Across the world, journalism is under pressure. With the growth of misinformation through social media and the global decline in funding for independent outlets, democracy is being undermined. This is especially true in South Africa, where economic inequality and political instability have created fertile ground for disinformation to flourish.
You may remember this recent example of misinformation
For working people, the decline of independent journalism has a direct impact. When workers’ issues like wages, health and safety, gender-based violence, housing, transport, or education are ignored or misrepresented, their struggles remain invisible. Without a strong platform, workers lose the ability to shape public debate and demand accountability.
It is in this context that Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has supported the Workers’ World Media Productions (WWMP) since 2009. WWMP is a South African organisation dedicated to building community-led media by and for workers, ensuring that their stories and concerns are heard.
Why worker-led media matters
Mainstream media often sidelines labour and community struggles, while media monopolies continue to narrow the scope of public debate. WWMP provides an alternative: media that is grounded in workers’ realities, created by those who live them.
This approach not only challenges misinformation but also strengthens democracy by ensuring that working-class voices are part of the national conversation. In doing so, WWMP addresses one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to sustain democratic participation when public information is so easily distorted.
Check their stories at their online newspaper
A grassroots model
At the heart of WWMP’s work are the Labour Media Community Forums (LMCFs). These forums are independent, democratically run spaces where workers come together to discuss local issues, coordinate campaigns, and produce media content that reflects their communities.
The forums are more than media platforms; they are vehicles for education, leadership, and organising. By building the capacity of workers to manage these forums themselves, WWMP is fostering sustainable, grassroots structures that can outlast external funding and support.
Strengthening autonomy and skills
Through training programs in journalism, political education, and media production, workers are gaining the tools to tell their own stories. Many participants have already had their work published or broadcast, proving that local voices can make a national impact.
Equally important, the forums are achieving genuine autonomy. Long-established LMCFs are now self-sufficient, managing their own activities and campaigns without relying on outside intervention. Women have taken on leadership roles in the majority of these forums, ensuring that diverse perspectives are represented.
Building worker power through media
By combining skills training with democratic structures, WWMP has created a model of grassroots media that is both sustainable and impactful. Workers are not only reporting on their own conditions but also shaping the public narrative around key issues like labour rights, gender equality, and community struggles.
This project demonstrates that in the face of disinformation and declining media independence, workers can create their own solutions.
This project is supported by the Australian Education Union.
