up to ImcUkWritingAltMedHandbook1

Structure - to be developed in version 03

Most readers will probably be journalism students without much knowledge of imc, if any. We are thinking of on main article of max. 4000 words, and a number of boxes (how much space do we have for boxes, how many?). Some pictures would be good (possible? how many?)

Intro

Leading onto G8, Scotland: x pp went to protest against G8 who met in a hotel in the remote scottish countryside. "WE" or "they" xxd at the Carnival of full enjoyment, dressed as clowns, blockaded streets on the first day of the summit, ... G8/life aid reporting. 7-7. start of summit was disrupted with XYZ blockades... - need to mention what happened @ G8 - cre8 summit - faslane - peace demo - boogie on the bridge - carnival for full enjoyment - blockades of various types - locals fighting cops - MPH demo

Evoking the public face of Indymedia: During the protests against the G8 mtg in Sc, 2005, xxx pics and xxx reports were published on imc uk, (stats for scotland imc?) roughly xxx hits were counted. This is the public face, what people see. Behind it is a lot of organising....

Common misconception that indymedia is just a news website / in fact it is a solid network made up of human beings. Many writings about indy is just about the website. Our aim here is to report about the raw, on-the-ground reality of settingup and running a physical independent media center.

disclaimer: if u really want to know how it works, you better stop reading now etc

Something about the experience of participating in indymedia during a big mobilisation, can't be conveyed in an article. empowering intensity, parachuting into the chaos... Flashback to j18, Seattle, pointing out that big mobilisations are what imc came out of and what it still does best.

History

Imc was set up for big mobilisations of what was called the anti-globalisation movement, and this is what it still does best. Almost all of the first batch of independent media centers was first set up for a big m. (seattle, washington, prague, uk...). , buzzing backoffice.

Genealogy can be read up elsewhere (shumway...)

exciting quote from j18.

Seattle: Originally alt media makers were going to cover it. They coincided with active techies / timely availability of the code, opening up of the project. Convergence of coders and alt.media makers and direct action groups (on different continents)

Indymedia brings people together! Participation / less experts...

Geography

Every physical imc is different. There is no script. Depending on local situation, specific structure of each protest. We can tell you the elements and give you an idea, but we can't convey the full excitement, inspiration and empowerment. Every circumstance is different...

Take as an expl the g8 protests: Since genoa all following G8 are rural isolated places...

Sea island deep south US - Evian isolated by Lake Geneva - Gleneagles in heart of scotland (hishlands? wot area?)

So in genoa one big imc in council provided building with all other main GSF infrastructure, in town, central. For Evian there was an IMC in Geneva at an art building, lusine, with smaller satellit IMC offices in two other locations and in the various campsites.

The geography of the protests Evian - Scotland were similar in that people gathered and demonstrated in many different locations, in that there was a major city as well as the rural location for the G8 summit itself, as well as campsites and rural protests.

Mainstream Media landscape

Situation - Three mobilisations MPH / Dissent / G8Alt - MPH + live8 > Prime Ministr Blair + Chancelor Brown backed campaign - mainstream media avalanche legitimising the G8, Dissent shut down the G8 etc - intervention was needed.

- counter spin collective bit here.

- bombings 7/7 - coverage of the g8 was blown away

Physical IMCs @ G8 Scotland 2005

How do you organise an independent media center for instant reporting when you don't know in advance where exactly the protests will take place, where the convergence centers and crash spaces and therefore the people will be? Mention Guardian internet caf and NUJ-trot media center

The level of organisation differs across media centres - some are just a room with a few computers - a place to meet gather and work - others are highly organised, well funded and even charge people for using them (US examples).

We decided to have physical media centers, or at least internet access in as many places as possible, even in the rural campsite "horizone" near Gleneagles. - Rough cost - all this for just under £3,500

Hi tech to loooowwwww tech - photocopies to satellites etc

The setup sounds simple: find a space, get enough computers, and then all the people will come and write their reports, post their pictures and phone the dispatch centre to report from the streets and protests. In practice that's of course much more: rewiring the main floor of the centre with electricity and getting enough tables to put the computers on, getting transport to get all computer gear and all the other material up to scotland, setting up the machines, making sure the telephone lines and cables are working, - making ethernet cables to start with, more banners, flyers with the adress and the dispatch number, a safe place to sleep, food and coffee for those who don't have time to leave the building, putting up a wireless antenna, getting a map of Gleneagles...

Blagging and borrowing - all of the monitors for the 50 or so computers were either donated by people or lent to indymedia by two local computer recycling charities. Tables were borrowed from a local trade union. People brough their own equipment. Last minute panics and people sent out to buy cables / gaffa / another hub / extension lead.

Edinburgh

It was clear that Edinburgh would always be a major focus and that there would probably be protests in Glasgow, as well as protests as near to gleneagles as possible. The problem was where most people would stay. here was a big imc in a former church in Edinburgh, which is now a cafe and a focal point for local activists and artists.

