[Cmi-venezuela] trying to understand if aporrea wants to start anindymedia group

[coordinadores aporrea]

Hi Boud,

This is Martin Sanchez, creator, and one of the 16 volunteers of
Aporrea.org.

First of all I want to make it clear that Aporrea has not applied to become
part of the Indymedia network, and second, the comment you write about the
Venezuelan anarchists was not made by a member of Aporrea. Individuals from
Aporrea have collaborated with the small group of local anarchists in a
number of projects/issues, in spite of the many disagreements due to our
Marxist (Trotskyst) background.

There have been several attempts at creating a Venezuelan Indymedia. I
cannot elaborate on the reasons why they have failed, but I suspect that the
unique characteristics of Venezuela's political situation might have
something to do with it.

The current Venezuelan government has passed a number of progressive
legislation related to indigenous and women's rights, environmental rights,
banned genetically modified crops, does not follow IMF mandates, has
implemented several social programs for the poor, and most important to us;
encourages, supports and finances alternative and community media (radios,
newspapers, TV, web). The local ruling class, the corporate media, the
Chamber of Commerce, openly oppose the government because of its progressive
policies.

The reality in Venezuela is that the majority of working class grassroots
groups and leaders support the current government in spite of its many
flaws. Aporrea's editorial line is in open defense of the government of Hugo
Chavez against the local bourgeoisie, and against US imperialism which wants
to get rid of him. 

We and several other alternative and community based media are about to
receive in a few weeks a grant from the Ministry of Culture set aside to
help grassroots media. So, saying that Aporrea "is closely associated with
the state", has some -although small- degree of truth, but we must say that
the editorial decisions, and news that we cover are not dictated by anybody
other than by our volunteers. Criticism of the government is part of the
news and opinion that we publish. Government officials called us "fascists"
on TV when we denounced corruption in a government institution. We have
published criticisms of the government's zig-zaging oil policiy, etc.
Recently we protested the government's policy of not including alternative
and community media in their national journalism awards.

So a Venezuela Indymedia would have to face those and other facts that are
unique to Venezuela. 

We do not know any other way that Aporrea could link up or associate itself
with the world Indymedia network, other than us becoming the a full fledged
local Indymedia, is that right?. 

In order for Aporrea to apply to become the local Indymedia, we would have
to discuss it among our members, but I have to say that others, who disagree
with Aporrea's editorial policy or with its members, would not want us to
dominate the Venezuela IMC. The creation of a local IMC separate from
Aporrea is also a possibility as there are tons of people doing alternative
journalism in Venezuela, and we will support and promote that if it happens.

Greetings,
Martin Sanchez

-----Original Message-----
From: boud [mailto:boud1 en wp.pl] 
Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2004 7:10 PM
To: cmi-venezuela en lists.indymedia.org; coordinadorweb en aporrea.org
Subject: [Cmi-venezuela] trying to understand if aporrea wants to start
anindymedia group

hi cmi venezuela, aporrea,
  i don't speak spanish but i can probably more or less understand it.

i'm writing here because a venezuelan activist here at the PGA who is deeply
involved in non-hierarchical, grassroots journalism, and a colleague of his
who has visited Venezuela and is also at the PGA, think that aporrea 

http://www.aporrea.org

should somehow connect to the indymedia network.

At the PGA meeting in Belgrade http://www.pgaconference.org 23-29 July 2004,
a Venezuelan activist and a spanish-speaking person living in Venezuela feel
that a group of internet activists who are part of a huge, radically
grassroots, local, autonomous media network, have been unfairly rejected
from being integrated into the indymedia network because of a small group of
supposed "anarchists" with no real grassroots contacts claimed that the
autonomous network was too closely associated with "the state". 

Please see (and modify, correct...) the twiki page i've started:
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/ImcVenezuelaPGABelgrade

There will be a non-official indymedia meeting later today (Sunday) and
maybe the subject will be discussed:

http://www.ourmayday.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?IndyMediaWorkshopBelgrade
(Warning: the paper wiki is more likely to be effective during the meeting
than the electronic wiki)

solidarity from Southern Europe
boud (volunteer IMC Poland)



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