[New-imc] NH IMC - Updated Mission Statement and Editorial Policy

[Jay]

Hi Art,

This is Jay from the Philadelphia IMC.  I'm also involved in the new-imc 
list, and often help out aspiring IMCs from the U.S.

I'm so glad to hear that an IMC is forming in New Hampshire!  That's 
great.  You seem to have really paid attention to the new-imc process, 
which is really helpful.  All the things you have sent -- mission 
statement, membership criteria documents, etc. -- look good to me.  I 
definitely invite others on the new-imc list to take a look too.

 From your info you seem to really be coming along.  I can think of just a 
couple questions, things the new-imc has been asking lately that aren't 
necessarily included in the membership criteria but have been proven to be 
important.  All basic stuff, really.

-- You say you have a website up.  What is the URL? (maybe you listed it 
already in your documents -- sorry if I missed it.)  Do you have some tech 
people involved in the group?

-- Are most of your volunteers located in any particular city?  Or, are you 
really sprinkled statewide?  If not, what plans do you have to reach out to 
people who live too far away to come to meetings?

-- What kind of diversity do you have among the people in the group? (age? 
gender? economic situation? race? etc.)  If you're lacking on one or 
another area, what plans do you have to change that?

Like I said, this is all the basic stuff.  Also, have you been in touch 
with any other IMCs in your area?  Seems like New England is a hotbed of 
IMC activity!

Okay, that's all I can think of right now.  Perhaps others on the new-imc 
list will have other questions.  Either way, the NH IMC seems to be well on 
its way to doing all the organizing work an IMC needs to do to join the 
network.

Glad to meet you, and feel free to ask any questions you may have to 
new-imc at indymedia.org.

Jay
P.S. If have any questions about anything and would like to talk on the 
phone, rather than e-mailing, let me know and I'll give you my number or 
I'll call you.  Voice contact is so much better than all these bits and 
bytes.


At 10/14/2003, Art Haeussler wrote:
>The NH-IMC collective reached consensus on the following:
>
>Mission Statement (Revised 9/28/03)
>Editorial Policy on 9/22/03.
>
>------------------------
>IMC-NH Mission Statement
>------------------------
>         Real democracy depends on the free flow of information between 
> free people.
>Control of modern media means control of the futures of so many around the
>world.
>   We live in an era when our media is controlled by a handful of
>corporations whose goal, rather than an informed public, is profit. With a
>single-minded zeal, mainstream media pursues consumption over participation,
>wealth over truth, commodity over community. Popular media has failed to
>question the motives and efficacy of our global institutions. Our confidence
>in the custodians of public opinion has been shaken.
>   Independent media provides an unprecedented opportunity to reach not just
>our neighbors, but the world. The mission of the New Hampshire Indymedia
>collective is to provide a truly democratic forum for the individuals and
>organizations working in the granite state. We aim to provide the medium, be
>it online, video, radio, or print, for the free expression of everyone in
>New Hampshire.
>         We encourage the members of our community to become the 
> media.  This way we
>have the information we need to understand the world around us and make
>informed choices about the policies that affect our lives.  We are here to
>expose stories of corruption and injustice and document the struggles
>against it.  We are here, too, to provide a censorship-free forum for
>discussing political issues and collectively visualizing alternative social
>structures.
>
>
>
>------------------------
>IMC-NH Editorial Policy
>------------------------
>Open Publishing:
>
>The New Hampshire Indymedia newswire works on the principle of Open
>Publishing, an essential element of the global Indymedia project that allows
>anyone to self-publish their work on a globally accessible web site. People
>are encouraged to "become the media."
>
>We are committed to freedom from censorship. Some of us may not like the
>content of certain posts or the ideology of the poster, but we nonetheless
>recognize their right to post their views. This includes a wide range of
>controversial views: conspiracy theories, racism, anti-abortion, property
>destruction, etc. Ultimately, the comments allow people to respond to views
>they take issue with.
>
>
>Editorial Decisions
>
>The Features page is reserved for posts that have been approved through
>consensus by the editorial collective. These posts can come from either the
>newswire or from the NH IMC collective.
>
>The newswire is broken down into three sections: Local Intrest, Elsewhere,
>and Otherpress sections. The editorial collective will move articles to the
>appropriate section if they have been posted to the incorrect area.
>
>The newswire plays a critical role in Open Publishing. Certain posts require
>attention, therefore they will be handled using the following criteria.
>
>*Hidden:
>-Posts uploaded with technical problems
>-Test posts
>
>*Deleted
>-Explicitly illegal pornographic images
>-Product advertisements
>-Duplicate posts or comments
>
>*Posts requiring discussion brought to the editorial collective:
>-They are to be dealt with on a case by case basis. If consensus is not
>achieved with in the editorial collective to hide the post, then the post
>remains unhidden.
>
>*Moved to Otherpress:
>-All reposted corporate media articles
>
>Upon hiding/deleting a post, the member of the editorial collective who did
>so will also add a comment explaining the basis upon which the decision to
>hide/delete it was made.
>
>In addition, all hidden posts and comments will continue to remain the
>publicly accessible. The link to view all hidden posts is located at the
>bottom of the Elsewhere newswire.
>
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