Friday, April 29, 2005

 

Indymedia Volunteer Responds

Further to my reporting on Indymedia's Incitement to Criminal Vandalism, comes a comment on that page from someone affiliated with Seattle Indymedia.
Folks, as a Seattle IndyMedia volunteer, I believe you are wrong.

Indymedias do not advocate anything. we simply give a forum for anyone to use.

We hope for good, well thought out articles. We sometimes get idiots.

idiots have access to the world wide web, and therefore post their idiotic rantings all over the place.

Much as dogs do pissing on fire posts.

Don't give the kooks more credibility than they deserve.
Sorry, whilst I appreciate you taking the time to write, this is a total cop out. You know full well how your site is used for bad, yet choose to do essentially nothing to prevent it. I called this the Standard Indymedia Defence here - "It's an unmoderated medium, we can't be held responsible for its content". In rather the same way you would expect not to be held responsible for someone getting shot with your firearm if you failed to take any responsibility for properly securing it after multiple warnings to that effect.

Not good enough. Sorry. You either want to be taken seriously or you do not. As an undeniably well-known site, until you take definitive steps to prevent the sort of material I criticize you for on this site, it's no use washing your hands of it.

I note that the article in question is still present on your site. The kooks you refer to are getting all the credibility and posterity they need. Your call.

Update: Via comments in this post, one person writes:
"Dude! You're ragging on Indymedia for being irresponsible by allowing a forum for a random nut who wants to superglue newspaper dispensers?

Didn't they take responsibility by letting their usual posters express their disdain for the kook?"

Did it fail to escape your attention that TIME Magazine graced its cover with a woman who encourages terrorists acts? Talk about a failure to take responsibility.
It's early in the morning, so I'm honestly not sure if that was written as a joke. In it's reporting, Time Magazine has also featured Osama bin Laden on the front cover, however I fail to see your point. If said terrorists wanted to place an advertisement in Time (or any responsible media) inciting destruction of public property, Time's editors would take a responsible position and say no. Indymedia has not and likely will not. The comparison is just silly. By the way, a "random nut" can do a whole lot of damage.

Comments:
Check it out--IMC NYC got hacked.
 
Dude! You're ragging on Indymedia for being irresponsible by allowing a forum for a random nut who wants to superglue newspaper dispensers?

Didn't they take responsibility by letting their usual posters express their disdain for the kook?

Did it fail to escape your attention that TIME Magazine graced its cover with a woman who encourages terrorists acts? Talk about a failure to take responsibility.
 
What kills that defense is that if someone posts a reply to these irresponsible posts, then it is "hidden" with the cause listed as "Policy Violation." So, they ARE taking an editorial/political stance for hate speech, crimes, etc.

BrunoNYC
 
Bruno,

Whilst some IMC sites have actively 'hidden' offensive or threatening material, the majority of IMC sites I have browsed simply do not.

I cannot say for each one whether this is by policy (e.g. examples of blatant anti-Semitism on Australian Indymedia sites that the moderators refused to hide) or accident (claimed lack of moderators etc.)

In either scenario however, there is still no excuse. IMC sites need to shape up or shut down, you simply can't have it both ways and purport to be responsible in the same breath.

Again, whilst there are exceptions, numerous IMC sites do not actually have a policy (or a very unclear one at best) which doesn't help either. Especially when they attempt to criticize the MSM, which love it or hate it, still has editorial guidelines and sticks to them.
 
I've been on an indy media site for about a month now, maybe less. I also researched the global indy media which is a so-called alternative to corporate media. In my assessment it is "purposefully" an anti-Semitic propaganda organ which has developed a superb cloak.

For example, many of the indy media sites take on a shape of being concerned about the environment, sustainability of the earth, injustices of the American government, and numerous otherwise worthwhile issues. By doing this and constantly interspersing and staggering blatant anti-Semitic postings it confers a legitimacy of indy media's anti-Semitism it would not have if it were an upfront neo-Nazi or other Far Fight organization.

Here's the clincher indy media is a Far Right organization which likely receives funding from the same corporate media it was suppose to find an alternative to (such as the notorious anti-Semitic Ford Foundation, other Far Right organizations, and radical Muslim donors and organizations.

Yes, I have read many good worthwhile posts on indy media but you need to look beyond your own nose and see what their larger agenda is. You are being used to mass propagandize anti-Semitism. As such in a different forum where this wasn't tolerate your worthwhile postings would have more credibility. What happens, however, is the exact opposite. Because you post in indy media with the swill of anti-Semitism you end up discrediting your own worthwhile contributions while legitimizing indy media.

Indy media has developed one of the most sophisticated and superb cloaks I've seen. Yes, the anti-Semitism is obvious but it seems to some to melt in the background and be merely noise because of the front indy media has developed. That is something you should be aware of. Not only does indy media engage in propagandizing anti-Semitism but it subliminally places in your mind, without direct instruction, Jews are evil. Considering the scope of indy media and its financiers this is not something to take lightly. Through this subltle form of indoctrination and propaganda it is possible to "push" an unthinking person over to accepting anti-Semitism as totally legitimate and may encourage hostile activity offline as well as online.

Anybody who things indy media is totally unmoderated and unrestricted is either a shill doing damage control for the organization or someone who is ignorant.

My advice is stay far away from indy media in terms of publishing. You're just being used. I've countered some of the anti-Semitic posts on a particular indymedia and they are either "hidden" or not published. I raised the very same concerns to indy media in this comment by attempting to get my article published and it never was.

Indy media is a partially global operation and it is slick and sophisticated. These aren't anti-Semitic "random nuts". They are purposefully allowed to post on indy media to spread anti-Semitic propaganda.

Indy Media even allows "propaganda" while at at same time exhorting "no Nazi posts". In its format and issues it is loose as a busted rotten mattress spring while allowing in the dead center of the mattress a constant and interspersed and staggered nest of anti-Semitic maggots to continue digging.

This is a dangerous outfit people. If you're not anti-Semitic I highly recommend you steer clear of it otherwise you are just being used and compromising your own dignity and integrity, assuming you have any.
 
Can the anonymous person who wrote the preceding comment please email me via the address at the top left of the page.

I look forward to hearing from you.
 
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