Fortress Of Freedom

Fortress Of Freedom is a media think tank and media access portal located in Canada with offices in Toronto and London, England. The organization has launched successful business models in newspaper, record label and television/film production in an era where these media types are in decline. Fortress of Freedom (later known as Fortress Of Freedom Inc.) has accessed the largest network television broadcasters and the largest radio broadcasters in Canada as well as running a newspaper affiliated with a non-profit journalism association that embraced the citizen journalist.
History
Fortress of Freedom started out as a think tank of academics and university students in Toronto and London, England who were concerned about the globalization of media entities and the resultant lack of exposure for talented young people of all disciplines. They decided to show by example by creating a media company patterned on the largest, most successful media companies in the world. This media company became "Fortress Of Freedom Inc." on January 27, 2004. The group started a newspaper in 2004 called "The Fortress Newspaper," incorporated a journalist credential and archiving corporation called "International Archiving Of Independent Journalists Inc." on January 25, 2004. Music production and publishing (FOF Records) started in 2004 with first radio play on CKLN that same year. Televison became a reality for the group with the airing of "The Fortress TV Show" on the evening September 18, 2005. A non-profit journalist association was incorporated on February 12, 2008 called "International Association of Independent Journalists Inc." (IAIJ) as reported in the national government publication "Canada Gazette" (page 13) and has full editorial control over The Fortress Newspaper. More Vision Inc., an advertising company, was started in June 2008 to help pay for on-going productions by using music in advertising and television productions. All of the above activity originated from the organization's founder (Maurice Ali) as presented in his book "Protest! The Fall of Civil Disobedience"
Media access
The Fortress Newspaper now has a circulation of about 32,000 total for distribution in Canada and England. The newspaper business model was unusual in that it relied on no advertising income. The cost of printing was borne by association dues and other productions that made money through the advertising company (More Vision Inc.), ensuring longevity and editorial objectivity. In music/radio the largest audience was 548,000 during a prime-time radio play of Donald "Boots" Brasseur's Christmas music on Toronto's CFZM (AM740). Other radio play included prime-time air play on Toronto radio stations like CFNY (102.1: The Edge) as well as CIUT and CKLN. The record label was uncommon in that it used published music for advertising and television theme music to pay for ongoing music production. In television it is by broadcast population and is 35 million (national audience) for the first "Fortress TV Show" (Global Television Network) and 45 million (national audience and U.S.A.)(July 26, 10:30 am on the CTV Television Network). The Free Press, The Making Of AAVRY KNAPP: Daze In My Life, Fortress Variety Show,Fortress Variety Show (Part 2),Fortress Experiment,TWENTY6HUNDRED: Free With Purchase,Fortress Experiment: Epilogue). Television and music production work side by side for music videos, entertainment and background music in Fortress Of Freedom television productions.
Recent activity
Seven years after the organization began, most of the media entities have spun off as separate corporations leaving the core group of people from the original think tank. Fortress Of Freedom Inc., however, still holds all rights to intellectual property in non-news making media and the journalist association (IAIJ) holds all rights to intellectual property for the newspaper. The organization continues to offer media access to talented people, young and old, through the present organization.

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