[Imc] hiding a story

[Mike Lehman]

This thread generated more than the usual amount of commentary. Everyone
should be aware that the Steering Group will be discussing this issue at
Sunday's meeting (noon, at the IMC.) You are encouraged to attend.

We have been working on a proposed use policy for the Newswire. It may
be ready, but maybe not. In any case, we will certainly take up the post
referred to here and a healthy discussion of the issues involved is
important.

One thing that will probably help move the discussion along is if those
involved in the discussion take a moment to read the explanation that is
posted ta the top of global IMC's Publish page:
<http://www.indymedia.org/publish.php3>

There is also this commnet about Open Publishing which recently began
appearing at the top of each posted article:
<http://www.indymedia.org/fish.php3?file=www.indymedia.newswire>

Although all IMCs encourage a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints,
it is also clear that there is a need for certain parameters of what is
acceptable posting on the main IMC site. Note that the process is not
simply one of "free speech for everyone, all the time" nor is it simply
censorship when posts that don't meet these standards are placed in the
Hidden Stories section.

With the nation in crisis and the government seeking to flex it's
muscles, we need to come to some agreement on what WE find acceptable to
be on the Newswire, so that we can be prepared to defend what is posted
on there. We may also have to deal with various provacative posts that
may be specifically intended to create problems for the IMC.

I will also note that, from the beginning, this IMC has had an emphasis
on trying to bring quality reporting to our community. I believe that we
have done an admirable job of doing exactly that and the community has
given us overwhelming support for doing so. In large part, having this
standard encourages those who visit and consider posting for the first
time to try and live up to this standard in their own posts.

Nonetheless, there are certain individuals who have been consistent
abusers of other IMC sites and who have begun to spend their time
posting here after they have had their posts hidden at other IMCs. If we
fail to adopt similar standards, we risk becoming a dumping ground for
those who have abused the commons and turned it into the wasteland that
some IMCs were becoming before beginning to enforce minimal standards as
have been proposed here.

These people are neither interested in the news or relevant commentary
and lend a certain air of unreality to the Newswire that some have
hypothesized is actually some sort of starnge COINTELLPRO-type operation
to discredit IMCs. I think that is being a little overly paranoid, since
these posters are usually so obviously troubled that they are hard to
take seriously. In any case, they certainly do nothing to create
expectations among users that some minimal standards of journalism
should be observed when posting on the Newswire.

The advocacy of racist ideas is also particularly troubling. Free speech
is one thing, but we do NOT have a duty to provide a forum for the
continuing expression of such ideas that those who repeatedly post this
trash seem to insist on.

Please attend or post your opinions,
Mike Lehman