Charter (V1.b)

Introduction

This text has as an ambition to fix our operating mode; it is, and it n?est that the result d?un joint work of the collective during March 2003; it n?est neither engraved in the marble nor cast in the concrete. Any comment, any remark, is the welcome, in particular on behalf of the one or the ones that joins the collective Indymedia Nantes; It will be able, if it makes consensus, being integrated in a forthcoming version. For any other question of seeing FAQ (fair with the questions).

1. What is Indymedia?

Indymedia is a collective of media activists and journalists committed which goal is the production, the diffusion and promotion of information, ideas, debates and cultures, as well as criticism and the formation with the media.

Indymedia wants to encourage the participation and the development of the critical direction.

Indymedia wants to make visible the injustices and the fights inherent in capitalist universalization.

Objectives of Indymedia Nantes

• To remain modest and ambitious
• To inform on the activities of resistance and fight in Nantes and in its surroundings.
• To fight against all the forms of domination and d?oppression.
• To be the local antenna of an intersidereal network (collective IMC Saturn east appears it in the course of formation?)(ouais super the jokes?).
• To give another information, to take part in the development of the critical direction, inter alia the media (of which Indymedia) and also of the militant medium (of which us).
• To be recipient of the production and the diffusion of information on Internet
• To have an experiment of the media alternate, through the Indymedia network, in order to be able to locally develop other media alternate (Tele, Radio, Journaux paper...).
• To be given for objective to become a media accessible to all (on a Nantes scale).
• To take part in the development d?un Internet network not based on the profit in particular while collaborating with the other mediaktivists and by supporting the development of the free software. GNU: LeLibre

Indymedia and information

The collective Indymedia Nantes proposes to place at the disposal a mutualized platform of diffusion of information, independent tools of communication and to support a critical thought compared to information. The principles of the mediaktivist must be respected (not sensationnalism, not documents being able to compromise people, respect of the right not to be filmed or photographed, not of collaboration with the authorities).

Can I believe what I read on Indymedia?

Do you believe so that you read on the site of CNN? All the journalists have their parties taken. The media of the governments and the large companies with lucrative goal have also their parties taken which are essential by the direct intervention of the employers on their journalists or by self-censorship of the journalists themselves. You should look at what you read on Indymedia with a critical?il, as you should do it with the other media, with understanding.

Indymedia and independence

Indymedia is a network depending on no organization trade-union, political, religious or different. The role of Indymedia is to facilitate the access of all to free and independent information: The collective Indymedia Nantes n?est not neutral politically (that would be known) but is asserted without political dogmatism dominating. To in no case Indymedia cannot bind with the political or economic spheres institutional: there cannot be publicity on the site, the name of Indymedia can be used for no commercial deal, Indymedia can make partnership with no entity whose vocation is to make profit, Indymedia can be made the official support of no organization or candidate. Any person can take part in Indymedia. There is no obligation for that to be member of an organization whatever she is, nor of restriction for the members of organizations. The participation in the collective Indymedia Nantes is done individually, and not as a member of an organization.

2.(Auto)Gestion of the leading line

Editorial work consists to produce articles and to organize and join together some of information published freely (contributions), so that they remain accessible. If this selection even induced inevitably an orientation, the members of the collective Indymedia Nantes achieve it in a consensual way and commit themselves not using the site to serve only their own opinions (in favour of an organization or with the detriment of another transforming the site into scene open to the quarrels of sterile vaults?).

Modération/gestion open publishing

There are 4 types of contributions:

• Contributions nonmoderate: those which have not been read by a regulator.
• Validated contributions: in conformity with the charter of IMC Nantes
• The contributions whose validation requires a debate (moderation in debate): the consensus is not found
• Refused contributions: not conforms to the charter of Indymedia

The collective Indymedia Nantes makes it possible to comment on a contribution. The comments are moderated same manner as a contribution. This possibility requiring an experiment of moderation will be installation only one month after launching of its web site.

