[CIMC-working] draft: the future of the indymedia network: reformist institutions or networks of networks

[Doug Morris]

Hopefully, for discussion at tomorrow's meeting...  agenda items anyone?

Below is a draft of two letters, proposed as from Chicago IMC:
	a call for indymedia strategic dialog
	a call for discussion of tmf and soros grant

There are mostly a call for discussion with some points of info.

These could be sent as one or two notes.

Letters of inquiry and dialog invitation to the network have been suggested 
(in various ways, to be sent soon) about the tmf and soros grant and 
funding issues in general.

Based on a talk with Dick and Grath, I framed this, first, in terms of 
strategic thinking for the indymedia network.

Chris K, Grath, and I agree on doing this.  Others?

I suggest we discuss and send:
	- a rewrite the note below to imc listserves
	- a note introducing this to Argentina, Athens, Barcelona, Melbourne, 
Italy, and San Francisco Bay Area IMCs, who have made statements on grants.

Best,
Doug

DRAFT

Greetings,	

The indymedia is undergoing major transformations now.

What do we want to create together?

Do we want the indymedia network to gradually grow reformist institutions 
or to remain and grow as a decentralized networks of networks?

There are many promising developments in indymedia now.
Consider:
	- the growth of imcs internationally, over 110 locals now
	- the vitality of various media projects
	- the unique coverage offered by indymedia activists in key struggles in 
last year such as in Aregentina, Chiapas, Italy, Palestine,
	- the emergence of regional networks (imc latina) and national 
collaborations (brazil, france germany, italy, etc.) across imc locals
	- the gradual improvement of the free software base for open publishing

We are doing great things.

There are some problematic developments in the indymedia network that we 
need to deal with.

To mention one of the most serious:
	a lack of strategic planning
	an approach fund raising to grant writing that has been in private and 
unclearly defined
	an unclear network decision process
	a large amount of work now by long term indymedia *organizers* -- this is 
not being done on listserves -- that may well impact greatly the future of 
indymedia networks

We invite locals and imc participants to discuss these matters on 
imc-strategies (unmoderated) and imc-process (now moderated) listserves:
http://lists.indymedia.org/listinfo/imc-strategies
http://lists.indymedia.org/listinfo/imc-process

In an extra note, included below, we discuss some pressing, perhaps urgent 
indymedia funding issues.

In solidarity,
Chicago IMC

[Should this be a separate note refering to the one above?]

On grants for indymedia: Soros and the Tactical Media Fund

There is a new proposal being develop by some indymedia participants, on a 
private listserv with little announce to indymedia lists: the tactical 
media fund, tmf.  The tmf proposals states itself as being independent of 
indymedia.

The tactical media fund while claiming to be independent of indymedia has 
these 5 characteristics:
	written by indymedia participants
	cites indymedia success specifically
	is proposed by an imc local, Urbana-Champaign imc
	to be administered by same
	aims to fund specifically various imc projects, some at a network level

This new tactical media fund proposal includes a proposal to fund a network 
strategy planning encuentro (meeting).   Other elements of the proposal 
include...

A lot of these ideas have very interesting and creative aspects.

However, the tmf project does not seem to be a funding project independent 
of the indymedia network.
As such, this project needs to be considered on indymedia lists and in 
light of indymedias unity principles and local membership criteria and 
previous positions taken on grants by a number of locals.

Of very serious concerns, and in light of the statements made on the Ford 
grants and against capitalist foundations in particular by numbers locals, 
the tmf is pursusing a grant from the Soros foundation, see:
statements againts grants from capitalist funds by imcs
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-chicago-working/2002-December/000327.html

We would like to ask the Urbana Champaign IMC:
Why are you pursuing the Soros funds for the TMF and other projects, in 
respect to previous imc statements about grants.

Please read this well researched article on very serious, negative results 
of Soros funded projects:
George Soros, Imperial Wizard - Covert Action Quarterly
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-chicago-working/2002-December/000332.html

We, Chicago IMC participants, support the development of funding processes 
both outside and inside indymedia to fund an array of projects.  We are 
further very grateful to those who are working on the imc-finance list to 
send funds to various imc locals and projects.

But, we have serious concerns separately about the tactical media fund, the 
role of urbana-champaign imc in this, and with soros affilicated grant making.

We invite locals and imc participants to discuss the tactical media fund - 
its promise and problems
and serious problems with accepting funds from the open society institute 
of soros
	
For the future of indymedia as a decentralized network of networks, we 
invite you to discuss these issues of strategy (imc-strategies) and process 
(imc-process).

In solidarity,
Chicago IMC