*RH-92.6* Interview on 2 year anniversary imc --DeeDee Halleck (fwd)

[Manfred Kinzer]

>>List-Archive: <http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-germany/>
>>Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 16:46:34 +0100
>>
>>jetzt gibt's zwei mails zu geschichte, entwicklung, idee von indymedia.
>>
>>>Interview with DeeDee Halleck by Jakob Weingartner
>>>
>>>How would you describe the strategy of indymedia?
>>>
>>>The Seattle Indymedia site was inaugurated as part of setting up an
>>>Independent Media Center so that all of the many movement media comng to
>>>Seattle could collaborate. There was a growing realization that radio,
>>>video, print and art groups could effectively work together on specific
>>>issues.  Before Seattle, there was the case of the impending execution of
>>>independent radio journalist Mumia Abu Jamal.  Although there was no
>>>physical center, nor a coordinating web site, a national meeting of
>>>alterntive media folk made a committment to try to collaborate a 
>>>campaign.
>>>In the space of very few weeks many of us worked collaboratively to make 
>>>a
>>>media blitz to counter the State of Pennsylvania’s assigned date for
>>>execution: radio programs, videos, satellite broadcasts, special print
>>>inserts, posters and a CD Rom were made with, for the first time, a real
>>>sense of collaboration between different media.  Throughout the country
>>>there were continual messages against the death penalty and in favor of a
>>>new trial for Mumia.  For the moment, it worked, and the state postponed
>>>the execution. (Though Mumia is still in jail and may still be executed.)
>>>
>>>With the convergence of many groups to Seattle in 1999, we knew that the
>>>sort of campaign that had been waged to save Mumia might be an effective
>>>way to get the message of the anti-corporate movement before the public.
>>>So we planned to do a similar sort of cross media collaboration. The web
>>>site was just to be a place where we could post our work.  Before Seattle
>>>happened, I don’t think anyone really imagined that the web site would be
>>>such a popular and effective tool.  Sure, many groups have web sites, but
>>>the dynamism of the Seattle site was phenomenal.  This was to a great
>>>extent due to the unique potential of the Catalytst soft ware, which made
>>>it easy for everyone to post not only text, but photos, video and audio
>>>files.  Catalyst was developed in Australia by Mathew Arnison and others
>>>for use by Australian activists.  Mathew just happened to be in Boulder
>>>shortly before Seattle and was able to introduce Manseur Jacobi and other
>>>tech people to the Catalyst code. The strategy per se was just to make it
>>>as accessible as possible, not only for downloading, but also for
>>>uploading.  I think that only after the site went up and became so
>>>effective that we began to really understand what a powerful tool it was.
>>>
>>>Does indymedia want to put pressure on the mainstream media in order to
>>>force them to alter their news coverage? Or do you follow a concept of,
>>>let´s call it „counter-information“? If that´s so, do you see the danger
>>>of addressing an inner circle of already leftist people? There is a
>>>constant struggle within indymedia as to what the attitude should be
>>>towards the main stream media.  There are those who think that indymedia
>>>can pressure corporate press to be more honest.  I think that yes there
>>>have been stories that we “broke“ and forced main stream media to take
>>>notice and report.  There are those who think we should court the press
>>>and get them to „cover“ indymedia and that „legitimates“ us.  I pretty
>>>much disagree and I guess I am in the camp that says fuck the corporate
>>>media, let’s make our own!
>>>
>>>The distrust of mainstream media has been codified in one version of the
>>>"IMC Blueprint" with the following rules: "Try to get mainstream media to
>>>schedule times to come to the IMC so it is possible to let everyone know
>>>they were are coming.  If possible, we try to clear a the scheduled
>>>mainstream media visit through a general meeting. 2.  All mainstream 
>>>media
>>>doing articles on the IMC should register as mainstream media - it is 
>>>even
>>>possible to give them special passes to wear while they are in the IMC. 
>>>3.
>>>Someone from the outreach team can accompany mainstream media at all
>>>times
>>>when they are in the IMC".
>>>
>>>Sometimes IMC activities do catch the interest of the press and greatly
>>>increase the number of visitors to the web site. As related by "J.M.G." 
>>>in
>>>a process discussion:  Creative applications of the Internet technology
>>>during the S11 protests demonstrated the ability of the Net to not only
>>>function as an organizational tool but also as a form of civil
>>>disobedience in cyberspace. The tongue-in-cheek link to JohnFarnham's
>>>'You're the Voice' - chosen as the S11 song - and the clever 'hactivism'
>>>which redirected users from www.nike.com to www.S11.org, generated
>>>considerable discussion within the press, radio and television media. 
>>>This
>>>publicity alerted new audiences to the existence of the site 
>>>incrementally
>>>increasing the number of hits the site received. The old media was
>>>important in publicizing and drawing attention to the new, highlighting
>>>the fact that, although the Net is an important new tool, activists still
>>>largely rely on coverage in the traditional media and cannot rely solely
>>>upon the emerging communications networks."
