Wednesday, May 30, 2001
As part of their half-hour broadcast today, Free Speech Radio News has a feature segment on the recent FCC indecency fine levied on community radio station KBOO in Portland, OR. Free Speech Radio News is a production of Pacifica Reporters Against Censorship, which is a group of over 40 freelance reporters who formerly worked for Pacifica, but who are boycotting Pacifica for what they see as that organzation's censorship of news stories.
posted 5/30/2001 03:33:28 PM [link
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Sunday, May 27, 2001
A quick one... the BBC reports: "A thorn in the side of its powerful neighbour and adversary, Radio Havana Cuba recently celebrated its 40th anniversary." Noting that Radio Havana tends to air self-congratulatory rhetoric praising Castro and Cuba, while also aiming sharp criticisms on racial and economic inequality at the US, the Beeb also points out that the US has it's own propaganda station broadcasting to Cuba--Radio Marti--that exhorts the Cuban people to overthrow their government.
posted 5/27/2001 03:20:42 PM [link
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Community Radio Fined for Indecency
The Portland Indymedia Center reports that Community radio station KBOO in Portland, OR was fined by the FCC for airing a song the agency judged as indecent during the time of day when indecency is prohibited (between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM). Click here to read the lyrics to the song in question, which is intended to be a woman's response to misogynistic and sexist raps that nonetheless make claims to revolution.
This is an excerpt of the FCC's decision:
The rap song “Your Revolution” contains unmistakable patently offensive sexual
references. We have considered The KBOO Foundation’s arguments concerning the context of
this material. Specifically, the KBOO Foundation asserts that the rap song “Your Revolution”
cannot be separated from its contemporary cultural context. In the alternative, The KBOO
Foundation argues that even if context is limited to the song’s lyrics, “Your Revolution” is “a
feminist attack on male attempts to equate political ‘revolution’ with promiscuous sex” and as
such, is not indecent. However, considering the entire song, the sexual references appear to be
designed to pander and shock and are patently offensive.
Only a month and a half ago the FCC released its first every policy document that attempts to lend some degree of definition to the ever-elusive term 'indecency,' which it agreed to do in the course of settling a lawsuit filed over an indecency fine. Per FCC v. Pacifica, the Supreme Court ruled that the FCC may ban indecent material during portions of the day when children are likely to listen, but must therefore also provide a so-called 'free harbor' where indecent material may be aired. The Fed's new policy document makes clear that indecency is not simply limited to the so-called "Seven Dirty Words," giving clearer examples of how discussion of sexual or excretory topics and acts can be considered indecent--which is what the FCC ruled in KBOO's case.
What's interesting to note is that in the new indecency policy the FCC makes explicit that the agency only acts on complaints and does not indepdendently police the airwaves for indecency. In KBOO's case, it was a listener complaint about four separate broadcasts that brought about the FCC fine for this one. Per Portland Indymedia, the show that aired the song in question, "is known for airing such music that speaks truth to the power of rap and hip-hop music, which is frequently demeaning to women. The FCC investigates stations when prompted by a complaint from a listener who has evidence. The listener is this case is a man who has had problems with Barnwell's show for years."
It's tempting to see this fine as an assault on community and progressive radio by the conservative Bush Administration, although I don't think that is quite borne out by the facts. Instead, it seems clearer to me that a listener used the FCC to squelch sppech that he found offensive. Reading the song lyrics I can see why a man who feels threatened when women express and demonstrate their independence and power would be offended by it, but I fail to see how the song is "indecent," since I also fail to see how it is intended to "pander and shock," as the FCC claims. In fact, it appears to me that the song attacks the panderers--men who treat women simply as sexual objects--and is only shocks if you are shocked by a woman rejecting such treatment.
