[IMC-US] personal reprtback for indy folks about theNationalCOnference on Media Reform.

sheri at speakeasy.org sheri at speakeasy.net
Tue May 17 14:37:28 CDT 2005 

can you all who were at the meetings/conference try to write up some kind of distinction that then perhaps with multiple voices and our community collective intelligence, we'll all start to understand it more.  

thanks everyone for all the sharing,
peace,
sheri

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshua Breitbart [mailto:breitbart at indymedia.org]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 07:26 PM
> To: 'Working Group for IMC-US.'
> Cc: inner_alchemy at Safe-mail.net
> Subject: Re: [IMC-US] personal reprtback for indy folks about 	theNationalCOnference on Media Reform.
> 
> Gavin is moderating a panel on hip hop and community organizing at 
> the AMC that will (likely) include organizers from Detroit Summer and 
> Yo! The Movement (Minneapolis). There will also be a 'youth media 
> center' workshop run by Street Level Youth Media (Chicago) that the 
> Cincy HHYAC (aka Elementz) will participate in.
> 
> Everything with the AMC is in the last moments of being tentative, 
> but we are planning a panel on "What is media justice (and how do we 
> get it)?"
> 
> The distinction that Chris is talking about between "media reform" or 
> "media democracy" and "media justice" is really crucial. There's a 
> related distinction between working on policy from a lobbying / DC / 
> top-down angle and working on it from a community organizing angle 
> (where you still might lobby). We have natural and potentially strong 
> allies there. If anyone wants information on groups of that sort in 
> your city or area, let me know.
> 
> 
> Josh
> 
> 
> At 10:35 AM -0600 5/17/05, inner_alchemy at Safe-mail.net wrote:
> >chris and all -
> >
> >is there room at the amc (allied media conference) to bring this 
> >person in?  since they are both in ohio, and it sounds like 
> >something peopole might be into!
> >
> >josh/anyone - is this possible?
> >
> >  - b -
> >
> >BE THE MEDIA
> >www.stlimc.org
> >
> >-------- Original Message --------
> >From: Chris Anderson <chanders_imc at yahoo.com>
> >Apparently from: imc-us-bounces at lists.ucimc.org
> >To: "Working Group for IMC-US." <imc-us at lists.ucimc.org>
> >Subject: Re: [IMC-US] personal reprtback for indy folks about 
> >theNationalCOnference on Media Reform.
> >Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 09:27:22 -0700 (PDT)
> >
> >>  Betsy wrote:
> >>
> >>  "not talking more about media justice (i've never
> >>  really heard this specific term before, but understand
> >>  it's concept and want to look more into it)"
> >>
> >>  I think one of the most important thigs for me to come
> >>  out of this conference was that I finally understood,
> >>  in a real, tangible sense, that the "media democracy
> >>  movement" and and movement for "media justice" are two
> >>  really different things. I'd always HEARD this talked
> >>  about, but never really asked more and never really
> >>  understood what it meant til this weekend. Its tough
> >>  to articulate on email, but maybe other folks at the
> >>  conference know what I'm talking about.
> >>
> >>  I was lucky enough to meet Gavin Leonard of the Hip
> >>  Hop Youth Action Center in Cincinnati at the
> >>  conference this weekend.
> >>  (http://www.natiyouthcenter.org/)He and his group are
> >>  doing amazing work. I think he was fairly put off by
> >>  the whole NCMR, though I dont want to speak for him.
> >>  At the same time, though, I started thinking about
> >>  what it would take for Indymedia to make even more
> >>  connections with groups doing the kind of work his is
> >>  doing. How can we help them in their struggles? Or do
> >>  they even need us? Why?
> >>
> >>  it was good to see everyone this weekend.
> >>
> >>  chris
> >>
> >>  >
> >>  > WHAT I EXPECTED (AND GOT):
> >>  > - lots of white, well off faces
> >>  > - REFORM REFORM REFORM conversation that i didn't
> >>  > understand
> >>  > - liberals
> >>  > - support from people that i both knew and didn't
> >>  > know and how people were helpful
> >>  >
> >>  > WHAT I DIDN'T EXPECT:
> >>  > - so many different imc's represented
> >>  > - people to read the confluence and go to freepress
> >>  > to confront them about the issue.  it was media
> >>  > action in process and really great :)
> >>  > - so much enthusiasm from folks who WEREN'T imcistas
> >>  >
> >>  > OVERALL - the sessions were kind of irritating,
> >>  > however, they were exactly as i would have expected.
> >>  >  hearing lots of comments about how freepress didn't
> >>  > include imc in the past, i expected reservations
> >>  > from them this year, however, i'm sure it didn't
> >>  > help when i was the same person trying to get them
> >>  > to sign the letter to the mayor that they refused to
> >>  > do.  i was a consistant pain in their ass and i was
> >>  > okay with that.  i felt inspired, as i usually do
> >  > > with imc gatherings, with the energy and people and
> >>  > ideas and refuse to get upset with the reform
> >>  > conversations because it was a reform conference.  i
> >>  > would like to continue the imc pressence at these
> >>  > events, but only to promote imc's in general, bring
