[Seattle-editorial] Editorial Collective -- thoughts, and year-end inventory

[Susan]

Hi folks,

In reference to recent comments by Lance and Joseph regarding the longevity 
of features in the top slot, I thought it might be helpful to look at an 
inventory of Seattle IMC features over the past year (see full list below).

I think that the inventory can be useful for a number of purposes .... 
maybe we, as the editorial collective can take the opportunity to look at 
our total efforts over the past twelve months, and create some goals for 
the months ahead. Let's especially think about Dec-Jan coverage ... last 
year, when JL and I were on vacation, and others too, we didn't have a new 
feature for 30 days!

We can look at the types of stories we've given emphasis to, which we've 
missed, and which we'd like to highlight in the months ahead. We can talk 
about solutions for distributing the editorial work, generating more 
features more regularly, and getting more folks involved.

Personally, I think we ought to go out for beers and toast Jonathan for his 
incredible work this past year .... writing 66 out of the year's 88 
features (70%), in many cases helping others to put their features 
together, and on the whole, having a great sense of which stories needed to 
be featured.  I think he's a terrific editor and writer, and we've been 
lucky to have him --  I don't know how much his new full-time job will pull 
him away from seattle imc editorial work.

As for meeting tonight -- perhaps we could do so informally, since it's too 
late to convene a meeting.  There's a seattle-tech meeting tonight at 8:30 
(http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/seattletech/2002-November/000647.html 
), and at one point or another, several editorial folks will be at the IMC 
tonight.  Alternatively, we could actually convene an editorial collective 
meeting for next Thursday (the 14th .... there'll be a Swarmcast meeting at 
8, with a potluck beforehand, but we could find a space to huddle and meet).

Regarding the current concern of how long a feature remains on top, I have 
a couple of quick personal responses:
* i don't think it's desirable to have an across-the-board rule regarding 
length of placement.
* on the whole, i think the site is better off, and more useful to our 
readers, when features are being added regularly.  the more that features 
remain static, the less frequently folks will want to turn to our site for 
'news'.
* in many cases, as noted below, several features went up on the same day 
-- due to a variety of reasons:  the ebb & flow of having no one writing 
features for days on end, and then suddenly several people taking the 
initiative at once; several events happening together at once; a large 
event generating several related features at once
* features being in the # 2 and #3 slots -- not a terrible thing.  it 
doesn't take much scrolling ... people WILL scroll if they see that new 
features have gone up, plus every feature is also highlighted on the global 
indymedia site (on the features newswire).
* in this specific situation (re Burning Man vs. Jobs w/ Justice), I think 
that our friends at JwJ, and other Bellingham activists, will be turning to 
IMC to see what kind of coverage we have of their major victory -- where 
else would they go?  i think sometimes we can make editorial choices about 
which news is 'bigger' or effecting the greatest number of people, and 
choose story placement in relationship to that.  all that said -- i think 
the Burning Man article is very cool. i just don't want to hang up the JwJ 
story til Friday because of it.

Thanks for your patience with a long email.  Enjoy the editorial review 
below .... and congratulations to everyone for a great year of editorial 
activity!!!!!

love,
Susan

SEATTLE IMC FEATURES INVENTORY -  November 2001 thru November 2002
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* many headlines have been changed or paraphrased for easier recognition in 
this list

