[diggers350] Re: normal investigative journalism?

Mon May 5 17:22:08 BST 2008

ben wrote:
> Personally, and this is highly unusual, I think I kind of agree with
> Tony (assuming I am interpreting what he wrote as he intended). The
> squatters estate agents was and is as much a stunt as a form of direct
> action and as part of the days of action for squats and autonomous
> spaces it would have made sense to have considered and planned how to
> make use of any mainstream media attention that came our way.
>
> The last decade or more has seen activist distrust of the media at an
> all time high and while I don't disagree with that distrust I am
> constantly frustrated by the withdrawal of engagement with the
> mainstream media that follows that point of view.  As much as I think
> we should be developing our own media that doesn't mean we should
> ignore the opportunities offered by the established media.
>
> There was a time when any action worth the name had at least one
> person doing media. Usually that would be somebody at home or work
> ready to send out the press released the moment they got the word that
> it was going down and somebody on the ground primed to do interviews
> when the press arrived. Add to that a tame photographer and perhaps a
> video activist or two able to provide TV news with footage.
>
> Since the inception of indymedia it appears many activists are content
> with having perhaps 8,000 people read a badly written report of what
> the police did in response to their action and perhaps post a dozen
> badly composed and almost identical photos of some cops or people
> holding banners. That's not media, that's a blog and a bad one at
> that.
>
> I've long given up trying to get consensus on media strategy within
> collective projects so I am as much to blame as anyone for the lack of
> thought and discussion given to the subject. However I think that
> things have looked up a bit in the form of the climate camp media
> group that shows that grassroots direct action groups and collective
> processes can still formulate and enact a positive media policy.
>
>
>
> Ben
>
>
>
> 2008/5/5 Massimo A. Allamandola <suburbanstudio at runbox.com>:
>   
>> As I can talk only in "personal capacity" I hope a collective answer of this
>> emails
>>  could bring you more informations...(hopefully over the next few days)
>>
>>  After the article of the "Daily-rant" a producer from ITN came along
>> interested
>>  in the same issue; as I understand, Rampart collective is currently
>> preparing a media strategy
>>  to deal with the "spiel concocted for the media".
>>
>>  There are three local campaigns with their own media contacts we are in
>> dialogue with :
>>
>>  http://bethnalgreencentre.blogspot.com/
>>  http://www.saveshoreditch.com/
>>  http://open-shoreditch.blogspot.com/
>>
>>  While I personally agree with Simon on the "normality" of this piece of
>> journalism, I am suprised by Tony's
>>  abstract and cristallized polemic on the <<us>> and <<them>> of "anarchism"
>> and the failure to understand
>>  an <<individualistic and theatrical >> strategy such as the situationist's
>> political theatre...
>>  Situationism died 40 years ago in the streets of Paris !!! What happend in
>> the 40 years after 1968 ?
>>
>>  I would be interested, in this matter, to listen to the opinion of Colin
>> Ward and his self-governing idea of
>>  "anarchism in action"...all about ways of enabling people to take control
>> of their lives and partecipate in the
>>  decision-making processes that affect them - in education, housing, the
>> environment built and natural, food, even
>>  how water supplies are managed...
>>
>>  Self-governing does not necessary means self-marginalisation !
>>
>>
>>  Massimo
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  Gerrard Winstanley wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> Agreed,
>>>
>>> Fact is too many anarchists have a paranoid view of the 'fascist
>>> media' that too often ends up being a self fulfilling prophecy. They
>>> fail to understand the situationist concept of political theatre which
>>> works well with otherwise bored journalists.
>>>
>>> They don't see how direct action can resonate through the press and
>>> see activism as a series of localised events which they only want
>>> 'alternative' media to cover thus self-marginalising.
>>>
>>> People may remember in 1999 we had someone in one of the TV newsrooms
>>> who happened to be a massive Diggers fan and they were giving us
>>> sympathetic coverage almost every other day.