Nonetheless, the fine does serve as a wake up call to community radio stations and a warning that it only takes one listener wishing to attack a message he doesn't like, to bring about FCC scrutiny, and possibly a fine. While the new FCC indecency rules do provide greater guidance than ever before for stations to avoid an indecency fine, there is still a gray area where politics, sex, and power meet up. Whether anyone likes it or not, it looks like the practical solution right now is, "if in doubt, air it after 10:00 PM." And maybe, it's time for community radio listeners to barrage the FCC with complaints about the real corporate radio "shock jocks," like Mancow and Bob & Tom (to name just two).
posted 5/27/2001 02:01:57 AM [link
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Friday, May 25, 2001
Blogging as a Form of Journalism?
A lot of articles seem to get published recently about the topic of web logs -- so-called 'blogs' -- which the 'news' part of mediageek is an example of. I don't typically post links to them here since there's a lot of hype, and also because most weblogs--which certainly are a form of independent media--are, to me, a little idiosyncratic and personal, and so not necessarily intended to have much of an audience. Yet, the best blogs do tend to garner an audience, and that's probably due to having some degree of focus in their posts and links, rather than simply being an agglomeration of the stuff one person finds interesting on a given day. It's when a combination of focus, judicious choices for links (editing?), and sometimes thoughtful commentary come together that I find a blog to become useful, rather than a light diversion. That's also when I think a blog comes closer to being journalism.
J.D. Lasica at USC Annenberg's Online Journalism Review has an article considering the headline question, asking 6 prominent on-line journalists to weigh in. Lasica says that, "Weblogs offer a vital, creative outlet for alternative voices." Fundamentally I agree with that statement. For me, the big problem is that word, 'journalism.' A hundred years or so into journalism's life as an institution and profession, the term carries a lot of baggage, and stirs quite a bit of debate, especially outside the mainstream and in academia. I think reading the three commentaries in the linked article makes that clear; professional journalists are a bit wary of undermining their own efforts and professional stake by allowing the term to be reapplied, redefined or watered down.
In my own experiences working with in community radio and, recently, helping to put together the Urbana Independent Media Center the term journalism, and all in connotes (objective, authoritative, and similar concepts), certainly presents controversy and sparks discussion. Primarily, I think these controversies and discussions are necessary and constructive. But they do point out the disconnect between traditional journalism and citizen non-professionals who are no longer happy to simply have their news fed to them, preferring to try their hands at being producers rather than just consumers. Weblogs may be an element of this shift. At the most basic weblogs are just a tool, and they're clearly a tool that makes web publishing easier, but the real power is nonetheless what you do with them.
posted 5/25/2001 10:32:14 PM [link
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More How-to Advice: The Basics of Digital Video Capture
For those not afraid of a little geek-speak, Tom's Hardware Guide has a nice explanation of the issues you need to take into account when building a computer-based video editing system. In Part 1 they break-down and explain why digitizing video requires so much bandwidth and hard drive space, and give an overview of the major codecs (methods) for digitizing video for editing. While pretty techy, this overview makes it clear why the hype around home-video editing is misleading, and why it may not be as easy as an Apple iMac DV commercial makes it seem.
posted 5/25/2001 03:42:34 PM [link
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Wednesday, May 23, 2001
Speaking of Internet Radio... Kill Radio
The LA Weekly has a nice feature story on Kill Radio, a free-form Internet radio station in LA that grew out of the LA Indymedia Center's on-line station that covered the Democratic Convention last Fall, and is the new home for DJs from a defunct pirate station. So much about Kill Radio reminds me of my college and community radio experiences--this quote especially: "THOUGH IT CALLS ITSELF A COLLECTIVE, there appears to be no sense of community at Kill Radio, apart from a core group of DJs who attend every meeting. Many slip in late at night, staying just long enough to do their hourlong shows. Some don't listen to the station at all, or even know their comrades' names."
But I think that's the nature of a medium where only one show can be on at once, and so everyone has to take her turn in serial fashion. And maybe that's also it's strength, because by each person taking a turn, not everyone has to agree about everything, or even on fundamental philosophies, since each has her own separate show. They only have to agree on the fact that each has a right and a reason to be on the air (or net). That simple consensus shouldn't be discounted, and I think it certainly comes through in this article.
posted 5/23/2001 05:09:49 PM [link
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BBC To End Shortwave Service to N. America
The LA Times reports that the BBC World Service plans to discontinue it's broadcasts oriented towards N. America, in order to cut costs. Alternately, the BBC plans to rely on its Internet feed and on public stations that carry the World Service to reach the North American audience.
