[Imc-communication] [Imc] question regarding UCIMC

[Brian Dolinar]

Hey UK.

I can assure you we are not beholden to sustainers and contributors.
The $30k grant willl help us make it the community center we dream of.
We can apply again next year, but if it doesn't come through we will not fold.

I can speak most directly to our work at the Public i, our newspaper.
We have sustainers and list their name on the back page.
Recently we have decided to do very short features on our sustainers.
This month we're covering an international foods store, World Harvest.
The store's owner is Iraqi and has family members who have died in the
conflict.
He has spoken out against the war and has a progressive agenda.
These are the alliances we our comfortable building with the biz community.
Our blurb is not so much an advertizement as an informational bit.
And if the sustainers pulled out, it would have NO influence on our
editorial decisions.

I would emphasize that independence means
independence from the mainstream media.
I personally cover stories on racial profiling, police brutality,
legal frame-ups
that get no play in the local rags.

Additionally, I hope that we can respect one another's independence
or autonomy
while building a global network of IMCs.
And learn from one another's successes and failures.
I have been in conversation with the Portland IMC for example
about the money issue
and we have turned to discussing our efforts videotaping police.

I would like to know if any other IMCs have utilized state grants.
In this time of budget cuts, i'm quite surprised to be getting any dough.
We should spend it quick before they take it back.

In solidarity,

BD

On 9/13/06, Notts IMC <notts at indymedia.org> wrote:
> Hiya,
>
> I have been following the discussion about the paid UCIMC workers on the
> imc-communication email list for a while now. I've just read the following
> article:
>
> Urbana Independent Media Center Awarded $30,000 Grant From The Illinois
> Arts Council - http://www.ucimc.org/feature/display/148743/index.php
>
> My question is to what degree the Urbana Independent Media Center relies
> on funding coming in from outside funders. If funding would be rejected,
> could the project carry on with its work? After all, that seems to make it
> an INDEPENDENT media centre, meaning you are not dependent on something or
> someone to be able to run the project.
>
> See Wiktionary: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/independent
>
> Wietse, UK IMC
>
> _______________________________________________
> IMC mailing list
> IMC at lists.ucimc.org
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/imc
>


-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com