Feature Archives

Indybay announces a new text-messaging news service. Mobile phone users can register their phone with TxtMob.com and join the "Indybay-breaking" group to receive breaking news headlines, brought to you by Indybay and ECR. You can submit your news to Indybay by publishing to the site and/or calling (415) 864-1006. ECR interview with TxtMob creator Tad Hirsch | TxtMob | Breaking news page

Deep Dish Television announces special Bay Area screenings of an installment of their recently completed series "Shocking and Awful: A Grassroots Response to War": The Real Face of Occupation, featuring rarely seen footage of the war in Iraq shot in Iraq from March 2003 to April 2004 by videographers David Martinez and Urban Hamid. From civilian testimony of a US military attack on a clearly marked ambulance to the destruction of sewage systems, the daily struggle of Iraqis to meet their basic human needs is the focus of this installment of the series. It is one of thirteen programs in the Shocking and Awful series that comprises the work of over 100 independent video activists from around the world.

Also screening at the benefit: Mandate?, a half-hour documentary by Indymedia Video and the Glass Bead Collective, shows resistance at the January 20th inauguration of George W. Bush. The film shows the issues behind the re-election of Bush and the reaction from protestors to the most expensive inauguration in US history. The screening will conclude with footage from a new film by Deep Dish producers Brandon Jourdan and Brian Drolet, including rare, never-before seen footage from the US military offensive in November and December 2004. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Deep Dish producer and filmmaker Brandon Jourdan.

$5 suggested donation benefits the SF Bay Area IMC. Wednesday, March 30th at 8pm, Artists' Television Access (ATA), 992 Valencia Street, San Francisco, and Friday, April 1st at 8pm, AK Press Warehouse, 674 23rd st., Oakland. More info

On the last Friday of the month, the Critical Mass Radio Network airs a coordinated broadcast by member stations — Free Radio Dallas, Free Radio Santa Cruz, RadioActive San Diego, ASC New York City, Enemy Combatant Radio, Kill Radio Los Angeles, Indymedia Portland, and Radio Volta Philadelphia.

The ECR broadcast from San Francisco will be on tonight from 8–9 p.m. PST. Listen | Read more

On Sunday, April 3rd, there was a rally outside of the National Cable Telecommunications Association Convention in San Francisco. Photos: 1 | 2 | Flyer

Independent media activists point out that Comcast and other giant cable monopolies control more and more of our media. In addition to cable access, Comcast also controls how many of us access the Internet. They use this power to raise rates and invade customers' privacy, to harass and punish employees who speak up for their rights, and to ignore the demands of the communities where they operate.

In the Bay Area alone, Comcast holds over 100 cable franchises, most of which function as monopolies. Independent media activists say, "Comcast is holding our communities hostage. Comcast has sued San Jose and Walnut Creek, has failed to pay the money it owes to Sacramento, and won’t renew contracts that expired years ago in dozens of other cities. Now Comcast is sponsoring a cable industry convention in San Francisco, a city where cable negotiations are just starting."

Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, Media Alliance, Global Exchange and Code Pink are calling for people to organize to stop media consolidation, speak up for local communities, and defend workers' rights, as they hold Comcast accountable,

ComcastWatch website | San Francisco Media Advocates Website | Media Alliance

On February 22nd, Arash Sigarchi, an Iranian blogger and human rights activist, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of "espionage and insulting the country's leaders." This sentence would appear to be an effort by the government of Iran to send a message to other bloggers and independent government critics in that country.

At the start of January, Tehran's prosecutor-general ordered Internet Service Providers to block the Internet's most popular weblog services. Iranian Internet users are now almost entirely cut off from the blogsphere. Arash Sigarchi was most recently arrested on January 17th. He had edited a daily newspaper in the province of Gilan and had been publishing a social and political blog for the past three years. His blog has from time to time dealt with human rights issues and criticized government policies. 99. At the time of his arrest he had been protesting the harassment, detention and mistreatment of more than 20 journalists and bloggers in Iran in recent months. Read more

Human Rights First's Arash Sigarchi info page | Free Arash and Mojitaba from the Committee to Protect Bloggers | Penlog, the Association of Iranian Blogwriters | Reporters Without Borders (RSF) | February 22nd was declared Free Mojitaba and Iraq Day | The Bloggers' Rights Blog

2/6/2005 Come out and celebrate a year of independent media and community coverage at Artist's Television Access in San Francisco, this Sunday, February 6. For the past year, StreetLevel TV has been bringing the Bay Area local and global coverage of resistence in the streets, censored news, and grassroots voices actively engaged in the fight for justice.

This month's show features a radical review of the year that was 2004, coverage of the inaugural resistence in the streets on the 20th, San Francisco's fight to preserve its pro-choice identity, and extensive coverage of the tsunami tragedy that continues and how Bay Area groups and more are coming together to support resistence and relief in Indonesia. Plus, a special return screening of La Colectiva de Mujeres and music by DJ Ian and huéspedes muy especiales.

Tight tunes, hella booze and lots of friends - come out and support independent, radical media! ATA, 922 Valencia Street @ 21st, 8pm.

1/28/2005 Porto Alegre, Brazil - Participants at the World Social Forum heard today that corporate control of the media and media consolidation is a worldwide phenomena. Ignacio Ramonet, president of Media Global Watch, said “in France a defense contractor just bought La Figaro. The danger of this is that the corporations, who are buying up major media companies have no, or very little, connection with the media industry and thus no commitment to journalistic integrity.” Ramonet also said that newspapers are decreasing in popularity as a means of communication. He said “this is part of a trend that has happened in many other industries.” Technology is affecting print media’s ability to stay competitive. Newspapers are losing 2% of their readership each year and the trend is expected to continue.

The discussions at the World Social Forum about corporate media accountability and alternative/independent media go well together and are not seen as competitive strategies. Most participants believe that both approaches to the work are necessary. The forum continues through Sunday, January 30, 2005.
Read More | World Social Forum | Media Global Watch | More Indybay WSF Coverage