Nov 6 - Burning Man - analysis and local event announcement (Lance)
Oct 28 -' Pax Americana' & Anti-War Protests (Jonathan) - top story for 9 days
Oct 24 - FTAA  (Jonathan) - top story for 4 days
Oct 24 - Press Blackout on Anti-War Movement (Jonathan) - top story for 
hours/minutes
Oct 24 - FCC Approves LPFM for WA (Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
Oct 11 - US Troops, Out of the Phillipines Now! (Lance) - top story for 13 days
Oct 7 - 10,000 Protestors at Anti-War Rally & March  (Susan) - top story 
for 6 days
Oct 6 - Anti-War Rally announcement (Susan) - top story for 1 day
Oct 5 - Nine Lives in Nine Years - NAACP march (Brandon) - top story for 1 day
Oct 5 - Media Blackout on Homelessness and Poverty (Lance) - top story for 
hours
Oct 2 - McDermott Tours Iraq (Jonathan) - top story for 3 days
Sep 28 - Port Bosses Lock Out Longshoremen (Jonathan) - top story for 4 days
Sep 27 - Anti-War Activists Embrace Diverse Strategies (Susan) - top story 
for 1 day
Sep 23 - Hate Free Zone Testimonials at Town Hall (Jonathan) - top story 
for 4 days
Sep 19 - Hate Free Zone event announcement (Susan) - top story for 4 days
Sep 9 - Reclaim the Media pre-event coverage (Jonathan) - top story for 10 days
Sep 9 - Clear Channel's Broadcast Interference (Heather) - top story for hours
Sep 1 - Reclaim the Media event announcement (Jonathan) - top story for 8 days
Sep 1 - Moquito Fleet announcement (Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
Sep 1 - Radical Art (at RTM) announcement (Jonathan) - top story for 
hours/minutes
Sep 1 - Labor Council Passes First Statewide Anti-War Resolution (Susan) - 
top story for hours/minutes
Aug 30 - East Timor and the ICC (Jonathan) - top story for 2 days
Aug 22 - 'Urban Warrior' announcement (Jonathan) - top story for 8 days
Aug 19 - Rolling Thunder announcement (Jonathan) - top story for 3 days
Aug 16 - U.S. Relations with Zimbabwe (Lance) - top story for 3 days
Aug 14 - Media's Distortions Pave Way for War (Jonathan) - top story for 2 days
Aug 9 - Longshoremen Unite Against Gov't's Union-Busting Plans (Jonathan) - 
top story for 5 days
Aug 8 - Black Community Activists (Garrett and Allah) Arrested (Jonathan) - 
top story for 1 day
Aug 8 - Ujaama Detained Indefinitely (Susan & Jonathan) - top story for 
hours/minutes
Aug 7 - "The Buzz" Pressured to Clean Up Hate Speech (Jonathan) - top story 
for 1 day
Aug 2 - "Democracy Now" Coming to KBCS and SCAN (Jonathan) - top story for 
5 days
July 28 - 'Racist Scapegoating' at Sea-Tac (Jonathan) - top story for 5 days
July 26 - Free Speech and the Threat of Cable Monopolies (Jonathan) - top 
story for 2 days
July 26 - Vandana Shiva in Seattle (Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
July 25 - Enron and India's Biggest Dam (Gentry) - top story for 1 day
July 19 - Activists Block Pipeline Drilling, Defend Forests (Susan) - top 
story for 6 days
July 17 - Victory for Somali Grocers (Jonathan) - top story for 2 days
July 5 - "Seattle Crimes" Hits Streets, and PCJ's 'No Confidence' Vote 
(Jonathan) - top story for 12 days
July 5 - Holes in the Social Service Safety Net (Jonathan) - top story for 
hours/minutes
June 28 - G-8 Protests in Calgary (Susan) - top story for 7 days
June 22 - City OK's AT&T Comcast Merger, Snubs Public Interest (Jonathan) - 
top story for 6 days
June 16 - Greg Palast announcement (Jonathan) - top story for six days
June 14 - Local Anti-Sanctions Activist Fined $10,000 (Jonathan) - top 
story for 2 days
June 12 - Madeline Albright to Deliver UW Commencement Speech (Lance) - top 
story for 2 days
June 10 - G-8 in Canada pre-event coverage (Thatcher & Jonathan) - top 
story for 2 days
June 10 - Unions Fight Corporate Media De-Regulation  (Jonathan) - top 
story for hours
June 3 - Unions Rally Against Clear Channel's Anti-Labor Policies 
(Jonathan) - top story for 7 days