- no alcohol - no smoking - not 24hr access - no dormitory for sleeping at imc edinburgh

- forest cafe collective of people + importance of communication in a 'shared' building

Connectivity for internet access at the Ed IMC proved to be a problem... Days before the protests started the two new ADSL connections that were ordered suddenly had a problem - they would not be working until the last day of the protests. XXXXXXXX blah - blagging wireless bandwidth from the ether and a backup was needed.

"one or the other techie always seem to be around when needed, fixing problems or setting up an additional wireless connection (...) with what the council called "an unsafe structure on the roof". Moving a wireless antenna and the roles of lead that held it in place at night on an old church roof is an experience for itself, but certainly worth the view."

"Another piece of software came up when nobody was really expecting it. On the evening before the G8 officailly started, some software was included by two IMCistas from Spain to post photos and videos directly from mobile phones. Not many people knew about it during Wednesday actions, but nevertheless we got a picture of the Beacons of Dissent burning on the hills above Gleneagles long before those who lit them made their hours-long walk back."

DISP - intro para

Photo desk - was on hand to help people publish their pics, holding hands, or allowing people to dump pics and get back out on the streets.

Radio - archived + published tons - covered several counters confs. The only group rather invisible was the radio group, located on one of the balkonies, hidden behind thick curtains to provide some sound proofing. For whatever reason the radio didn't seem to be broadcasted in the IMC itself but apparently they produced some good pieces.

Video - there to help people publish, concentrated on producing daily rushes of the best footage - getting it on the web and onto disc and sent out to places where people were staying, meeting etc "the video group was busy copying, logging and editing video and they burnt CDs and DVDs with all the videos made to take along and/or to screen at the camp sites."

"The welcome desk is probably the one most un-media activist task of an IMC: A table to block the access to the stairs to the IMC upstairs, to make sure that we were not overrun by people who just wanted to check their emails, to keep corporate journalists out, and to give general explanations. Time and again, we were looking for people to take over, threatening them that we would have to close the whole space in 10 minutes if nobody was willing to guard the door. In the end we always found somebody, and quite often people who were not involved with Indymedia (so far)."

Stirling

there were well advanced plans for a multi-group rural campsite convergence space. However due to interfeernce from the authorities severl negotiations for campsite locations fell through at the last minute. It was only days before the Start of the G8 protests before a location was confirmed. The rural campsite was connected via satellite, with a bunch of very old laptops.

Glasgow

A few computers were set up in the old hat factory in Glasgow which had temporarily become a convergence center. dirty lo tech :)). Plans for a larger open access media centre fell through?...

What doesn't work

NBNBNB Some things work others don't... there were tons of great ideas - some happen others don't - webcams in edinburgh - publishing pics and reports via mobile phone (set up on the spot but not publiscised - connectivity for the jack kane centre campsite - faslane Of course, some of the infrastructure for that fell through: the satelite truck decided to stay in the Stirling camp site, and another bus that was meant to drive around never made it to Scotland.

Building networks, before and after

Preperation - Indymedia Convergence weekend to plan and discuss - meet each other for those who already knew they will work there - form initial subgroups.

Post - kit distributed to locals imcs afterwards - forest venue left improved and facilities there for indy scotland

Security and repression

Ed was first euro G8 media centre NOT to be raided (Genoa / Geneva - which is why we were nervous about Glasgow ;)) Though repression was generally lower across entire mobilisation. Confident it wouldn't be raided, esp as uk indy has good relations to Civil liberty / press freedom / communication rights campaigns, groups, NGO's etc But still precautions were taken to have back up locations sorted with computers and bandwidth in case - as well as safe locations for any sensitive materials and so on.

Still FIT team harass next to forest, id checks, searches, intimidation - swooping cars etc Photographing people on roof setting up wireless, calls from council to remove wireless antenae from roof.

Party outside forest on MPH night - hundreds of people in street party - window removed + Dj playing to street. cops slowly disperse people.

Boxes

• Dispatch: Extracts from ImcUkG8Dispatch (500 wds?), should def. go in. Dispatch and Excitement
• J18 and Seattle - about the convergence of techies and alt.media people. indymedia as an interface. Showing that imc did't appear out of thin air at Seattle, came out of global day of action, anti-capitalist movement.
• Tech - maybe to b integrated in main article: DIY, cheap, blagging, borrowing and sharing, free software. Maybe just definition of free software.
• Definition box - open publishing, maffew's quote
• Definition box - maybe bits from mission statements, passionate tellings of the truth, dissolving border between reporters and reported etc
• Stats: no of reports, pics, vid clips, radio, no uf pp using Edinbrugh media center, no of hits. Maybe to b included in main article...

_ -- IonNec - 19 Feb 2006
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