Indy Media Watch

UK Indymedia is unsure whether it has growing pains or symptoms of decay.

Apparently "total hopelessness" was not an option.

According to the article:

Over the last couple of weeks a battle has been raging and opening fissures that threaten to drive apart the United Kollectives of Indymedia on this island. Unless you subscribe to the Sheffield IMC mailing list you are likely to be unaware about the arguments over claims of lack of communication, transparency and the existence of hidden hierarchies within the network.

You'd be well advised to don a flame retardant suit if you subscribe to the email list of your local collective. A heated battle is raging, stoking the flames of discontent within the hallowed virtual halls of Indymedia.

Hallowed? Erm... Yes. Well,

At the core of the issue is the great satan, money.

Wait a minute... I thought America was the Great Satan...

The conflict stems from debts incurred by IMC UK during coverage of the G8 summit in Scotland this July. With three seperate Indymedia centres, broadband provision, satellite truck, photodesk, video suite and radio studio, the total cost ammounted to somewhere in the region of 5,000 pounds.

And on it goes listing the problems... Accountabililty, lack thereof, arguments, infighting and incompetence. Pretty easy to identify for long time sufferers readers of the totally out of control Indymedia.

A comment argues:

One of Indymedia's biggest problems at the moment is... is that theres this pain in the arse called twilight pretending it somes kind of free speech bulletin board" when in it is fact a newswire designed to carry news, not ncessant shouty bollocks from the deepest crevices of a troubled mind.

In no way does the discussion over funding even begin to approach the enormity of the other Indymedia spats mentioned, and the original article seems to be an full scale tabloid stylee attempt to give it a level of importance that it does not have. In part the exchange appears to have developed out of a misunderstanding, and through discussion that can and will be resolved.

Quite right. I had not heard of the problems of funding and internal arguments (though I will start looking through some of the mailing lists for examples.) I am all too aware however, of racism, libel, Nazism and other problems which are completely asymptomatic of that issue and a major problem for Indymedia (and the whole point of Indy Media Watch). He continues:

IMHO the levels of trolling on the comments section, and the damage they do to the credibility of the project are a far more serious issue within the network, and one that needs to be tackled soon.

Soon? Too late! Articles and (highly rare) original material on Indy Media are just as problematic, not merely the comments attached to them.

The source of the problem is 'obvious' according to subsequent comments however:

The naivety of some people amazes me. INDYMEDIA THREATENS THE BLIARS [sic] PLANS AND MUST BE DESTROYED. When people talk freely Blair trembles, that is why people are being turned against each other. IT IS DEVIDE [sic] AND RULE.
...
Blair fully understands how important these discussion forums are and has ordered psy-ops to breack up Indymedia FROM THE INSIDE. Can there be anyone left who does not now understand how far Blair will sink to execute his sick and evil plans. Blair called for murdering people in London for his political gain, why are you all so surprised when Indymedia is ATTACKED.

TONY BLAIR WANTS TO CONTROL ALL 'PUBLIC FORUMS' AND IS WORKING ON SHUTTING INDYMEDIA DOWN BY PUTTING PEOPLE INSIDE TO PROVOKE FIGHTS

So there you have it folks. When he's not blowing up his constituents, Tony Blair is actually responsible for the hopelessness of Indymedia, which he recognizes as an "important" site. Presumably he got the job from Mossad by arrangement with George W. Bush.

Sigh...