[IMC-US] Open Source Press Association

[Chris Anderson]

Have folks heard anything about this? It sounds really
promissing.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=63

I'm going to be contacting Larisa, not as an official
rep of anything but just as an IMC person who wants to
know more. Perhaps we can add this to the agenda of
the Indy conference..

best,
chris

Writers and Progressive Publications to Launch
Alternative Press Association

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Larisa Alexandrovna | Associate News Editor
– Raw Story
http://www.rawstory.com | larisawriting at gmail.com

February 10, 2005 – Raw Story editors, along with
several other independent progressive journalists and
publications, will be launching the Open Source Press
Association (OSPA) as an alternative to media agencies
such as the Associated Press.

The OSPA will function on four levels: ethics in
journalism, alternative press membership, networking
and projects, resources, anti-smear council, and
resources and distribution.

The Ethics in Journalism Board will vet journalists,
publications, freelance writers and organizations for
free membership, monitor unethical reporting, and
present annual excellence in writing, reporting and
publication awards. The board will be made up of
founding publications, journalists, blogs, and
organizational representatives that run the gamut of
progressive press.

The alternative press, including publications,
journalists, writers, and organizations, will allow
for members to share resources, funding and act as a
more inclusive fourth estate. This body will not be a
corporate; it will not be beholden to anyone to report
on certain topics. The ethics board will provide
stringent reporting standards for journalists,
publication, etc., and various other standards to be
followed by other writers writing in different
sub-genres of journalism.

The Networking and Projects arm will allow for a
collaborative, safe, environment for publications to
post projects in need of writers and for writers to
post work in need of publication. The collaboration
will be Web-enabled or function through an office.

The Fairness in Journalism Council arm of the OSPA
will function as a safety for members who are
attacked, threatened, smeared or discredited unfairly
for reporting the truth.

The arm of Resources and Distribution will allow
members to share legal council, have free access to
knowledge bases; including a proprietary OSPA
knowledge base, provide a single RSS feed of
information, syndication and aid in distribution.
Members will have access to publishing, agents and
educational resources as well.

The OSPA is designed to bypass the sometimes
inaccurate and unquestioning reporting of the
mainstream press. It

is designed so that journalists like the late Gary
Webb are able to find work; so that publications
working hard to get the truth out are not silenced by
financial burdens or smear campaigns. It is designed
to allow for the true fourth estate – the media –
to be reborn in truth and founded in ethical
principles, not corporate bottom lines.

Journalists, publications, and reporting organizations
are welcome to submit statements of interest. OSPA
hopes to begin credentialing membership organizations
soon.

Contact Larisa Alexandrovna at larisawriting at gmail.com
to express interest. The group will be setting up an
autonomous website soon.

