[IMC-bristol] Medai Democracy Day: 18 October 2002

[kyra@rnetmail.co.uk]

i found this at: www.mediademocracyday.org.uk

looks interesting,
k

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Call to Indymedia Centres:

CALL FOR INDYMEDIA PARTICIPATION IN MEDIA DEMOCRACY DAY (MDD) - 18 OCTOBER 2002 

This is a discussion document for circulation around local IMC's.

MEDIA DEMOCRACY DAY: BACKGROUND AND VISION

Media Democracy Day is an occasion to push for and promote a media system that informs and empowers all members of society. It offers an opportunity to create and link grassroots media and build alternatives to the present media monopolies. It will connect existing pockets of critical and creative media projects with broader social movements.

The rapid concentration of ownership in and commercialisation of the mass media is making them less and less a space to freely exchange information, and more a channel to distribute the news and views of political and economic elites. The products and processes of print, broadcasting and mass online media are addicted to advertising. Mainly owned by a handful of national and international corporations, they are unable to communicate the broad range of perspectives in our communities. Instead, they are a crucial force for shaping people's perceptions of the world in accordance with the views of society's elites.

Media Democracy Day may be called Media Freedom Day by some, Reclaim The Media Day by others, Media Action Day by others... The names are interchangeable, the issues are the same all over the world. The day will focus on:

* Promotion - of alternative, independent and community media
* Education - how the corporate media shapes our world, and how it limits democracy and autonomy
* Protest - against a corporate media system based on commercialisation andexclusiveness
* Change - for a more accountable, accessible and community-led media

It could include public events to promote grassroots alternative media, debates, workshops, conferences, film screenings, skill sharing, joint print publications, internet/fm radio, street theatre, subvertising, pickets, poster parties, media stunts, spoofs and pranks...

It could be a perfect occasion for grassroots media groups to gettogether, meet each other, plan longer-term campaigns, create strategies to promote non-corporate media, and work on building a network to enable a collaborative response to the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003 (see www.itu.int/wsis/index.html and www.crisinfo.org).

INDYMEDIA PARTICIPATION

Media Democracy Day could mobilise....
local radio, pirate radio, art collectives, small newsletters, media monitoring groups, academic groups, the whole bunch of alternative media groups, journalist unions, protest and direct action groups, online campaign groups, community initiatives, etc etc


Indymedia is a global network with a large reach into different social movements, campaigns and media projects. By supporting Media Democracy Day Indymedia as a global network can have a huge impact on the spread of ideas and debates around media issues on a worldwide level. As such, Indymedia is ideally placed to act to promote and network the idea of Media Democracy Day. In addition, Indymedia could benefit from the increased networking and collaboration with other media initiatives around Media Democracy Day.

We would like to propose that Indymedia groups consider to..
- discuss Media Democracy Day within their groups
- promote the day on their websites (features, upcoming events list, etc.)
- organise conferences and gatherings of alternative media 
- report on Media Democracy Day events

For more background on the issues see:

http://www.mediademocracyday.org 
http://www.mediachannel.org
http://www.fair.org
http://www.americanresurrection.com/Media.htm
http://www.mediatank.org
http://www.mediageek.org
http://www.reclaimthemedia.org
http://www.mediawatch.ca
http://www.IMPACS.org
http://www.democraticmedia.org
http://www.iwantmedia.com/consolidation.html

In solidarity,
a few indy people 

- Reclaim Your Media!
 

Other Proposals    
Existing Manifestos, Proposals and Charters:

Adbusters Media Carta
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/mediacarta

The Media Channel has 19 proposals for media make-overs around the world
http://www.mediachannel.org/manifesto/front.shtml 

The Toronto Video Activist Collective Manifesto
http://www.tvac.ca/about/manifest.html 
 
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