sentiment obviously wasn’t shared by the 5,000-plus people who took to Bristol’s streets that day demanding change (despite there being varied opinions on the usefulness of demonstrations, or in this case, the strength of strategies put forward by the mayor).
Although a throwaway remark, the ‘play the hand you were dealt’ attitude – accepting the status quo as fixed – is the opposite of what this issue of the Cable’s all about.
We’re looking at the city’s change makers, past and present: from the early trade unionists who broke anti-worker rules in 19th century Bristol to bring about changes we all benefit from today, to the Street2Boardroom project giving young former street hustlers entrepreneurial know-how, to the Bristol Pound shaking up the financial system, and even the 1831 Bristol rioters. And much more.
In its own way the Cable is changing the rules. We aren’t accepting that media has to chase clicks and be controlled by disinterested investors. We are creating new rules, where journalism in the public interest is owned and led by those it serves. As members of the Cable, 1,800+ people are now ‘playing this hand’. Will you join in?
The Cable team
Public interest journalism is expensive, takes time and can be risky.
But powering Bristol’s media co-op isn’t.
Join the Cable
- The Bristol Cable
- TheBristolCable
- The Bristol Cable is media co-operative – created and owned by over 2,100 (and counting) people in the city.
With free events and trainings, a multimedia website and a free quarterly print edition, The Bristol Cable is redefining local journalism through challenging multimedia, community action and cooperative ownership. Online, in print and on the street.
Introducing: our first ‘early career journalists’
We’ve hired two up-and-coming Bristol reporters.
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Why Cable members are voting for change
It’s time to hear from members on which issue we should prioritise in our next campaign – making drug use safer or cleaning up our air.
Vote online for the Cable’s next campaign and push for change in the city
We believe journalism is more than information. It’s power. And now it’s time to add your voice to create positive change in Bristol.
6 ways the Cable is turning media ownership on its head
Newspapers should quite rightly be judged by what they print, but it’s high time to also focus attention on how they are run as businesses, and who they serve.
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Cable members continue to shape a new media for Bristol
One hundred Bristol Cable members crammed in to the co-operative’s annual general meeting, proving once again that media in the public interest must be led...
Series: Working In The NHS
NHS members’ meeting: Tapping into our membership
We listen to the people of Bristol as well as our members to inform our journalism. This time is was all about the NHS.
Read more from this edition.