> >>  > together media reform and media justice, and of
> >>  > course challenge their means of reform and their
> >>  > general conference happenings.    however, i don't
> >>  > want myself to concentrate on the negative, but use
> >>  > it for a driving force in the next couple months to
> >>  > increase my contacts and knowledge and kick ass in
> >>  > the future.
> >>  >
> >>  > sincerely and thoughtfully - betsy :)
> >>  >
> >>  >
> >>  ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
> >>  >
> >>  > BE THE MEDIA
> >>  > www.stlimc.org
> >>  >
> >>  > -------- Original Message --------
> >>  > From: bht <bht at indymedia.org>
> >>  > Apparently from: imc-us-bounces at lists.ucimc.org
> >>  > To: "Working Group for IMC-US."
> >>  > <imc-us at lists.ucimc.org>
> >>  > Subject: [IMC-US] personal reprtback for indy folks
> >>  > about the NationalCOnference on Media Reform.
> >>  > Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 15:30:00 -0700
> >>  >
> >>  > > So, I arrived in St. Louis about four days prior
> >>  > to the beginning of the
> >>  > > conference.  I caught up with frinds that I hadnt
> >>  > seen for months and
> >>  > > started to get more involved/interested with what
> >>  > was happening in the
> >>  > > Lou.  I think this started right when I pulled up
> >>  > to CAMP (Community
> >>  > > Arts and Media Project, stlcamp.org) and a bunch
> >>  > of little kids from the
> >>  > > neighbourhood ran up to me, hugged me, and called
> >>  > me daddy.  (Then they
> >>  > > dug a big hole in the backyard.)
> >>  > >
> >>  > > By Thursday, I had a decent grasp of what was
> >>  > going on in the Lou and
> >>  > > had met folks from here.  Josh Breitbart came into
> >>  > town and we started
> >>  > > working on Wednesday.  We stuffed bags for the
> >>  > Allied Media Conference.
> >>  > >
> >>  > > By Thursday night many of the Indymedia folks had
> >>  > arrived, and many of
> >>  > > the reformers arrived and we converged at City
> >>  > Museum (citymuseum.org)
> >>  > > in the Lou for the conference pre-party.  And I
> >>  > think we partied.  I
> >>  > > made some real good connections there and had a
> >>  > very fun time, leaving
> >>  > > with only a few scrapes and a lot of sweat.  We
> >>  > danced two out of three
> >>  > > floors, and we danced hard.
> >>  > >
> >>  > > The next day the reforming began and it mostly
> >>  > included sitting at a
> >>  > > table, poking my head into a few places having
> >>  > conversations with many
> >>  > > different people about indymedia and about St
> >>  > Louis, and basically just
> >>  > > working the idea into peoples heads that by coming
> >>  > to this conference
> >>  > > you are affecting the local community and you have
> >>  > to have respect for
> >>  > > where you are and awareness for the issues at
> >>  > hand.  THings went over
> >>  > > well, many folks thought I was from the Lou,
> >>  > although my name badge
> >>  > > clearly repped pdx imc.
> >>  > >
> >>  > > That was the first day of the conference and it
> >>  > was mostly low energy
> >>  > > networking catching up with folks feeling things
> >>  > out.  It was a good day
> >>  > > and we went back to CAMP that night and made
> >>  > friends.
> >>  > >
> >>  > > The next day, day two of the conference, was the
> >>  > big day in my book.  We
> >>  > > had seen that media reform was ignoring or missing
> >>  > the independant media
> >>  > > network and the idea that people can be the media
> >>  > nd do away with the
> >>  > > industry that they are trying to reform.  The
> >>  > disgust was thick.  Indy
> >>  > > activists were moving about the conference and
> >>  > promoting the indymedia
> >>  > > movement.  I was working the table most of the day
> >>  > where we had a much
> >>  > > better setup with three laptops and a few people
> >>  > engaging people walking
> >>  > > by and pointing them to their nearest local imc.
> >>  > >
> >>  > > One person asked how much it cost to post to the
> >>  > site.  I got to explain
> >>  > > to this person that indymedia is not about the
> >>  > money it is not about
> >>  > > haveing a hold on the media, it is about media
> >>  > justice and putting the
> >>  > > tools of media production back in the hands of the
> >  > > people.  I think it
> >>  > > was tough to grasp because the conference was very
> >>  > academic.
> >>  > >
> >>  > > I got to talk to quite a few people and then the 4
> >>  > o clock caucus'
> >>  > > came.  Inclusing the one that was going to have
> >>  > two indy folks as
> >>  > > moderators and called independant media producers
> >>  > and the one for folks
> >>  > > from the northwest.  I went to indymedia one first
> >>  > and there was another
> >>  > > white guy standing in front of everyone telling
> >>  > them how it was and that
> >>  > > media is a big issue and that reform is working.
> >>  > And i got disgusted,
> >>  > > partly because it wasnt a caucus but mostly
> >>  > because the two indymedia
> >>  > > folks that were also supposed to moderate were
> >>  > women...and this was just
> >>  > > another guy.
> >>  > >
> >>  >
> >>  === message truncated ===
> >>
> >>
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