I'm a big fan of the BBC World Service, and am sad to see them leave the North American shortwave band, but I do have to admit that I rarely listen on shortwave. Primarily I listen late at night on my local public radio station, which carries the BBC from 11pm to 5am. I also sometimes tune in on-line, but less often. Perhaps this is just an indicator of changes we see in front of us, but don't take much note of. While this change is a loss, frankly, I don't know too many people who listen to shortwave radio, and those who do are pretty connected folks, and are typically big Internet users, too. Radio certainly reaches the economically disadvantaged better than the Internet, but in the US it's unlikely that shortwave radio has anything close to the popularity of AM or FM, especially with poor folks. In essence, for Americans shortwave radio is more of a niche medium than the Internet is. And if cutting off direct shortwave service to the US allows the BBC to continue broadcasts to areas of the world where the service is needed and used, like Africa or South America, then I guess it's a pretty reasonable compromise.
posted 5/23/2001 04:04:56 PM [link
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Monday, May 21, 2001
More on Congressional Forum on Pacifica:
John Anderson of the Pirate/Free Radio Page at About.com has a nice report and summary on this forum as his feature for this week. He listened to 2+ hours of testimony so you don't have to.
posted 5/21/2001 03:54:00 PM [link
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Congressional Forum on LPFM and Pacifica Available On-Line
It's available in mp3 format at the A-Info Radio Project. I'll probably play excerpts from this on Sunday's show.
posted 5/21/2001 01:29:17 AM [link
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Friday, May 18, 2001
Newspapers and Magazines Laying Off Like Mad--A Boon for Indymedia?
The NY Times reports that "Newspapers Plan More Cuts as Their Ad Revenues Fall," with Gannet's USA Today making its first ever layoff of journalists, along with cutbacks at Knight-Ridder and the NY Times' parent company. Since newpapers now operate under the same rules as other industries with regard to their labor force--cut jobs in order to preserve big profits--how can anyone expect them to be remotely objective when covering layoffs in, say, the manufacturing sector? In a room full of killers, you'll never find anyone pointing a finger and calling someone else a murderer. It's honor amongst thieves.
Perhaps this turn of events can be an advantage for independent media. These newly out-of-work reporters are unlikely to garner much empathy from their still-employed peers, whose loyalty to business as usual is necessary to avoid their own unemployment. Nor are they likely to read sympathetic stories in the mainstream press that did not hesitate to sacrifice them for their investors' profits. Yet there are other journalists, reporters and media-makers who are far more sensitive to the plight of the downsized and underemployed.
With more time on their hands, laid off journalists and media workers actually have a great opportunity to do in-depth, challenging journalism, without the intrusive oversight of editors under intense profit pressure from corporate managers. It's a grand opportunity for former corporate reporters to begin their deprogramming and go back to their roots, before they were jaded and chewed up. Indymedia Centers are a perfect resource for this ethical renaissance. And Indymedia centers can always use more talented volunteer journalists who can both contribute stories and help instruct would-be citizen-journalists. A increase in well-researched and written stories and reports can only increase the visability and perceived value of the Indymedia movement, only helping these centers raise funds, which can be used to pay citizen-journalists (like laid-off former corporate journalists).
Indymedia Centers, free of stringent profit-pressures (and advertising), can provide journalists and would-be journalists the freedom to pursue stories and ideas filtered out of the mainstream and corporate media, along with an outlet for their world-wide distribution. And Indymedia Centers also need the influx and influence of expertise and experience in the field of journalism. I see nothing but a tremendously symbiotic potential, and a way to turn a downsize into an opportunity. There's no good reason that Indymedia Centers can't become more than volunteer enterprises, employing journalists and other media makers, providing real and necessary financial support for free communication. Maybe this is one way. It can happen.
