[Seattle-editorial] A few more thoughts for editorial

Tue Dec 16 06:28:05 PST 2003

i agree that we can promote articles without additional writing to frame/introduce/explain our choices.  

Question:  terminology,  or more specifically, that you realize how it fails the vision of what news could be on the site?gy:  you said: "take the best stuff out of both (local and global) , and switch it directly over to the news column without additional editing", with the "news column" refering to "center page/features."  

I find it interesting you separate the "open wire(s)" from the "news column."  Could it be  a sign of concurrency with what I believe is a common view?  I think others share my frustration of the NOISE level there on the open wire, and want to do all possible to rise above this "problem".  Kellan refers to this work as "strong content."

I find comforting if the answer is "yes."  It thrills me to read Kellan's comments on this issue, of strengthening the value we provide to whomever chooses to post and who also desires to do 'high quality' journalism (relevance and effectiveness are my values, not cute writing for its own sake.  This determines "quality," for me.") 

I remember the section "editors' picks,"  which (Once Upon a Time) graced the right hand column.  It followed the open wire and was a SLOWLY TURNING place to link good writing, relevant issues and analyses.  It was terminated while I was in Costa Rica.  I never signed onto and never understood  the rationale for termination--- except it required a Commitment if it was to be continued as a project/task.

sooooo.....oooo  that leaves us to decide how to "capitalize" on our good fortunes...

Kellan is  leaning to 3 categories.  I will list them to show my understanding of content and philosophy.

Local
Local with relevance to the maxim "think globally, act                                  locally " 
Global

I like this perspective.  I wonder about "global news, very relevant to local issues"  I'm willing to let it set there, unpromoted to an aditional category, if it becomes a presence in the minds of our editorial and media writers.  It already is , to some degree.

Until we know that the wireclerks can keep current with workload (enough time, by enough folks' is committed to the work) I think we should keep the divisions minimal.  I suggest we not move to this change without expecting to be challenged on the vigilance front. If not a heavy hand, perhaps a very active hand.

It appears to me that, using MIR, all posts are treated as data files, texts so to say.  beyond that we can assign them to various folders with little muss and fuss.  We can assign to "features" or to "theme a,b,c,.."   to "metro", "cascadia" , "syndication" etcetcetc.  The requirement being that we have a prior provision for how to handle the "category" in question.  (ie. we have accepted a "category" and assigned it a place in the layout.)

I suggest we not impose this categorization, but let it develope as it becomes relevant to outreach and the contents being posted to justify...

The categories are not the medicine, but the outreach is.

That said, I am 200% adamant to get a local global categorization in practice ASAP or sooner
--------- Original Message ---------

DATE: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 02:05:17
From: BFGalbraith <bfgalbraith at yahoo.com>
To: seattle-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
Cc: 

>I think both of these suggested features are really
>exelent ideas.  I think they would both help us a lot.
> 
>
>I don't think that having to do an extra editorial
>paragraph on a newswire item, just to get it to the
>main column, really makes much sense.  
>
>It seems like if we had a "local" and "global" section
>to the newswire, we could have the authors post their
>news item in the most appropriate section (so we don't
>have to do as much work.  Obviously, if someone abused
>this catagorization, we could either swich it
>ourselves, or just hide it.)
>
>If we could then just take the best stuff out of both,
>and switch it directly over to the news column without
>additional editing, then that would be a great way for
>us to highlight the "interesting" stuff comming in. 
>However, be it this way, or the way it was originally
>recommended, I think it would be a really nice touch
>to the site.  
>
> 
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: seattle-editorial-bounces at lists.indymedia.org
>>
>[mailto:seattle-editorial-bounces at lists.indymedia.org]On
>> Behalf Of
>> kellan at protest.net
>> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 3:29 PM
>> To: seattle-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
>> Subject: [Seattle-editorial] A few more thoughts for
>> editorial
>> 
>> 
>> I sent an email a bit back[1] about new
>> possibilities with Mir.  Here are
>> a couple of more ideas to think about.
>> 
>> The features system and the newswire are integrated
>> so, if people were
>> interested, we could configure Mir to have a feature
>> where items from the
>> newswire could be chosen to be "promoted" to the
>> center column, rather
>> then maintaining the firm distinction between the
>> open published newswire,
>> and the interal editorial collective.  I think this
>> might excite people
>> more about writing strong content for the newswire
>> as well as being more
>> in the original spirit of IMC.
>> 
>> Also it would be possible (and worth serious
>> consideration I think) to
>> have a split newswire in the style of SF.  SF splits
>> the newswire into 3
>> pieces, local news, globally interesting news, and
>> other global news.
>> They do this (I believe) using an editorial team who
>> again promotes items
>> from the "Other global news" category to local or
>> interesting.  In Mir we
>> could do this, or we could simply ask people at
>> publish time if their
>> story is of local interest, and partition them
>> accordingly.
>> 
>> Both these ideas (and they are ideas, not proposals)
>> to me are in the
>> spirit of honoring the labor of independent media
>> producers by giving them
>> an open, and respectful environment to showcase and
>> distribute their work.
>> 
>> Also errors with Mir (looking over the archive,
>> looks like Walt
>> encountered one) should be sent to seattletech.
>> 
>> thanks
>> kellan
>> 
>> 1.
>>
>http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/seattle-editorial/2003-December/004442.
>> html
>> 
>> --
>> "the truth is always revolutionary" [antonio
>> gramsci]
>> 
>> kellan at protest.net
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>
>=====
>-Benjamin 
>
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>(H&S Project Manager- http://hack-and-slash.sourceforge.net)
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