Presenters: Valentine Eben, Hannah Dobson, Nijmie Dzurinko
Moderator: Andalusia Knoll
In the wake of the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, the Indymedia Network hit the global justice scene in full force. 120 Indymedia collectives sprouted up, spanning 6 continents, in the following years. Using open publishing websites, these collectives have sought to challenge corporate journalism with participatory media grounded in the grassroots.
In the 8 years following the network's birth, many Independent Media Centers have folded and open publishing is far from an innovative concept with the rise of popular corporate websites youtube and myspace etc. Does this render Indymedia irrelevant?
As a large, all volunteer, non-hierarchal global network does Indymedia fulfull it's mission to empower a wide range of people to create "radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of the truth." How have some collectives expanded upon the open publishing concept by launching weekly radio shows, print newspapers, television programs, and documentary series? What role does Indymedia play in the Global South, especially in countries where much of the media is state controlled?
This workshop will begin with a panel discussion and then open up into a participatory discussion.