May 23 - Activists Occupy Cantwell's Office Re Fast Track Vote (Jonathan) - 
top story for 10 days
May 20 - Palestine Solidarity Activists Reportback (Jonathan) - top story 
for 3 days
May 20 - Issues with Housing Projects in the Central Area & Downtown 
(Jonathan) - top story for hours
May 20 - Immigrants Face Discrimination and State Terror, Post 9/11 (Lance) 
- top story for hours
May 14 - Shaping the Network Society event announcement (Jonathan) - top 
story for 6 days
May 9 - Seattle Activist Enters 14th Day of Hunger Strike (Susan) - top 
story for 5 days
May 4 - CARP Strangles Internet Radio in the U.S. (Jason) - top story for 5 
days
April 28 - Seattle IMC Volunteer among activists at the Church of the 
Nativity (Susan) - top story for 6 days
April 28 - U.S. Computer Recycling Creates Environmental Hazards in Asia 
(Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
April 24 - April 20th Weekend of Activism (Lance) - top story for 4 days
April 12 - A20: A Day of Action pre-event coverage (Jonathan) - top story 
for 12 days
April 12 - Other Weekend Events: Earth Day, Amnesty Int'l USA Conference 
(Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
April 12 - SPD Pressures School, Church to Shut for April 20 (Jeremy) - top 
story for hours
April 1 - War in Palestine: Indymedia Coverage (Jonathan) - top story for 
11 days
April 1 - Who Will Police the Police? (Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
March 23 - Media Democracy Events Broadcast Live From DC (Susan) - top 
story for 9 days
March 21 - Seattle School Bus Drivers Try to Save Union Contract (Jill & 
Jonathan) - top story for 2 days
March 18 - 400,000 protest "Europe of Capital" in Barcelona (Jonathan) - 
top story for 3 days
March 16 - Qwest and Immunex: Local Enron Wannabes (Jonathan) - top story 
for 2 days
March 14 - Activists Condemn US-backed Attacks on Palestinian Civilians 
(Steve) - top story for 2 days
Feb 24 - WA State Anti-Terror Legislation (Melissa & Jonathan) - top story 
for 18 days
Feb 23 - Secwepemc Elders and Activists fight Resort Expansion (Susan)  - 
top story for 1 day
Feb 20 - IMC's Under Attack in Italy & Switzerland' (Jonathan) - top story 
for 3 days
Feb 9 - Salt Lake City Olympics: Homelessness & State Repression (Jonathan) 
- top story for 11 days
Feb 6 - Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier (Jonathan) - top story for 3 
days
Jan 31 - WEF in NYC... WSF in Porto Alegre (Jonathan) - top story for 6 days
Jan 27 - Somalian Killed in Walla-Walla Prison Shooting (Jonathan) - top 
story for 4 days
Jan 25 - "Alternative" Weekly Doesn't Worry, Stays Happy (Jonathan) - top 
story for 2 days
Jan 22 - Anti-Terrorism Legislation Brews in Olympia (Jonathan) - top story 
for 3 days
Jan 12 - Martin Luther King's Living Challenge (Jonathan) - top story for 
10 days
Jan 11 - Public Space Activists on Trial in Bellingham (Jonathan) - top 
story for 1 day
Dec 12 - Afghan Civilian Death Toll Surpasses Sept. 11 (Jonathan) - top 
story for 30 DAYS!!
Dec 4 - Fast Track Scheduled For House Vote (Jonathan) - top story for 8 days
Nov 30 - A Peoples' Holiday: Global Resistance (Jonathan) - top story for 4 
days
Nov 29 - Waging War Against Dissent (Jonathan) - top story for 1 day
Nov 26 - Voices of the Global South: Breaking Free From Debt (Jonathan) - 
top story for 3 days
Nov 14 - Anti-War Solidarity Fast Begins in Seattle (Jonathan) - top story 
for 12 days
Nov 11 - Bush Dragnet Targets Seattle's Somalian Community (Susan) - top 
story for 3 days
Nov 8 - Criminal Justice Reform Summit, Nov. 10-11 (Jonathan) - top story 
for 3 days
Nov 8 - WTO meets in Doha, Qatar (Jonathan) - top story for hours/minutes
Nov 6 - Killing Continues in Afghanistan as Anti-Bombing Activists Gather 
Forces (John Yu)

88 features in 365 days --- we're averaging a feature every 4 days.