posted 5/18/2001 04:16:38 PM [link
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Thursday, May 17, 2001
Tips for doing it yourself: Shooting Video
The by-line of this site includes the implied promise that there's information about 'doing it (media) yourself.' Yet, I recognize that the site is woefully bare of such DIY advice. So, today I'll start trying to remedy this by pointing you to a good two part series on shooting video for beginners from DV Format magazine. Part of my day job is dealing with video shot by professors and other educators, and so I've seen lots of examples of the pitfalls mentioned in this series (like too much panning and zooming!). This series is definitely something I'll make required reading for would-be amateur videographers.
posted 5/17/2001 03:27:03 PM [link
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Tuesday, May 15, 2001
Wired News Finds the Guy Who Posted a 'Threat' to Cincinnati Cop
Wired News tracked down the man posting to the Ohio Valley IMC and many other IMC sites as "proffr@fuckmicrosoft.com" who posted to the OVIMC a message called "Steve Roach, Dead Man Walking"--and the poster lives in rural Victoria, Australia. This message sparked the interest of Cincinnati police who issued a subpoena for web log info to the OVIMC webmaster, which the webmaster has decided to ignore, due to several problems with the subpoena. Looks like the Cincy police may have a difficult time questioning or interrogating Mr. proffr.
posted 5/15/2001 10:15:41 AM [link
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Monday, May 14, 2001
This just in: C-SPAN Not Carrying LPFM & Pacifica Forum
This just arrived from Christopher Maxwell of Radio Free Richmond and the Virginia Center for the Public Press>:
I just spoke with C-Span. The person who answered the phone said that they decided NOT to cover the LPFM and Pacifica forum!! This is very disappointing because there are not many issues LESS likely to get covered by the LameStream media ... Maybe if they get flooded with inquiries, they might change their mind.
(765) 464-3080 and then Option #4 to speak to a scheduling hominid.
and email them at: events@c-span.org
I will attempt to contact the organizers to see if I can bring my camcorder
and do for free with a handheld camcorder what mighty C-Span couldn't be
bothered to cover: The future of Democracy.
Sincerely, Christopher Maxwell
Secretary, Virginia Center for Public Press
Radio Free Richmond Project
posted 5/14/2001 04:05:50 PM [link
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More on Ohio Valley IMC Subpoena:
According to the new Indymedia FBI News page, Josh Robinson, the owner of the ovimc.org domain name, is ignoring a subpoena issued him to appear in front of an Cincinnati, Ohio grand jury, regarding an article posted to the Ohio Valley IMC website. Apparently the subpoena was served to him improperly--he never received it in writing, just via e-mail (?)--and is not valid because he and his webserver live outside the grand jury's jurisdiction--he lives on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River.
It's sort of comical, watching these police attempts to obtain Indymedia records, since in the Seattle IMC case and in this case the police and feds have made errors that demonstrate nothing but incompetence. It appears that Cincinnati authorities are unable to obtain the proper subpoena nor serve it correctly, while the FBI and Secret Service cannot obtain a court order that sufficiently specifies what they're looking for and where it is. But the authorities may actually get their act together, so these are nonetheless signs that Indepednent Media must be prepared.
posted 5/14/2001 10:53:35 AM [link
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Saturday, May 12, 2001
Congressional Caucus to Address the "State of Community Radio:"
Radio Free Richmond alerted me to the following forum being held by the Progressive Caucus of the House of Representatives: "On the State of Community Radio: Pacifica Radio Foundation, Free Speech And
Citizen Access To The Spectrum." The forum will be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Room 2261 Rayburn House Office Building. The forum is organized by Rep. Major R. Owens, from Brooklyn, NY. Owens became a major player in this conflict after he was cut off the air during a live broadcast on WBAI in March. Speaking about the incident on the floor of the House of Representatives, Owens blasted the irresponsible act of censorship calling it a "weird and frightening experience of being gagged by a radio station manager in my own home city of New York."
