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The Independent Media Centers (IMCs or Indymedia network) are a collective of independent media organisations and activist journalists that offer grassroots, non-corporate news coverage via the Internet through open publishing. Indymedia is the cooperative effort of hundreds of independent media activists who are dedicated to providing a forum for independent reporting about important social and political issues and “the creation and dissemination of radical, accurate and passionate tellings of truth�? (Indymedia, 2005). Principles of collaboration and participation are important to the function of Indymedia. The network’s philosophy is based upon decentralization, horizontal decision making, autonomy and the will to coordinate (Oceania Indymedia, 2005).
There are over 150 IMCs around the world which operate autonomously and it is estimated that Indymedia, as a whole, receives between 500 000 and 2 million page views per day (Indymedia, 2005). Indymedia publishes their news in languages including English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Flemish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Hebrew and Arabic.
The first IMC was established in November of 1999 when several hundred media activists came together in Seattle to cover the protests against the World Trade Organization (Meikle, 2002, p.90). The Seattle IMC provided reports, photographs, and audio and video recordings of the protests on its website through its open publishing system. The web site received almost 1.5 million hits during the protests while audio and video clips were broadcasted on community radio stations and cable public access channels (Tarleton, 2000, p.53). In February of 2000 another IMC formed in Boston to cover the Bio-devastation Convergence, while yet another formed in Washington to cover the A16 protests against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (Indymedia, 2005). These IMCs initiated a movement as requests from other communities interested in forming their own IMCs gained momentum (Indymedia, 2005).
The notion of being ‘independent’ is present within the Indymedia network in various ways. Indymedia states that it is independent from all corporations, governments, financiers and political parties as it is not owned, managed or funded by any particular organisation (Indymedia, 2005). In terms of independent media itself the notion of the independence of Indymedia is twofold. Firstly, it is independent from the biases of the mainstream media by providing alternative news and information, and secondly, it is independent from the biases inherent in various activist groups by providing coverage of news events from various perspectives (Bruns, 2005, p.100).
Indymedia’s primary aim is to empower people to ‘become the media’ and to present honest, accurate, powerful and independent news reports (Indymedia, 2005). It also values the maintenance of transparency, collaboration, inclusion and free speech (Jay, 2001). “In a society organized around mass media, the existence of messages that are outside the media is restricted to interpersonal networks, thus disappearing from the collective mind�? (Castells, 1997, p.336). Indymedia aims to change this by presenting alternative media that challenges the mainstream by communicating oppositional political messages (Juris, 2004, p.4). Indymedia encourages everyday people to distribute the media content created between activist outlets and to create enough energy and critical mass to enable their stories to leak into, and challenge, the mainstream media (Bruns, 2005, p.100).
On a practical level, some IMCs are aiming to develop television and radio networks while others are working towards the establishment of an international independent regular newspaper (Indymedia, 2005). On a theoretical level Indymedia aims to achieve four broad objectives. Firstly, to reject corporate globalisation and its lack of democracy and grassroots participation. Secondly, to reject all forms of domination and discrimination. Thirdly, to affirm the importance of critical reflection, debate and direct action. Fourthly, to affirm participatory democracy in the capacity of all human beings (Oceania Indymedia, 2005).
In trying to achieve its aims Indymedia faces various problems. Many of these problems stem from its open publishing model even though the model is crucial to the Indymedia network, as it is the system which first established and influenced the development of Indymedia (Bruns, 2005, p.85).
The first problem is that some published material needs to be removed due to hate-speech. Indymedia places the offensive material within hidden pages on the newswire as removal is against Indymedia’s principles of open and democratic media. The second problem is that Indymedia embodies speedy and current coverage. This makes more deliberate and considered engagement with the news difficult for readers, as thoughtful pieces quickly move down the newswire to make way for sometimes less worthy updates; therefore, the important publications do not receive the long-term prominence they deserve (Bruns, 2005, p.93). Indymedia’s solution to this problem is to have a front page that presents the important news separate from the news wire, but this in itself has created another problem. Indymedia has a highly egalitarian approach to publication; however, by separating ‘important’ news from ‘less-important’ news they are developing a hierarchy amongst Indymedia participants (Bruns, 2005, p.94).
Other problems that Indymedia encounters include the domination of forums by left-leaning activists and its battle with the mainstream media’s depiction of activists as violent troublemakers.
Open Publishing
Open Publishing - Aggressive and Disruptive Behaviour: Flaming, Trolling and Hate-Speech
Open Publishing - Online Democratic Media
Open Publishing - Participatory Journalism
Bruns, A. (2005) Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production, New York: Peter Lang Publishing, ISBN 0820474320.
Castells, M. (1997) The Power of Identity, Volume 2: The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, Malden: Blackwell, ISBN 1405107138.
Indymedia (2005) “Indymedia’s Frequently Asked Questions,�? retrieved October 2, 2005, from http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/FrequentlyAskedQuestionEn
Jay, D. (2001) “Three Proposals for Open Publishing: Towards a Transparent, Collaborative Editorial Framework,�? retrieved October 2, 2005, from http://www.dru.ca/imc/open_pub.html
Juris, J. (2004) “Indymedia: From Counter-Information to Informational Utopics,�? paper presented to the Social Movements and Activist Research Conference, Ateneu Popular de Nou Barris, Barcelona, 22-25 Jan.
Meikle, G. (2002) Future Active: Media Activism and the Internet, New York: Routledge, ISBN 0415943211.
Oceania Indymedia (2005) “About Oceania Indymedia,�? retrieved October 2, 2005, from http://www.indymedia.org.au/about.php
Tarleton, J. (2000) “Protestors Develop Their Own Global Internet News Service,�? Nieman Reports, vol.54, no.4, pp. 53-55.
Michelle Manners 10:49, 23 Oct 2005 (EST)
