A discussion is provided of the use of the Web to bolster grass roots journalism, which is also referred to as citizen journalism. The media world may be dominated by large media monopolies, but community Web sites are places where all people can exult in their triumphs, and the sites also offer a forum for discussion of local politics, coverage for local readers, and a way for people to connect. Topics covered are the expansion of the movement, what has made it grow, why it is attractive, and how it is being promoted and developed on various levels to support the community and also a new journalistic model. While the media business has made people passive, citizen journalism on the Web allows them to participate and to encourage participation by others. Tools are dropping in cost, and people have an ingrained desire to tell their own stories, discuss events, and also express frustration with other media. Two people who run a local Web site say they spend considerable time urging people to post, and another says she worked with the community to get people involved, which is a continuous process. When moderators have a light touch and only delete offensive material or non-local material, the content published is generally unedited. Grass roots, town-crier journalism will develop alongside big media to complement the latter. Grass roots journalism is part of a wave of new media that includes blogs and podcasts and folks with digital cameras posting their pictures on Web sites.