[IMC-US] IMC-US Membership Criteria Responses:

[Sascha Meinrath]

Hi Boud,

Thanks for all the feedback you've given us.  Here are answers to the IMC
Membership Criteria (as adopted by the IMC-US affinity group).  In regards
to our editorial policy, we've adopting the Urbana-Champaign's policy (one
that multiple IMCs have utilized to build their own policy --
http://www.ucimc.org/info/display/policy/index.php ).

Finally, our decision-making process works fairly well through a passive 
consensus model.  Ideas needing a decision are posted to the list with 
clear instructions to list participants to respond by a decision-deadline 
date.  Assuming there are no outstanding issues at the time of the 
deadline, the proposal passes.  We've tended to have at least a few days, 
and often a week or two for discussions.  

--Sascha Meinrath
Urbana-Champaign IMC
IMC-US Affinity Group

Below is the IMC-US affinity group's responses to the IMC Membership 
Criteria:

a. Agree in spirit to the NIMC Mission Statement and Principles of Unity:

The IMC-US affinity group agrees.  

b. Have a committed membership substantial enough to sustain a functional 
IMC:

The IMC-US affinity group is currently composed of 30 people with the
skills and resources that are necessary to sustain a functioning IMC.

c. Have open and public meetings (no one group can have exclusionary 
"ownership" of an IMC):

The IMC-US affinity group is open to all people who wish to help with the 
project.  Meetings are publicly "advertized" and invitations to join the 
group were sent to all US-based IMCs.

d. Work toward developing a local Mission Statement or Statement of 
Purpose. Network Mission Statement may be adopted or used on an interim 
basis:

The IMC-US will utilize the Network Mission Statement until such a time as 
the collective adopts a more tailored vision.

e. Establish and publish an editorial policy which is developed and 
functions through democratic process, and with full transparency:

The Editorial Working Group of the IMC-US will draft up a publishing and
editorial policy; in the interim, the IMC-US has adopted the editorial and
publishing policies of the Urbana-Champaign IMC:

http://www.ucimc.org/info/display/policy/index.php

f. Agree to the use of Open Publishing as described in the NIMC Editorial 
Policy [editorial collective comments: "We did agree that the term "Open 
Publishing" was one that is still being defined by the Global Network 
Collective, and we would wait and see what the results were before 
rewriting this criteria]:

The IMC-US affinity group agrees to do this.

g. Adopt a decision-making policy that is in alignment with consensus 
principles which include open, transparent and egalitarian processes, 

The IMC-US affinity group agrees to do this.

h. Have a spokesperson(s) willing and capable of participating in the
global decision-making process and meetings as a rotating
liaison/representative, with a clear understanding of the responsibilities
that come with this role:

Multiple members of the IMC-US are already active in key global 
decision-making processes and meetings.  

i. Participate in the key IMC Network Communication Methods that pertain
to the health and vitality of the Network and that contribute to the work
of the IMC. Assure that at least one person from your local IMC
participates at any given time on the IMC-Communications list,

Multiple members of the IMC-US are already active in key global
decision-making processes and meetings.

j. (NOT FINALIZED): Have no official affiliation with any political party, 
state or candidate for office (comments: but individual producers have 
freedom to do whatever they like and local IMCs can "feature" stories 
about various political parties and initiatives):

The IMC-US will remain politically non-partisan and will not have an 
official affiliation with any political party, state or candidate for 
office.

k. IMCs shall in no way engage in commercial for-profit enterprises. [We 
could add: The IMCN is committed to the decommercialization of information 
and will disassociate from any local IMC that decides to become a for 
profit media corporation.] 

The IMC-US agrees to organize along non-profit principles.

l. Display a i² logo on your website and literature. 

The IMC-US will display the Indymedia logo on our website and literature.

m. Include the IMC Network current &Cities List² on your site, preferably 
on the front page. 

The IMC-US will include the IMC Network current "Cities List" on its 
website.