>>>
>>>Main stream critics have snidely put down the indy media activity as 
>>>being
>>>contradictory: using corporate tools such as the internet to attack
>>>corporate agenda. Indymedia makers have countered that that is a time
>>>honored guerrilla tactic-- to turn the tools of the oppressors against
>>>them. However, a more considered rejoinder is that the internet was
>>>developed in a collaborative process through public funding via
>>>educational institutions.  The creation did not spring from a search for
>>>profitable products to market.  The entire effort was subsidized by 
>>>public
>>>grants and nurtured in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation, not unlike 
>>>the
>>>process of indymedia itself.  The early internet researchers were not
>>>initially making products that the commercial sector could (and would)
>>>develop.  As e-commerce takes over much of the band width, it is efforts
>>>such as indy media that are preserving the authentic interactive 
>>>potential
>>>of the internet and, as such, preserving its role as a progressive public
>>>resource.
>>>
>>>As to the question of preaching to the choir.. well, first of all the
>>>choir needs information and „to be preached to“, otherwise how can we all
>>>sing together?  But with the sorts of numbers indymedia is generating in
>>>terms of daily visitors, we are certainly going beyond any concept of
>>>„inner circle“. This is a broad audience.  But moreover it is not 
>>>passive:
>>>there are almost as many posts as there are visiters.
>>>
>>>Indymedia recently celebrated its 2 years of existence. If you look back
>>>at the development of the antiglobalisation-movement and the
>>>implementation of independent media in it, which goals have been reached,
>>>where have you failed?  What has changed?
>>>
>>>Certainly we have changed the perception of the public in terms of global
>>>trade organizations.  No one looks at the WTO or the World Bank as being 
>>>a
>>>benevelent organizations any more.  That is clearly a huge victory.  In
>>>terms of failure, I think the biggest problems are the same problems we
>>>see in the world around us: the vast inequities in access to resources,
>>>the deeply rooted problems of racism and sexism and the ever present
>>>temptations of consumer culture. There are few indymedia centers in the
>>>South.  Women and people of color are still in very much the minority at
>>>indymedia centers and many of the creative young people who have learned
>>>to make media at indymedia are sucked off into the corporate world so 
>>>that
>>>they can pay off their credit cards.
>>>
>>>How has the strategy of indymedia changed through this 2 years? (Perhaps
>>>you would like to answer this question chronologically, starting with
>>>seattle, over washington, prague, genua etc.) I don;’t see „change“ per
>>>say, but just a sort of evolution and growth, which varies depending on
>>>the location and the persons involved.  One exaample of a particularly
>>>active group is dcimc, which is making a 24 hour radio station, a tv
>>>channel that scans all the other imcs and posts a sort of roving video
>>>string.  Also DC has perfected the use of the imc archives as counter
>>>surveilence: checking for images of police undercover provacateurs,
>>>recording police abuses (such as taping over their badge numbers with
>>>black tape and excessive violence) and other sort of vigilant activity.
>>>
>>>Genoa was amazing in the production of breaking news.  It was a global
>>>interactive event.
>>>
>>>how have the wtc/pentagon bombings changed the work of indymedia? It is
>>>hard to say what the ultimate outcome will be.  The images of black bloc
>>>kids at globalization protests seem curiously out of place in the current
>>>image climate.  But the imcs have been very useful in providing an
>>>alternative to the jingoism of corporate press. Certainly the New York 
>>>IMC
>>>has played a very useful role in uniting the community of media makers 
>>>and
>>>artists in the WTC area..
>>>
>>>Is the imc being exposed to a lot of hate in this heated up situation
>>>since it so openly opposes the „war against terror“ lead primarily by the
>>>us-government? There have been individual indymedia people attacked, but
>>>nothing so far, in terms of specific repression.  I would say that the
>>>danger is more of intimidation: with Ashcroft’s draconian laws in effect,
>>>one wonders where the sword will fall.
>>>
>>>An interesting aspect to the new legislation is that anyone attacking
>>>property or threatening US business interests is in the same catagory as
>>>airplane hi-jackers.
>>>
>>>The ongoing or even concluded process in which the media-output is being
>>>mainstreamed as far as the war in afghanistan and it´s propagandistic
>>>counterpart in the usa is concerned is quite terrifying.  What has to be
>>>done in order to deconstruct the hegemonic, and if you want to go that
>>>far, imperialistic discourse dominated by the us-government from your
>>>point of view? Which role should the independent media play in the
>>>anti-war movement? It is very important that the independent media make
>>>cogent criticism of the corporate media.  Just as the WTO struggle is a
>>>global one, the stuggle against corporate media needs to be made global:
>>>we need to have a global initiative to preserve the airwaves and 
>>>bandwidth
>>>for free speech and creative expression.  In 2003 thre will be a global
>>>media meeting in Geneva at the International Telecommunications Union.
