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CENTRAL VALLEY INDYMEDIA CENTER
An Indymedia center for the Central Valley in California came one step closer to reality at a meeting held last night in Modesto.
CENTRAL VALLEY INDYMEDIA CENTER
By Mike Rhodes
September 27, 2003
An Indymedia center for the Central Valley in California came one step closer to reality at a meeting held last night in Modesto. Indymedia activists envision an Indymedia site that would stretch from Bakersfield to Chico and into the foothills and mountains to the East. The meeting, held at the Modesto Peace and Life Center, drew Indymedia activists from Fresno and Modesto. There has been talk for some time about Sacramento starting an Indymedia site but representatives from there did not attend.
The plan that emerged from the meeting was that the new Indymedia site would cover the Central Area of California not currently covered by centers in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles. It was agreed that this region is unique and needs to have its own Indymedia center. An editorial collective will determine what is on the home page and there will be a button to click on for news and commentary about events happening in each community or sub-region. It was felt that this would give activists who are working for peace, social and economic change an opportunity to link up with others throughout the region. The content that is posted on this site will also be useful for numerous other independent media projects (radio, TV, and print) to amplify the voices of those not usually heard on the corporate media.
The next step in this process is to build the Indymedia collective, bring in community groups and organizations to support the work, and to set up a working model of the site ASAP. Organizational details about becoming an official Indymedia center are being worked on by Doug: driller9 [at] msn.com and Brad :partytown [at] charter.net (209)-545-4227 in Modesto.
The next organizing meeting will be held at the Modesto Peace and Life Center, 13th St. Between G. and H. St. at 7:30 PM on Friday, October 24. If you are interested in supporting this effort, you are encouraged to attend this meeting. If you have questions you can contact Doug or Brad (contact information above) or me at AllianceEditor [at] Comcast.net .
By Mike Rhodes
September 27, 2003
An Indymedia center for the Central Valley in California came one step closer to reality at a meeting held last night in Modesto. Indymedia activists envision an Indymedia site that would stretch from Bakersfield to Chico and into the foothills and mountains to the East. The meeting, held at the Modesto Peace and Life Center, drew Indymedia activists from Fresno and Modesto. There has been talk for some time about Sacramento starting an Indymedia site but representatives from there did not attend.
The plan that emerged from the meeting was that the new Indymedia site would cover the Central Area of California not currently covered by centers in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles. It was agreed that this region is unique and needs to have its own Indymedia center. An editorial collective will determine what is on the home page and there will be a button to click on for news and commentary about events happening in each community or sub-region. It was felt that this would give activists who are working for peace, social and economic change an opportunity to link up with others throughout the region. The content that is posted on this site will also be useful for numerous other independent media projects (radio, TV, and print) to amplify the voices of those not usually heard on the corporate media.
The next step in this process is to build the Indymedia collective, bring in community groups and organizations to support the work, and to set up a working model of the site ASAP. Organizational details about becoming an official Indymedia center are being worked on by Doug: driller9 [at] msn.com and Brad :partytown [at] charter.net (209)-545-4227 in Modesto.
The next organizing meeting will be held at the Modesto Peace and Life Center, 13th St. Between G. and H. St. at 7:30 PM on Friday, October 24. If you are interested in supporting this effort, you are encouraged to attend this meeting. If you have questions you can contact Doug or Brad (contact information above) or me at AllianceEditor [at] Comcast.net .
For more information:
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home
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CENTRAL VALLEY INDYMEDIA PROPOSAL
There is increasing interest and demand for an Indymedia Center (IMC) in the Central Valley. Geographically this IMC would serve from Bakersfield in the South to Chico or Redding in the North. Foothill and mountain communities in the Sierra could also participate in this IMC, In short, the Central Valley IMC would serve most of California not already served by an active center. To learn more about Indymedia go to: http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/FrequentlyAskedQuestionEn
WHY FORM AN IMC IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY?
The media in the Central Valley has long been primarily influenced by powerful corporate, agricultural, and real estate development interests. Ethnic groups, the poor, and politically disenfranchised have been marginalized and silenced by the dominate power structure in the region. This situation feeds into and supports poverty and inequality. Poverty rates in many valley areas are among the highest in the nation, with chronic double digit unemployment that has created Appalachian like conditions.
Over the years certain visionary individuals and groups have established groundbreaking institutions to insure some media access for significant marginalized groups such as Latinos, immigrants, progressive community groups, peace activists, youth, lesbians and gays. These include independent/alternative, pirate, low power FM and community radio stations, Low Power TV stations and cable access channels, as well as alternative/independent publications printed in Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Sacramento and Chico.
