Independent Media: Where Now?

Anonymite asks the big questions about alternative media: Having been involved in a number of projects over the years it has become apparent to myself that projects such as Bristol Indymedia and Bristol Social Forum occupy a particular space which makes their sustainability less certain than other projects, even while they demonstrate a very high level of popularity amongst readers and contributors. The points below are in no way intended as the only reasons why these two projects in particular have experienced problems of sustaining themselves, but they are intended to help to shed a slightly different light on what exactly some of the limiting factors are, while not excluding or minimising other concerns, or factors, people feel exist.

A BROADER AND INCLUSIVE PURPOSE

1.) Groups and projects such as Bristol Indymedia and Bristol Social Forum exist to publicise everyone's events, while other groups and projects primarily only exist to publicise their own.

2.) People clearly want groups like Bristol Indymedia and Bristol Social Forum to exist, so as to have outlets to publicise their events, but they are not willing to both campaign for their own events, and also get involved in maintaining the infrastructure of groups like Bristol Indymedia and Bristol Social Forum. This is, in some ways, understandable, as the chances are they are already overstretched....

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