[Imc-beltway] Next Meeting

[nicole nicole]

I don't have overly strong feelings about the language.  I am more
interested in getting the call out there, so the changes are fine with me.

However, I wonder, now that it is almost 4pm on wednesday, is it worth
scurrying around to call for the meeting and do last minute outreach for
this weekend or should we postone it (yet again) until midweek next
week...say thursday?

nicole






On 2/21/07, Daniel P <dannyp at indypgh.org> wrote:
>
> nicole nicole wrote:
> > Also, below is a draft announcement oscar and i worked on.  What do you
> > all think?
>
> Overall, I think it's great.  Thanks for working on it!
>
> I think it's important to get it out ASAP (3 days notice is hardly lots
> of notice) so if there's any disagreement with me on these changes, I'd
> rather it be sent out unmodified than delayed until consensus.  I'd
> suggest a couple changes:
>
> > /The Beltway Area IMC seeks to further the movement for independent
> > media within and around the Beltway region through the regular sharing
> > of media skills, open and participatory meetings, an open and anonymous
> > publishing newswire (website), and coverage of community events. We aim
> > not only to make silenced stories heard in our communities, but also
> > will strive to strengthen movements for social justice via
> > participatory, grassroots media. Beltway Area IMC is open to everyone
> > regardless of skill level, access to technology or experience with the
> > media. We welcome everyone who wants to learn, teach, and share. /The
> > collective is open to everyone except bigots and members of law
> > enforcement.//
>
> 1.  I strongly feel that "The collective is open to everyone except
> bigots and members of law enforcement" is wording that, while true,
> seeks to only suggest to most that law enforcement or bigots are likely
> to show up.  To bigots and law enforcement, it's a taunt and I'd bet
> it's more likely to keep them away than to attract them.
>
> I'd much rather leave the sentence off entirely.  I feel somewhat
> strongly about this - with regards to bigots, I think this is only going
> to get people asking "and who gets to decide who is a bigot" and with
> regard to the latter, it's a bizarre inclusion that promotes paranoia
> (law enforcement could care less what we're doing), suggests to law
> enforcement that they should show up, suggests to others that cops will
> be there...
>
> I'm not going to sit through a meeting with a CIA agent, but I don't
> think we need to say "no CIA agents."  We might as well put in some
> language about the collective not being open to the DC indymedia watch
> folks and the JDL and host the meeting at Al-Fishawy.  (Sorry, that was
> harsh).  It just seems like we are including such a negative thought in
> the otherwise positive announcement - it's a terrible note to end on.
>
> 2.  I'd replace "We aim not only to make silenced stories heard in our
> communities, but also will strive to strengthen movements for social
> justice via participatory, grassroots media" with something like "We aim
> to not only cover news from the grassroots -  news overlooked by the
> corporate media - but to be a resource to help people "be the media" by
> covering the news stories from their own lives."  My reasons are roughly:
>
>     - I think it's a bit patronizing.  First, we're not yet in a
> position to strengthen anyone, and secondly, I think the concrete goal
> of an IMC should be to create a space for and
> create/develop/share/train/promote the usage of tools to create
> independent media.  I believe, firmly, that this will help let
> "movements for social justice" strengthen themselves - but I'd rather
> state the immediate goal and keep my belief about the interplay between
> movements I care about and indymedia to myself.  People are smart enough
> to connect the dots on their own.
>
>     - I think indymedia needs to be an open space for all independent
> journalism, not just that journalism which is seen as related to "social
> justice movements."  Often, people find things as newsworthy even if
> there is no movement (yet?) around the issue, or perhaps they're unaware
> of it.  The term "social justice movement" may seem well defined to us,
> but it's not universally accepted.  And frankly, if people were so
> inclined to write news pieces about the weather or anything else that
> wasn't against our principles of unity, more power to them - I'd rather
> folks produce and get it from indymedia than from some corporation.
>
>     - I know that I still haven't done this point justice, but something
> irks me about it as it is.  Maybe some sleep will help...
>
> Daniel
>
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