The Rise of the Independent Media Center Movement
February 2002
by Theta Pavis
The very first Independent Media Center (IMC) sprang to life in
Seattle, during the fall of 1999. In November, the World Trade Organization
and hundreds of international delegates were preparing to come to
the city. At the same time, young activists-- galvanized by years
of anti-globalization work--were asking themselves how they could
impact the meeting and get the word out about protest marches and
rallies. Part of the answer was to create an alternative news source
that would cover the demonstrations and the issues behind them.
To understand the role of Indymedia from a technical perspective
as a Web site you need to know that we really just play one part
in a whole wave of changes that have swept the way online news is
constructed and presented. 'With Indymedia, we bridge the gap between
online news, activism, real work media labs, and many non-cyber
mediums.' Jenny Arfman, a 27-year-old volunteer at the Seattle IMC,
said. She doesn't think Sept. 11 has changed things that much. 'Our
goals are still the same. If anything, it seems like Indymedia has
become more popular and the newswire has been very active ... in
a way, the war is connected to globalization. Yes, we're focused
on Sept. 11, but the same people responsible for war are responsible
for globalization and war profiteering. The IMC in New York has
been particularly busy. Members have reported on terrorism, on the
lives of average New Yorkers in the aftermath of the attacks, on
anthrax, and on anti-war demonstrations and teach-ins. Others in
Indymedia are trying to stay on top of what America's new patriotic
climate, anti-terrorism legislation, and possible censorship could
mean for the movement. "It puts us in a vulnerable place," said
Sheri Herndon, one of the founders of the IMC movement in Seattle.
'To continue to push the line of free speech, empowering people
to make up their own minds, is what Indymedia is about, and government
doesn't want you to do that' The word terrorism is being so broadly
used these days, Herndon argues 'It is being used to crack down
on anyone working on social justice issues.' Media analyst Ed Herman
considers alternative media crucial for a democratic society. 'I
think the IMC movement has done very important work in counteracting
the mainstream media's gross bias in dealing with events approved
by the elite, like the political conventions and actions of the
World Trade Organization and [International Monetary Fund] IMF,'
he wrote. 'They have actually embarrassed the mainstream media.
They have an important potential, and I must support them because
they are part of the hope for a democratic future. If they and institutions
like them don't succeed, this society is in deeper trouble than
I like to think about.'
www.indymedia.org