[Imc-finance] SF-IMC Thoughts on TMF
Lisa
imc_dc at yahoo.com
Mon Jan 27 12:24:04 2003
sorry no spanish, hopefully soon.
*****
SF INDYMEDIA'S THOUGHTS ON THE TACTICAL MEDIA FUND
Summary:
0. Intro from SF-IMC
1. How OSI Grant Will Affect Indymedia
2. Relationship between TMF and UC-IMC
3. Problems with Proposals
4. Reconsidering How We Work with Each Other
5. Current Process
6. Conclusion
7. Strategies for Moving Forward
0. INTRO
The following document represents the position of the
San Francisco Independent Media Center (SF-IMC) in
regards to the Tactical Media Fund (TMF) [1].
Although, this document was written and agreed upon by
the
SF-IMC, we take many of our ideas and understandings
from a number of Independent Media Centers from around
the world who have also spoken publicly about the TMF
and related projects.
The TMF was created as "a project of the
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center" to
fundraise for media groups, including Indymedia.
Specifically, the grant they submitted to the Open
Society Insitute (OSI), will dramatically affect and
influence the global Indymedia Network, even though
the TMF is operating outside of any collective
Indymedia process. It appears that the TMF was
initiated primarily as an organization to handle
projects which involve significant amounts of money.
We view the TMF as a serious issue, in regards to its
affect and connection to Indymedia. It is our hope
that those working on the TMF will consider the
questions and concerns raised in this document; and
that a collective dialogue can be fostered between
proponents and critics of the TMF in good faith.
1. HOW OSI GRANT WILL AFFECT INDYMEDIA
One month after The Ford Foudation proposal issue came
to a close, information about a similar grant project
asking for funding from the Open Society Institute
(OSI)
surfaced under the auspices of the Tactical Media Fund
(TMF).
The OSI grant proposals would intervene in the
Indymedia Network in a variety of ways. Goals included
in the grant are as follows: revising the network's
internal communications system; sending a number of
IMC "techies" and hundreds of computers to South
America; a 40,000USD project to revise Indymedia's
open-publishing interface; and funding and hosting a
network-wide strategizing meeting.
2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TMF AND UC-IMC
TMF relationship to the UC-IMC is unclear. TMF
documents describe the TMF as a project of the UC-IMC,
considering only one of the eight people on the
Participant List [2] are from UC-IMC. Sascha’s email
introducing the TMF, says that it is “housed” at the
UC-IMC, what does this mean?
(http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-finance/2003-January/001686.html)
It would seem that UC-IMC should be considered only
the TMF 's fiscal sponsor.
3. PROBLEMS WITH PROPOSALS
Of the four proposals, in total seeking approximately
100,000USD, two stand out as especially controversial.
#1: "Tech Training in the Global South" project - a
two-part effort to send 200+ computers to Argentina,
and then send IMC techies to South America to
train people to use these computers.
Eight days before the finance list was notified of the
existence of the TMF, a request [3] was posted on San
Francisco Indymedia's website requesting assistance in
building these 200+ computers. Nowhere was the TMF
mentioned in the posting, but in reality this was
the first component of this project that the TMF now
has contingent on funding from the Soros institute.
The Argentina IMC released a statement [4] when they
realized they would be receiving 200+ of computers
made possible with money from a fortune made through
speculating against third-world economies. [5]
Additionally, they realized they would have no say in
this because the project was being run by a group
claiming autonomy from Indymedia.
On January 12th, the computers are ready, and they are
apparently waiting for the Soros fund to deliver the
money before shipping the computers to Argentina. Now,
a month after its inception the TMF is already in the
controversial position of offering this Latin American
IMC tens of thousands of dollars of much needed
equipment for free, provided that they don't mind
working with the money of George Soros. As of now the
Argentina IMC, has issued their collective
position on this project of the TMF [6], and will
likely refuse the computers if Soros money is
involved.
#2 "Indymedia Strategy Convergence" - A proposed
remedy to the network's "greatest organizational
challenges" since its inception, the TMF hopes to pay
for the transportation and hosting of an international
IMC meeting where representatives of dozens of IMCs
will strategize on how to move the network forward.
This project is the most overt example of how the TMF
will affect the Indymedia Network. Critical decisions
like meeting agendas and travel subsidies will be made
by a handful of individuals claiming autonomy from
Indymedia. TMF will be making these decisions outside
of
any network process – we find this unacceptable.
