[IMC-bristol] Re: questions

[Tony Gosling]

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At 12:23 09/05/03 +0100, you wrote:

>Ian/Tony
>
>Sorry for the group mail but I'm in a bit of a confused state today. I'm
>having to take the rest of today off (for personal reasons), and won't be
>able to make my meeting with Ian regarding Indymedia.
>
>(Tony) I've still not heard back from Ian, but will be leaving shortly, so
>I've posted a few questions in this mail...if one of you could answer them
>for me 'd really appreciate it.
>
>I'm going to be writing the feature over the weekend, so here's my home
>address if either of you can help me out with this one dano@f2s.com.
>
>Again, apologies Ian for not being able to meet up this afternoon. A few
>pints in Hatchetts would go down particularly well at the moment.
>
>Cheers
>
>Dan
>
>QUESTIONS:
>
>How, and why, did you get involved with Indymedia?

See my article about the evening post - 
http://www.bilderberg.org/censored.htm#evening - general dispair with BUP 
and some blatant political bias from the Evening Post editor Mike Lowe - 
for example - in a previous firefighters dispute he actually edited a fire 
brigade union's public statement. - general lack of Evening Post having its 
finger on the pulse - I'm basically a journalist that cares about the 
ethics of the profession... and a monopoly breaker.


>In what way do you contribute?

writing stuff and advising the collective on legal issues


>Do you think Indymedia could survive without the Net?

another outlet would appear without the net - -either print or pirate radio

>Are people right to be sceptical of news stories posted on the Net?

of course - but people should be sceptical of news stories published by 
monopolies - and much more aware of the motives of who owns the media - any 
one of the big six - see  http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/chart.shtml -
Bertelsmann AG - the people who own channel five - and are the world's 
biggest publisher - was a sponsoring member of Hitler's SS and was a major 
printer of Nazi material in world war II - I am sceptical of everything 
they do.
The BBC has only three super-editors - who control bulletins so a lot is 
scrubbed out of the bulletin before we ever see or hear it.
Remember, the term we are using is 'The News', so it should be impartial - 
but when a story will affect a major advertiser such as Shell Petroleum's 
image an editor may well be put under pressure to suppress it. When stories 
are being censored in this way readers, listeners or viewers are no longer 
getting 'The News'.

>Do you think there's a need for alternative news sources on the Net, with so
>much cross-media ownership?

you mis-understand the term I think - for many years it was an established 
custom that a TV company should never own a radio station or a newspaper 
etc.  nor should a newspaper own a radio stn etc. etc. this all changed 
under Thatcher and is about to get a lot worse with the Communications Bill 
-  see - http://www.cpbf.org.uk/  and 
http://keywords.dsvr.co.uk/freepress/body.phtml?doctype=&id=324 the choices 
available - for example - on cable represent largely an illusion of choice 
- -with all the major channels taking the same line - just as so many 
papers rely on the press association - -they appear to be different but are 
basically building the paper off the same PA news feed. With the media 
being concentrated and monopolised into fewer and fewer hands the Net as a 
way to get news out has come at just the right time.

>Blogs (online personal diaries) have provided people with a unique way of
>reporting on situations from SARS to the war in Iraq.do you think these
>personal accounts have any merit?

some rubbish and some brilliant - - making users more discerning about what 
we read and what we believe


>Do you think the increase in 'DIY' journalism is a good thing?

yes - writing is good for us!

>Before the Net journalists were fairly unaccountable, and what they reported
>wasn't questioned; new media journalists have nowhere to hide though, with
>email addresses readily available. Do you think this makes for a more
>informed reporting from online reporters?

not true - -on the BBC website there are now very few bylines - any fool 
can set up an email address and can just click delete - -often addresses 
and phone numbers are secret

>Do you think the Net is the last place that you can find truly independent
>news? Why do you think this?

because you can get various views - lay and professionals on a subject or 
event and make your own mind up

>Can sites like Indymedia make a difference?

They already are - whenever there's a big international protest event we're 
there before the mainstream press

In Bristol Indymedia has scooped the local paper on several occasions and 
therefore been the touchstone for understanding that event.
It helps put pressure on editors to cover things they may wish to ignore - 
because every time they ignore somthing people are talking about on the 
streets they lose credibility and readers - it is also encouraging the 
editor to send his journalists out of the office more - to force the 
Evening Post to be more streetwise. And giving Mike Lowe less of a 
stranglehold on his monopoly paper's contents.


>----------------------------------------------
>Dan Oliver/Dep Ed
>.net Magazine/www.netmag.co.uk
>01225 732246
>07815 868008
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