>>>
>>> Tony Gosling
>>>
>>> --- In diggers350 at yahoogroups.com <mailto:diggers350%40yahoogroups.com>,
>>>       
>> Simon Fairlie <chapter7 at ...> wrote:
>>     
>>>> I can see why a journalist might want to come along pretending to be
>>>> a punter. That way you are more likely to get ordinary treatment,
>>>> rather than the spiel concocted for the media. Isn't this simply
>>>> normal investigative journalism? We'd all be happy for a lefty
>>>> journalist to phone up Savils estate agency pretending to be a rich
>>>> client — indeed I've done it myself.
>>>>
>>>> Simon
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>         
>>>>> From: suburbanstudio at ...
>>>>> Date: 29 April 2008 08:51:42 BDT
>>>>> To: diggers350 at yahoogroups.com <mailto:diggers350%40yahoogroups.com>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [diggers350] 'Estate agents' offer empty homes for
>>>>> squatrers
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> A bit more background in regard the article
>>>>> on the Daily "Cry" ...
>>>>>
>>>>> During the opening of the squatters estate agents at the
>>>>> new Shoreditch / London squatted social centre,
>>>>> (http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396097.html
>>>>>           
>> <http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396097.html>)
>>     
>>>>> a very curious guy came along. He was asking many questions
>>>>> and information beacuse - he said -he wanted to find
>>>>> a squat for himself...
>>>>>
>>>>> The day after, the same guy turn up, with a much better dress
>>>>> and an NUJ card... he his saying to be a journalist for the
>>>>> Daily Mail and want to do an article about the squatters estate
>>>>> agent. The answer was clear from our side.
>>>>>
>>>>> We were not interested to collaborate with a journalist we did not
>>>>> know, and in particularly for the the Daily Mail.......
>>>>>
>>>>> Finally the article appeared on the Mail on Sunday, together with
>>>>> detailed pictures of the building and the "estate agent"...
>>>>>
>>>>> I guess now, the question to Miles Goslett, and to the NUJ is...
>>>>> Why had he to cover up his identity coming along to the social centre
>>>>> pretending to be a squatter ?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Gerrard Winstanley wrote:
>>>>>           
>>>>>> 'Estate agents' offer empty homes for squat
>>>>>>
>>>>>> By MILES GOSLETT
>>>>>> Last updated at 01:47am on 27th April 2008
>>>>>>
>>>>>> lots of pictures here
>>>>>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
>>>>>>             
>> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?>
>>     
>>>>>> in_article_id=562325&in_page_id=1770 <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
>>>>>>             
>> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/>
>>     
>>>>>> pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
>>>>>> in_article_id=562325&in_page_id=1770>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> At first glance, they are the sort of glossy particulars you would
>>>>>> find in the window of any estate agent's.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But, on closer inspection, most of the properties on offer 'boast'
>>>>>> some rather unusual features - such as boarded-up windows, possession
>>>>>> orders and no front-door entrance.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The homes are being offered by Squatters Estate Agents, which has set
>>>>>> up a 'shop' in a derelict warehouse near the gleaming office
>>>>>> buildings
>>>>>> of the City of London.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The new service is advertised on anti-capitalist websites and
>>>>>> prospective 'tenants' are directed to the premises - squatted, of
>>>>>> course - in the Shoreditch area of the capital.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A reporter from this newspaper met James, an 'agent' in his late 20s,
>>>>>> wearing jeans, a T- shirt and several days' stubble, who guided us
>>>>>> through the details of dozens of ' available properties' on printed
>>>>>> sheets produced using a digital camera and a computer.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> He explained that the service was free and designed to guide others
>>>>>> like him into new digs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
>>>>>>             
>> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?>
>>     
>>>>>> in_article_id=562325&in_page_id=1770 <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
>>>>>>             
>> <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/>
>>     
>>>>>> pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
>>>>>> in_article_id=562325&in_page_id=1770>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>             
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>           
>>> 
>>>
>>>       
>>
>>     
>
>