As mainstream media becomes more concentrated and controlled, the importance of and necessity of alternative sources becomes greater. Though alternative media has a long history, two events in particular, the first Gulf War and the WTO in Seattle, are especially important to the ‘new breed’ of alternative media sources. The first Gulf War was important because it incited the growth of alternative media sources in light of the transparent and blatant bias of news coverage that first Gulf War (CNN, American news wire services, etc.). It also marked the importance of the Internet as an important source for news coverage.
The WTO in Seattle was important again, both as a response by to mainstream
media coverage of the event, as well as the widespread use of video cameras
by activists which created a new form of activist journalism/media.