There is a constant effort made by these groups to provide relevant local news, information, dialog, and support for building a progressive movement struggling for peace, social, and economic justice. What we lack is the cohesion of an IMC that links the work of progressive groups throughout the valley and mountain regions of Central California. An IMC would link groups in this area so they are connected with other parts of this region and activists can know who is actively working on issues of common concern. Groups from outside of this region will be able to find out quickly who is working on a specific project or issue. An IMC will make progressive activists less isolated - it will link them with other groups both in this area and throughout the world.
A Central Valley IMC will also be the catalyst for daily local and regional news reports. By empowering community activists with the tools to produce news stories, the IMC will be the basis for creating an alternative news network. Activists will no longer have to wait weeks or months (most publications are published monthly) to find out what is going on around them - we will now have our own news network that reports on the information that concerns our lives and our communities and it will be available without delay. The IMC will publish print, audio, and video reports.
HOW DO WE FORM AN IMC CENTER?
The Central Valley IMC needs a collective of people working on the project for it to be a success. We will need a technical person or two that can maintain the web site, an editorial board to determine what articles to feature, and the participation of community journalists who will provide the content. When we have reached the point where we have enough people wanting an IMC center we will work with Indymedia to set up our local site.
There have been efforts in several Central Valley communities to set up an IMC. I am aware of a couple of these efforts. Sacramento, for example has worked on setting up a site. They have information about their work at:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-sac
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcSacramento
Modesto has set up a page at:
http://www.netfeed.com/~jhill/valley-imc-draft.htm
I wrote about the meeting we had in Modesto in September 2003. That article can be read at:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/09/1648711.php
But, in spite of all of the efforts to set up an Indymedia site in the Central Valley, we are not quite ready yet. What I would like to do is set up a series of meetings in the valley in January and early February to bring media and community activists together to talk about establishing an IMC here in Central California.
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
There are at least four different directions that we might go in, at this time.
1. We could hold these meetings, determine that there is a strong commitment to form a Central Valley IMC, and we could move forward with the plans to develop the project.
2. There could develop a strong geographical center for an IMC site in the valley and other areas could feed stories to that site. For example, if Sacramento had the organizational capacity to establish an IMC center then activists in other areas could work with them.
3. We could determine that there is not enough people to form a collective and establish an IMC center in the Central Valley at this time. Everyone who is interested could continue posting their stories on the http://www.SF.Indymedia.org web site (or any other indymedia site) until there is enough interest here to set up a separate site.
4. If we do not have enough organizational capacity to create our own IMC we could ask the http://www.sf.Indymedia.org site if they would set up a section for Central Valley stories. It would be similar to their featured sites for ANTI-WAR NEWS, LABOR NEWS, etc.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We need to start setting up meetings for determining this regions interest in establishing an Indymedia center. I would like to see meetings take place in Visalia, Fresno, Modesto, and Sacramento. If there was a big interest in having a meeting in one or two more communities, I would include them in the tour. I will need someone in each community coordinate a time and place for the meeting. They will also be responsible for inviting local activists to the meeting. The meeting will be about 2 hours and cover the following:
1. What is Indymedia
2. Discuss the proposal for a Central Valley Indymedia Center
3. Questions and answers
4. How do you see yourself participating in the IMC project
If you are interested in helping to set this meeting up in your community, let me know.
In Solidarity,
Mike Rhodes
Editor
Community Alliance magazine
P.O. Box 5077
Fresno Ca 93755
(559) 226-0477
AllianceEditor [at] comcast.net
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home/
There is increasing interest and demand for an Indymedia Center (IMC) in the Central Valley. Geographically this IMC would serve from Bakersfield in the South to Chico or Redding in the North. Foothill and mountain communities in the Sierra could also participate in this IMC, In short, the Central Valley IMC would serve most of California not already served by an active center. To learn more about Indymedia go to: http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/FrequentlyAskedQuestionEn
WHY FORM AN IMC IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY?
The media in the Central Valley has long been primarily influenced by powerful corporate, agricultural, and real estate development interests. Ethnic groups, the poor, and politically disenfranchised have been marginalized and silenced by the dominate power structure in the region. This situation feeds into and supports poverty and inequality. Poverty rates in many valley areas are among the highest in the nation, with chronic double digit unemployment that has created Appalachian like conditions.
