What's happened to this one of the IMC's editorial guidlines?

"Hierarchy : The newswire is designed to generate a news resource, not a notice-board for political parties or any other hierarchically structured organization."

I would have no problem devoting a newswire story to this event, but a feature story on an independent news site is far too much.

I mean these NGO's have huge PR budgets and press offices. IMC should be about *grassroots* struggles, not an advertising board for the NGOs who ultimately sell us out.

:o(

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2003/06/273374.html
gives the full summary of the event

Someone signing him/herself humourously,'George Bush'is very critical of the feature on the Trade justice Movement event last Saturday. He/she questions IMC editorial guidelines. I did not see this as a party political article and I was not aware that the notice-board was not for political parties and other hierarchally structured organisations. Many community organisations and grass root NGO's are hierarchally structured. Should they be banned? I would like to see IMC not just for a club of activists but a much broader community resource. This would also expose other groups and individuals to IMC political news and comments. This is of course worrying because we may hear views different to ours. We need a broader movement not a nice safe exclusive one.

He/she talks of grass root struggles and against NGO's. I agree that features should deal with grass root struggles but also community cultural events. I also notice that most news of grass root struggles stress our successes and paint a rosy unrealistic picture of events rather than facing the reality and learning from mistakes to do better next time. I am also critical of large NGO's but dubious about his/her assertion that they,'ultimately sell us out'. Large NGO's generally they have the experience and resources to deal with emergency and development situations which grass root organisations can't handle. As for heiracrchical organisations there is plenty of heirarchy in grass root struggles although it is usually denyed. This informal herarachy is less efficient than formal ones.

'George Bush' seems to be coming from as narrow a stand point as his name sake.