Indy Media Watch

My most recent post reported on how literally within minutes of the tragic terrorist bombings in London, Indymedia UK was hosting material insisting it was a Government/Mossad/CIA job.

Via the comments, master debater "IMCista" returns to my blog (trying anonymously this time) and has the temerity to question my 'editorial honor'.

If you have any editorial honor whatsoever you wil immediately post the statement from Indymedia UK to this blog, rather than attempting to smear the outlet by linking to random comments.

http://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/static/londonattack

Well, there you go 'IMCista', my 'editorial honor' (whatever that means) should now be restored in your eyes and I await an apology.

Can the same however be said of Indymedia? My referrer logs have pointed me to this page on Bay Area Indymedia which is a nice little round up of the conspiracy theories that have been conclusively proven before the victims' bodies are even cold.

BREAKING: At least 40 killed, 300 hurt in London bombings
OIL PRICE JUMP .... HOW CONVENIENT!
...
Ohhh boy!! What a con job! BREAKING | London Rocked by Multiple Blasts
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070705Z.shtml
...
If you believe this was an al-qaeda-type terrorist attack, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. This is the governments attacking their own citizens and blaming the terrorists to continue to the war. Period.

And of course, the ubiquitous antisemitism:

why did Netanyahu get a warning and the victims didn't?
...
Is it just me, or is that the familiar odour of mossad in the morning?

Which firstly ignores the difference between fuzzy intelligence alerts and the ability to shut down a nation's transport infrastructure for what may prove to be nothing, and secondly is based on an error. Suffice it to say, if there were a way to stop bombs on buses, I think Israel would have implemented it by now, but why let that get in the way of some traditional Jewbashing?

Sorry IMCista, I don't need to "smear Indymedia". It does a far better job itself. Are you going to accept that Indymedia has a very real problem (and I'm not it)?

And by the way, the UK Indymedia statement includes:

We are also acutely aware that these events will be exploited by the most reactionary elements of the British media and political establishment for their own selfish purposes.

Leaving aside the question of whether Indymedia can be called a "reactionary element", your ability to turn sympathy into anti-governmental spin is truly touching. I'm sure the victims' families truly appreciate the gesture.