[Imc-sydney] Complaint against German IndyMedia

[diet simon]

Dear Perestroika,



let me point you to just the latest dispute of hundreds I've had with the 
German control group over many years. Go to 
http://de.indymedia.org/2007/11/200337.shtml.



When it first appeared, they put their usual censorship box over it, 
alleging that this was not a story I had researched myself. The box is gone 
now, probably because I complained. That surprises me. Usually they are 
intractable.



Of course I researched the story myself, I went to the website of the 
organisation that published the report and got my quotes there.



They have a weird un-IMC policy.



In my view they stand in the way of the struggle for justice and the flow of 
information to support it. They remain anonymous, unaccountable and 
unchallengeable.



They make the schoolmasterly demand to use IndyMedia only as a "platform for 
engaged media makers and their own contents", whatever that means.



I contend that IndyMedia is not primarily about media skills, that IndyMedia 
is not a journalism school, but a platform, a channel for promoting the 
struggle against injustice, no matter how 'clumsily' the case may sometimes 
be put by educationally underprivileged writers.



If I remember the Seattle origin correctly, that's why IndyMedia was 
launched. The German version has removed itself from that beyond 
recognition.



I contend that contrary to them, everything that serves the activists, 
regardless of its source, be it a pamphlet, a media release or the comment 
of a group - all of which the German IndyMedia doesn't want - has to appear 
on the site and must not be censored away.



That is the way I see the rest of the IMC movement, insofar as I can read 
the various languages, doing it, just not the German "group of moderators", 
as they call themselves. To serve activism IndyMedia has to be a 
comprehensive information portal, another thing they say they don't want to 
be.



"No checking of contents or editorial processing of the contributions take 
place," they write under every posting - pure irony!



And further: "For suggestions and questions about this article contact the 
author directly" - the problem with that is that no contact information is 
given.



Elsewhere they write: "Indymedia is a tool for you to use. That includes 
criticism of moderators' decisions, of course. If you have a different view 
to that of the moderating collective, write us a mail directly. That's 
precisely what IndyMedia is about: to create an information tool 'by all, 
for all'."



Big joke. When they are criticised on the site they hide it or remove it 
altogether.



And how strange that "imc-germany-editoriallists.indymedia.org", the 
supposed address for "criticism of moderation decisions" doesn't work - at 
least it didn't for me, it bounced in my Outlook Express.



Egomaniacal, dictatorial, arrogant, exclusive, schoolmasterly, 
unassailable, anonymously powerful - all attributes that we fight elsewhere.



I want this group disempowered. I want them disaffiliated from the movement 
so that democrats can oust them and start afresh.



Diet Simon





----- Original Message ----- 

From: <perestroika at riseup.net>

To: "diet simon" <diet_simon at bigpond.com>

Cc: <resolve at lists.indymedia.org>

Sent: Friday, November 23, 2007 3:50 PM

Subject: Re: [Resolve] Complaint against German IndyMedia



> That's to your responsabiltiy to deal it out with your local Indymedia but
> in such cases you have to give out all the details of what according to
> you is wrong and 'anti-democratic' bvecause just saying German Indymedia
> is wrong and anti-democratic doesn't give much. Personally I find German
> Indymedia to be one of the best but if you have some disatisfactions
> please tell exactly what is bothering you.
>