[Imc-g8-2005] IMC London on Edinburgh Media Centre

[ben]

I would like to stress strongly that I see the work we are doing around 
the IMC for the G8 is to lay the foundations for a system of self 
reporting - not some alternative form of representative media reporting. 
It's all too easy to fall into the trap of seeing indymedia as an 
alternative media organisation that handles covering protests from a 
non-corporate anti-authoritarian angle. BUT IT ISN'T (is it?)

Indymedia is (I believe) meant to be an open platform for people to 
report their own news and views but often when action as happening the 
people doing those actions will say stuff like "has anyone informed 
indymedia", "is indymedia sending anyone", and afterwards "why didn't 
indymedia cover our action - just shows that they are a bunch of middle 
class mummies boys with no connection to whats happening" etc.

We have to challenge the view that indymedia is a sympathetic alt media 
organisation that will cover your action for you..
We also have to contiuelly challenge that view in our own collectives 
and in our own heads.

I think we should be gearing up to providing  the infrastructure 
required to encourage and enable people to get their own stories covered 
in their own words where ever possible - creating access points, photo 
desks, edit suits, streams etc where people can facilitate their own 
media. If we fail to do that then the best that indymedia can be is a 
bunch of people who try to represent what they see as 'the movement' 
while slowly becoming less and less part of whatever movement there 
might be and more and more like the media models we sought to reject.

Now hopefully everyone is saying to themselves, I KNOW THIS, and in 
which case, great, this email was a waste of time and indymedia is on a 
good and positive path...

but it's sometimes good to remind ourselves, yes?

Ben

Tony wrote:

> Just wanted to say on this last issue - i imagine it would only gather 
> mainstream journos and police - to find out where they should go for 
> the day - and can't see any activists sitting down with anyone 
> explaining what they want to do each day. I'm sure that is not quite 
> what you meant but that is how it'll be seen! Better to impress on all 
> groups and individuals planning any action to report themselves diretc 
> to the site what happened and take safe pics etc themselves... that is 
> what indy is all about
>
in response to minimouse...

>> Meetings: We're supposed to be news gatherers so what better way than 
>> to invite organisers of actions to daily breakfast meetings. Everyone 
>> wants breakfast, there's a great cafe downstairs and peeps are out 
>> reporting later in the day.
>