4. RECONSIDERING HOW WE WORK WITH EACH OTHER
Additionally, with requests for approximately
100,000USD already submitted to the OSI, this is past
the time for proper dialogue about such a serious
issue. We are concerned that the way the TMF handled
this, shows little respect towards those that would be
receiving the funding/tech trainings, by not including
them fully in the discussion and by applying for
funding without their consent. The TMF, which is
composed of people from advanced industrialized
nations, claim they want a genuine dialogue with our
comrades from much poorer nations like Argentina about
whether-or-not to accept funds from capitalist funding
sources, while at the same time offering them huge
amounts of resources from the very capitalist sources
in question. This sets up an un-balanced and unfair
dynamic for communicating with each other about such
proposals. On one hand, there is a small group with a
lot of resources and a lot of power regarding how
these resources are distributed. On the other hand,
there is another group with very little resources and
no power over how resources are distributed. We view
this as replicating a world situation we are all
working to change, and therefore, counter-productive.
TMF proponents need to
reconsider the manner in which they're approaching
these sensitive issues of network decision-making and
finance.
5. CURRENT PROCESS
Continuing in the same secretive manner of the Ford
Foundation proposal, the TMF site reveals that its
grant proposals were submitted to the George Soros'
Open Society Institute (OSI) two days before the first
public announcement of the project surfaced.
Finally, exactly one month after the TMF group
submitted their requests for funding to the OSI, an
email was sent to the finance list announcing this new
"autonomous" project. [7]
Individuals within the TMF group, have a history of
bypassing collective process on issues of network-wide
importance (for example the FF proposal), claiming
that there is no functional Network-wide Indymedia
process. We recognize that there is need for
clarification and development of decision-making
process, BUT we also recognize there exists a number
of defacto processes for resolving issues like
finance. Specifically, there exists an IMC-Finance
list, which is for discussing Indymedia funding and
money issues, this would have been the logical place
for the OSI grant to be announced before the grant was
submitted. There were several pleas from various
IMC’s during the FF discussion for transparency when
raising funds on behalf of the Indymedia Network,
including SF-IMC’s statement:
“We propose any group or individual that is attempting
to get funding for the entire Indymedia network, on
behalf of the entire network, must notify imc-finance
in good faith, with enough time for a meaningful
public commentary.”
6. CONCLUSION
The OSI grant, in its current form, will seriously
impact the global IMC network. Regardless of how
benevolent the TMF’s intent is, we recognize if the
OSI grant is implemented it will re-structure the
Indymedia network and seriously affect all of the
IMC’s while having no accountability to Indymedia - we
see this as a very dangerous situation, one that we
can not let move forward without voicing our concern.
We believe that the TMF must work with Indymedia in a
transparent way if they receive this funding. And we
think the TMF needs to clarify its relationship to
Indymedia and its use of "Indymedia" in its grant
proposals *before* submitting any more grants that use
the Indymedia Network as a means to raise money.
7. STRATEGIES FOR MOVING FORWARD
The TMF and the IMCs who have spoken out in criticism
of it need to begin discussing what can be done in
order to alleviate tension, and begin building the
trust needed to foster a genuine network-wide dialogue
on these issues. Also, we request that respect and
patience be shown for the IMC finance working group
and the difficult task they have of figuring out a
process through which all IMC's can manage global
finances in a transparent, democratic and timely
manner. (also please see our proposed imc-finance
guidelines in a separate email to get the discussion
started)
It is our hope that many more IMCs will join this
discussion about the TMF, and the underlying issues of
the IMC network's processes for making global process
and finance decisions.
Sincerly, the San Francisco Independent Media Center.
Notes:
Notes:
1. http://internal.protest.net/osi/
2.
http://internal.protest.net/osi/index.php?ParticipantList
3. http://indybay.org/news/2003/01/1556463.php
4.
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-finance/2003-January/001717.html
5. http://www.churchofchomsky.org/caqm.html
6. ???
7.
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-finance/2003-January/001686.html
Other Notes:
1.
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-finance/2002-September/001491.html
2.. http://www.fordfound.org/about/about_main.cfm
3..
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/encuentros/2002-May/000009.html
4.
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-finance/2002-September/001458.html
5.
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-finance/2002-September/001447.html
6.
http://www.anarchogeek.com/archives/000070.html#000070
7.
http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/mailman/archive/imc/2003-January/003466.html
8. Ibid.
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