--- Tribal Scribal <valeoftheoaks at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Excellent! A few minor suggestions (additions in
> caps):
> 
> 1)First line: "the rapidly blossoming WHITE HOUSE
> press scandal"
> 
>   Second line:
> Also, let's make the connection to Rove and the
> rightwing PR machine w/an 
> added question like:
> "What's his connection to Karl Rove and the
> rightwing <a 
>
href="http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001437.html">PR
> 
> machine</a>?
> 
> 2)First line, 2nd graph: "That sounds a little
> harsher than IT'S MEANT TO.
> 
> 3)3rd graph: Media Matters isn't a blog. David Brock
> (interestingly a 
> reformed rightwing hatchet guy) and his coworkers
> run a kick-ass media 
> activism org. You could just add: "..AND Media
> Matters"
> 
> 4)First line,Last graph: Either "we in the
> alternative media have been 
> gleefully tearing down the walls that separate
> journalists from ordinary 
> people for years now" or "we at INDYMEDIA have been
> gleefully tearing down 
> the walls that separate journalists from ordinary
> people for close to six 
> years now"
> 
> 5)2nd line, Last graph: "...and doesn't seem to care
> who is a "journalist" 
> these days as long as this or that person ADHERES TO
> THE BUSH REGIME'S 
> FAR-RIGHT AGENDA"
> 
> I like the way you've left it open ended. Hopefully
> it will spark a lot of 
> productive dialogue & comments. Very cool.
> 
> Here's a telling pic of Scott McClellan:
> www.straitstimes.com/.../ 
> white_house.jpg
> 
> d.o.
> 
> 
> >From: Chris Anderson <chanders_imc at yahoo.com>
> >To: imc-us at lists.ucimc.org,
> imc-us at ucimc.org,imc-us-editorial at ucimc.org
> >CC: rabble at indymedia.org, breitbart at indymedia.org
> >Subject: [Imc-us-editorial] RE: [IMC-US] more on:
> PropaGannon scandal 
> >rocksWhite House
> >Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 22:02:03 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >Here's an UNFINISHED draft of some thoughts on
> Gannon. I'll certainly add 
> >more to it tomorrow, and when its done it'll be up
> on the nyc-imc website 
> >for use at imc us if people want it.
> >
> >----
> >
> >Why <b>shouldn't</b> James Guckert (aka 'Jeff
> Gannon')have been allowed in 
> >the White House briefing room?
> ><p>
> >Multiple questions surround the rapidly blossoming
> <a 
>
>href=http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2005/02/1710897.php>press
> scandal</a>: 
> >did Guckert <a
>
href=http://dailykos.com/story/2005/2/10/224122/709>blow
> the 
> >CIA cover</a> of Valerie Plame? Or <a 
>
>href=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000799182>not</a>?
> 
> >What's Guckert's connection to the raft of <a 
>
>href=http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=47>homosexually-themed</a>
> 
> >military escort websites registered under his name?
> What is <a 
>
>href=http://www.leadpencil.net/blog/archives/000234.html>'Talon
> News'</a>? 
> >How does the Guckert case relate to other <a 
>
>href=http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/1/11/145618/565>recent</a>
> 
> >Bush-admnistration propaganda scandals? The real
> question, though, is far 
> >harder to answer: what does it say about the state
> of American journalism 
> >when a fraudulent, partisan journalist is unmaked
> by insurgent, partisan 
> >bloggers?  On what grounds can those of us in the
> radical media
> >  criticize J.D. Guckert?
> ><p>
> >That sounds a little harsher than I probably mean
> it to. After all, the 
> >bloggers (<a href=http://www.dailykos.com>Daily
> Kos</a>, <a 
> >href=http"//atrios.blogspot.com>Atrios</a>, <A 
> >href=http://mediamatters.org/>Media Matters</a>)
> who uncovered this farce 
> >really are heroes. And there are a few big
> differences between Guckert and 
> >the members of the left-wing blogosphere; for one
> thing, they don't use 
> >fake names to get access to White House press
> conferences, and for another 
> >they haven't been under invesitgation for their
> connection to the Plame 
> >affair.
> ><p>
> >But the issue goes deeper than this. After all, we
> in the alternative media 
> >have been gleefully tearing down the walls that
> separate journalists from 
> >ordinary people for close to six years now. It
> seems the Bush 
> >administration is cynically taking our advice, and
> doesn't seem to care who 
> >is a "journalist" these days as long as this or
> that person is on their 
> >side. As White House spokesman Scott McClellan <a 
>
>href=http://wmass.indymedia.org/otherpress/display/276>said</a>
> on Friday, 
> >"in this day and age, when you have a changing
> media, it's not an easy 
> >issue to decide or try to pick and choose who is a
> journalist."  Of course, 
> >as long as they spin your lies and shill for your
> domestic programs its 
> >easy to look the other way.<
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >
> >Tribal Scribal <valeoftheoaks at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >just checking in for a minute. i'll take a stab at
> "tying it all together"
> >in the AM if no one does a workup before then, but
> we need more indy links.
> >i was hoping dc would have something up, but no
> dice. you guys in nyc have
> >today's interview between "gannon" and E&P here:
>
>http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/141366/index.php
> which helps, but
> >we have no original indy material (commentary
> anyone?).
> >
> >i think "what can indymedia add that everyone else
> cant?" is to get into 
> >the
> >nuances of what constitutes journalism. This will
> be dicey. As we all know,
> >indy's been slammed for not being "real
> journalists" too. This is where i
> >need to hear from you guys. Talon is an obvious PR
> front for far-right
> >operatives. It's lies and disinforms. Indy is
> democratic grassroots,
> >advocacy journalism. I would hope that we all
> strive to seek the truth, but
> >it's open publishing and that leaves us open to
> disinfo as well. How do we
> >make the distictions here? How do we make the case
> that indy should be in
> >the room and talon shouldn't? OR do we just blow
> this part of the story off
> >and hope that it doesn't come back & bite us in the
> ass?
> >
> >Also, we need to keep the focus on the Bush
> regime's MASSIVE public
> >relations scam and manipulation of the corporate
> media. The White House is
> >going to pull out all the stops to move the focus
> over to the need to
> >improve security ("how'd this guy get into the WH
> so easy" blaa, blaa). 
> >They
> >may even find some McClellan underling to fall on
> his sword. The corporado
> >media will probably follow suit (even though
> they've been publicly 
> >shafted).
> >
> >Your thoughts?
> >
> >d.o.
> >
> >
> 
=== message truncated ===



		
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