Over the years certain visionary individuals and groups have established groundbreaking institutions to insure some media access for significant marginalized groups such as Latinos, immigrants, progressive community groups, peace activists, youth, lesbians and gays. These include independent/alternative, pirate, low power FM and community radio stations, Low Power TV stations and cable access channels, as well as alternative/independent publications printed in Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Sacramento and Chico.
There is a constant effort made by these groups to provide relevant local news, information, dialog, and support for building a progressive movement struggling for peace, social, and economic justice. What we lack is the cohesion of an IMC that links the work of progressive groups throughout the valley and mountain regions of Central California. An IMC would link groups in this area so they are connected with other parts of this region and activists can know who is actively working on issues of common concern. Groups from outside of this region will be able to find out quickly who is working on a specific project or issue. An IMC will make progressive activists less isolated - it will link them with other groups both in this area and throughout the world.
A Central Valley IMC will also be the catalyst for daily local and regional news reports. By empowering community activists with the tools to produce news stories, the IMC will be the basis for creating an alternative news network. Activists will no longer have to wait weeks or months (most publications are published monthly) to find out what is going on around them - we will now have our own news network that reports on the information that concerns our lives and our communities and it will be available without delay. The IMC will publish print, audio, and video reports.
HOW DO WE FORM AN IMC CENTER?
The Central Valley IMC needs a collective of people working on the project for it to be a success. We will need a technical person or two that can maintain the web site, an editorial board to determine what articles to feature, and the participation of community journalists who will provide the content. When we have reached the point where we have enough people wanting an IMC center we will work with Indymedia to set up our local site.
There have been efforts in several Central Valley communities to set up an IMC. I am aware of a couple of these efforts. Sacramento, for example has worked on setting up a site. They have information about their work at:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-sac
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/ImcSacramento
Modesto has set up a page at:
http://www.netfeed.com/~jhill/valley-imc-draft.htm
I wrote about the meeting we had in Modesto in September 2003. That article can be read at:
http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/09/1648711.php
But, in spite of all of the efforts to set up an Indymedia site in the Central Valley, we are not quite ready yet. What I would like to do is set up a series of meetings in the valley in January and early February to bring media and community activists together to talk about establishing an IMC here in Central California.
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
There are at least four different directions that we might go in, at this time.
1. We could hold these meetings, determine that there is a strong commitment to form a Central Valley IMC, and we could move forward with the plans to develop the project.
2. There could develop a strong geographical center for an IMC site in the valley and other areas could feed stories to that site. For example, if Sacramento had the organizational capacity to establish an IMC center then activists in other areas could work with them.
3. We could determine that there is not enough people to form a collective and establish an IMC center in the Central Valley at this time. Everyone who is interested could continue posting their stories on the http://www.SF.Indymedia.org web site (or any other indymedia site) until there is enough interest here to set up a separate site.
4. If we do not have enough organizational capacity to create our own IMC we could ask the http://www.sf.Indymedia.org site if they would set up a section for Central Valley stories. It would be similar to their featured sites for ANTI-WAR NEWS, LABOR NEWS, etc.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We need to start setting up meetings for determining this regions interest in establishing an Indymedia center. I would like to see meetings take place in Visalia, Fresno, Modesto, and Sacramento. If there was a big interest in having a meeting in one or two more communities, I would include them in the tour. I will need someone in each community coordinate a time and place for the meeting. They will also be responsible for inviting local activists to the meeting. The meeting will be about 2 hours and cover the following:
1. What is Indymedia
2. Discuss the proposal for a Central Valley Indymedia Center
3. Questions and answers
4. How do you see yourself participating in the IMC project
If you are interested in helping to set this meeting up in your community, let me know.
In Solidarity,
Mike Rhodes
Editor
Community Alliance magazine
P.O. Box 5077
Fresno Ca 93755
(559) 226-0477
AllianceEditor [at] comcast.net
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home/
For more information:
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home
Excellent work! Sorry I have been out of the picture for so long. I should have some time to put into the IMC beginning this weekend.
I have updated the "IMC-Sacramento" wiki with the information from this article. (FYI, a "wiki" is a web page that is directly editable by anybody who can read it. Think of it as a whiteboard that we can all use. HTML is not required, so don't be afraid to jump in and try it.)
I have updated the "IMC-Sacramento" wiki with the information from this article. (FYI, a "wiki" is a web page that is directly editable by anybody who can read it. Think of it as a whiteboard that we can all use. HTML is not required, so don't be afraid to jump in and try it.)
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