Indymedia and censures

By principle Indymedia oppose with any form of censure, however, we decided to hide (a contribution can be hidden, and in certain nonaccessible cases on the site, ever removed. It does not appear any more in the free column of publication, but there is always an address or means making it possible to reach it.) types of following contributions:

• Messages of propaganda coming from integrist religious organizations, organizations of extreme right-hand side or presenting bonds towards sites of extreme right-hand side with an apologetic aim.
• Racist messages with character, anti-semites, homophobes or sexists.
• Publicities for commercial companies which qu?elles is, or returning towards commercial sites to this end.
• Messages without any connection with the contents of the Indymedia project, messages illegible or incomprehensible by the collective, publipost and Spam (see: Collective Anti-Spam, http://caspam.org ).
• Indymedia Nantes is French-speaking. Thus an article to be validated must either be in French or to be accompanied by a translation. (One still manages in English and Spanish but to know if an article into Breton or Ouzbek is in conformity with the charter that will be harder?)

Such contributions will be stored, with a comment, clearly marked like emanating from Indymedia and not from the writer of the contribution, in the heading refused articles, those Commentaries remaining accessible to all. However, this form of censure (to hide an article) can be expressed only with minima, with the agreement of several of the members of the team charged to moderate the site. In addition, in order to protect itself with respect to the law (it is the provider which is responsible for this, thus if it diffuses "illegal" remarks, even by accompanying them with a comment criticizing their contents, it is liable of an heavy fine) we will be able to leave only the titles and the comments of the collective in free access. However if you, the Net surfer who read these lines absolutely make a point of knowing the contents of our dustbins, you can always ask this: a nonaccesible message will be sent to you by mail.

In any event, these two measurements, to hide an article and to post a warning, are measurements in exceptional matter. The only normal intervention of the team of regulators in unrolled free wire of publication being, as for any user of Indymedia, the publication of a contribution or a comment to a publication.

Note: the copyleft

This site can be financed thanks to the use of software, hardware, information and free and free Internet networks. Indymedia does not fit in financial reports/ratios whatever they are: it is what guarantees our independence and our freedom to inform. And this is why all the articles published on Indymedia Nantes are free rights (the source must be quoted if the author requires it) and do not have to be taken again at commercial purposes.

3. Organization

The collective Indymedia Nantes functions on a nonhierarchical and transparent mode.

The collective respects the criteria of adhesion to the network as well as the principles of unit of Indymedia. It is committed taking an active part in the life of this last.

Members of the collectives Indymedia Nantes

Are considered as actors of Indymedia Nantes the people having shown an active participation within the collective. Among the actors of Indymedia Nantes, certain people, with their request and with the downstream of the meeting of the collective, have the codes of the site in order to proceed to the current interventions (suppression of the articles published in double, fusion of the articles being common, drafting and update of the leading column) and exceptional (to hide an article, to add a comment), and to manage the IMC-Nantes lists: they are the regulators. The actors have a right of glance on what the regulators do.

Administration of the site: A list "administration" specific, opened to all and whose files are public, makes it possible to the administrators to communicate between them.

It exists a General Mailing List of the collective, imc-france-nantes@lists.indymediaSTOPSPAM.org, it is fully open: anyone can read its archives and post to it. Anyone can subscribe to it. The new member shall present him(her)self.

Note: The collective will include/understand a minimum of 3 regulators for this management.

Meetings

Open physical meetings are regularly organized by the collective, so that the various actors meet, propose and organize specific actions (participation in against tops, organization of public meetings of information, the documentary projections independent ones, etc). The decisions concerning the collective are made at these physical meetings. The collective uses the process of decision-making per consensus.

Meetings of Imc Nantes collective are announced publicly, they are open and public; they are set up regularly. If there is a "day order" it is a Meeting, if not we just join for friendship and conviviality.

Taking Decisions by concensus

If no Indymedia Nantes' actor oppose a decision, it is validated.

Any decision can be reviewed. ( This one either)

Any public engagement of Indymedia Nantes ( public declaration, etc...) is under the collective control. The collective is the only one who have responsibility in administrating internal conflicts, using consensus process ( as described in, http://indy.medianice.org/doc1_consensus.html , or using the debate over conflict resolution in Indymedia's lists ), and in taking the decisions needed to ensure the perennity of Indymedia Nantes website under the general principles of Indymedia.

-- LucReg - 16 Apr 2003
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