[Imc] thanks, and a few questions (fwd)

[Danielle Chynoweth]

can someone answer this and cc to the list?
- danielle

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 18:29:28 -0500
From: Jacqueline Waters <waters at soltec.net>
To: info at urbana.indymedia.org
Subject: thanks, and a few questions

Hello,

I was at your IMC introduction/open house today and first wanted to thank you all for all the work you are doing and for taking the time to show us around and introduce us to your work.  My partner and I hope to be members in a couple of paycheck's time when we can fit it into the budget and intend to check out a few of your meetings to see how we can begin to help.

I had a few questions I wanted to put forth at the open house but time ran tight and I didn't want to subject everyone to sitting through questions and answers they might not have been interested in.  Maybe someone at the IMC can take the time to answer these questions at their convience?

First, how do you decide what articles and pieces you put the IMC name on?  My understanding is that anything anyone sends to your website gets published.  Is this correct?  Obviously, there must be limits to this, but what are they?  If someone sends in a piece that might be libelous or is full of innacurrate facts, how is this delt with?  I guess my concern, if I am just blunt about it, is that there obviously has to be a screening process but how is that process run and how do you keep it from being bias by personal politics?  For example, there are many members of the community that are pro-chief (I am not one of them) and someone might submit a piece that has it's facts pretty much straight but is somewhat slanted to the pro-chief veiw.  Is this work posted?  Is the IMC intending to allow the whole community use their resources no matter if their political agendas match?

This is a little all over the place, please bear with me.  Trying to get a little blunter, I have always considered myself left-leaning and believe strongly in many of the causes I have heard espoused by IMC's so far.  Yet, I am concerned that this become a political organization, not a true community resource where it becomes about subscribing to a certain agenda or, at least, a compatible one, instead of allowing the community truly open access to tools to represent themselves without bias of personal politics.

I mean no insult when I imply that I believe this could happen at the IMC.  It can and does happen in many different kinds of well-intentioned organizations.  I am simply concerned about investing in an organization that might turn into a left-leaning-welcomed-only group.

Also, what about fair reporting and getting facts straight?  Many of the articles I've read so far on your web site and in the Octopus under the IMC banner have been clearly slanted politically and sometimes have had sketchy facts attached to them.  Does the IMC see this as not something they ever intend to police (bringing us back to the idea that just the same sketchy facts and opinion slanting then having to be accepted every time someone wants to post something pro-capitalism, pro-chief, etc.)?  I am not implying it should, I just want to know it's stance.

Thanks for you time today at the center and your time in reading this.  If someone is able to spare the time to respond to all of this I will be really greatful and I am not expecting any kind of quick turn around time.  I do not personally agree with political, exclusionary extremism, left or right, and I want to know if that might be a factor at the IMC now or in the future, or if this is truly an open community resouce to help everyone in the community, without regard to political affiliations, get informed and find their voice as individuals and as a community - something I would love to be a part of.

Jacqueline Enstrom-Waters
waters at soltec.net