Chris Maxwell of RFR is organizing a campaign to convince CSPAN to carry the forum. You can email CSPAN at events@c-span.org.
posted 5/12/2001 12:44:36 AM [link
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Thursday, May 10, 2001
Indymedia Documentary on Quebec City / FTAA Protests:
The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center has quickly turned out a radio documentary of their journalists' experiences on the streets of Quebec City during the Summit of the Americas and negotiations over the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Click here to listen or download broadcast-quality files.
posted 5/10/2001 02:30:04 PM [link
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It's Happened Again: Ohio Valley IMC Served Subpoena:
According to the Global IMC site, "May 8, the owner of the Ohio Valley IMC domain (ovimc.org) was served with a subpoena directing him to appear before an Ohio grand jury this Friday, and to hand over server log information related to a particular article posted to their open-publishing newswire... The posting in question at the Ohio Valley IMC includes what might be interpreted as an implied threat to Cincinnati Police Officer
Steve Roach [who] was indicted by a Hamilton County, Ohio grand jury on misdemenor counts of Negligent Homicide and Obstructing Official Business for his rolein the April 7 shooting of Timothy Thomas.... The Thomas shooting,
the latest in a string of Cincinnati police shootings of young black men,
sparked a wave of protests in the city...
"The owner of the ovimc.org is currently in consultation
with lawyers and activists who have been dealing with the recent federal
request for logs from the Seattle IMC site. According to a
post at the Ohio Valley IMC, the request is for naught, as the 'custom
written software [for the site] doesn't keep IP logs, or ANY tracking
information for that matter.'"
posted 5/10/2001 01:38:14 PM [link
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Monday, May 07, 2001
Discussing 'Zines and DIY Media:
The Well is hosting an on-line discussion about 'zines and DIY-publishing featuring several notable veterans of the print and on-line 'zine community. So far participants have posted some interesting histories of 'zine publishing and I've found links to some cool sites and blogs.
posted 5/7/2001 01:28:02 PM [link
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More Police Harrasment; Who's the Press?
Here is Urbana (IL) two students were recently arrested for "obstruction" while observing a police officer question two black men he had pulled over. You can read a summary of the story on the front page of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center site. I'm certain this is not an uncommon occurance here or in almost any city, but this type of incident raises an important question: when does observing become obstruction? Or, more directly: when is watching the police (or any authority) in public illegal? I offer this answer: it's illegal when you're not an officially recognized observer--i.e. the mainstream press. Would these two students have been harrassed and arrested if they were reporters from the local CBS affiliate? What if they were reporters from the local daily newspaper? If not, why not?
This ties in with the FBI visit on the Seattle IMC (detailed below) -- it's doubtful that the FBI would have been so cavalier in visiting and making demands of the New York Times. What becomes clear is that only certain members of society are privileged observers whose job it is to see and digest the events of the day for the rest of us. From the standpoint of the powers that be (from the government to corporate powers) the average citizen cannot be trusted to do this for herself or others. In effect, the lines of power dictate that the average person is not the press, and therefore does not enjoy the same constitutional protection for her activities.
More on this topic soon...
posted 5/7/2001 01:24:11 PM [link
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Wednesday, May 02, 2001
More on Seattle IMC, the FBI and the Gag Order
Today Salon has an article on the Seattle IMC & FBI situation that sheds light on a few more details. One of the most interesting facts is that the FBI and Secret Service made no request to remove the two messages posted to the Montreal IMC site that most closely matched what they were looking for, according to their court order. Amazingly, the Seattle IMC was gagged from talking about a court order looking for messages supposedly containing sensitive Quebec City security information that the feds didn't even bother to have taken off the site, leaving them for all to see. Sounds like the feds were more interested in covering their asses and the asses of the Canadian authorities who supposedly put them on the chase rather than actually getting the security documents hushed. Based upon the accounts of Seattle IMC volunteers present during the FBI visit, the agents didn't really know what the hell they were doing or really looking for. It seems like that is the big story, and what the gov't most wanted gagged.
As Wired News reported last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is providing legal representation for the IMC. The Salon article further reports that the IMC is preparing to challenge the validity of the subpoena in court, guided by the belief that the real purpose of the order was to intimidate IMC volunteers, posters and readers. The question is: were the Feds successful in their intimidation?
posted 5/2/2001 11:35:01 PM [link
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