>>>This should be the „Seattle“ of media: we need a convergence and a
>>>demonstration of the need to nurture local media initiatives and to save
>>>satellite slots for grass roots communitcation. The question is how can
>>>the grassroots use of information technology be cultivated in the "vast
>>>wasteland" of global commercial (and military) hegemony of technological
>>>resources?  Perhaps it is time to look at the ITU and to reinsert the
>>>public into their agenda. The ITU was organized before the United 
>>>Nations,
>>>as a global agency to assign radio frequencies to prevent interference
>>>between nations.  It has the task of designating both global spectrum and
>>>satellite paths.  Both of these resources are essential infrastructure 
>>>for
>>>any communication project. At the current time, most of this supposedly
>>>global resource has been assigned to commercial entities and military
>>>users.  With the collapse of the Eastern Block, the demise of the
>>>Non-Aligned Movement and the privatization of national telecommunications
>>>agencies, there is no organized resistance to the commercialization of 
>>>the
>>>world telecommunications infrastructure.  This is why the Murdochs and 
>>>the
>>>MTVs of the world can have free access to their target "markets: we are 
>>>in
>>>the bull's eye.
>>>
>>>  An example of how communities can successfully "tax" corporations to
>>>reconfigure communication infrastructure is the public access movement in
>>>the United States. Begun in the early seventies, community groups and
>>>visionary city officials were able to extract from cable corporations
>>>provisions that ensure public access to cable channels and equipment.
>>>Although this movement has been ridiculed in the popular press in the US
>>>(a press for the most part owned by cable corporations!) it has 
>>>flourished
>>>in many cities and provides a model for the rest of the world as to how
>>>excess communication profits can be directed into "affirmative action" 
>>>for
>>>information equity.
>>>
>>>The local and regional models of collaboration and participation such as
>>>public access and the IMCs can be the foundation to design a global 
>>>system
>>>of information resources that sees humanity not a markets to be 
>>>exploited,
>>>but as participant citizens. Why not a global standard of participatory
>>>communication, asserting the public nature of global information
>>>resources, such as earth orbits and spectrum?  The imc’s show the way.
>>>
>>>The imc started off as a project that´s tightly linked with the
>>>anti-globalisation movement. Edward Said recently visited vienna and in 
>>>an
>>>interview doubted that the antiglobalisation-movement can be transformed
>>>into a „new peace movement“. What would you reply?  If we can’’t do that
>>>we are in big trouble.  The United States Patriot Act, which was passed 
>>>by
>>>Congress last month, states that any act that could be deemed dangrous to
>>>human life, or forcing government officials to change their policies, can
>>>be construed as domestic terrorism.  According to Michael Ratner, of the
>>>Center for Constitutional Rights, it is not a stretch to predict that 
>>>this
>>>will be used against any future anti-globalization protests, or at the
>>>very least against the leaders.  This law makes what in the past is civil
>>>disobedience into domestic terrorism, so that acts on which there were
>>>certain sentencing limits, and makes them much more serious.  Under this
>>>law it means certain acts can be called terrorism and punishable with
>>>twenty years in jail.  Even thowing a rock in a Starbucks window.  If
>>>there is glass that breaks and could be construed as endangering human
>>>beings, that action can be tried under this act. There is also a part
>>>about blocking mass transit.  So that demonstrators blocking a main
>>>thoroughfare or a train track could be arrested as terrorists.  This
>>>directly targets Reclaim the Streets and Critical Mass.
>>>
>>>This law takes actions which in the past were not seen as major crimes 
>>>and
>>>makes them punishable as domestic terror. There is finally a growing
>>>reaction to the militry tribunal idea.  The reality is sinking in and
>>>actually the resisitance is from both the left and the right. Let’s see
>>>what happens in the next few months.
>>>
>>>Here in europe nothing is being heard about the american peace movement.
>>>Why?  Perhaps because European media takes their cues for internal
>>>reporting of the us from what is reported on CNN.  Of course thre is no
>>>recognition from CNN as to the peace movement.
>>>
>>>In the usa as well as in europe authorities are forcing the 
>>>implementation
>>>of extensive surveillance over it´s citizens. The only solution is to
>>>resist.  For one thing this stuff is very expensive.  As the recession
>>>settles in, it is going to get harder for the gov to tax us for all this
>>>new equipment.
>>>
>>>How does the new peace movement adress this issue? On all fronts: vigils,
>>>actions, theater, art, and IMC posts!  What I am doing is working on a
>>>daily news program with journalist Amy Goodman.  We are doing two hours a
>>>day of news over satellite, community tv, public radio and the internet.
>>>www.democracynow.org
>>
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