Recipes for Disaster: an anarchist cookbook

Allowing anyone to post on the site enables Indymedia and similar sites to react more quickly than corporate news to events as they unfold. However, fascists, federal and corporate agents, and other spammers may take advantage of the "open wire" to post to your site. If your site is flooded with offensive posts, people who actually need to use it will stop because they have to wade through so much filth to get to the news. The best way to prevent this problem is to have a firm editorial poHcy banning racist, sexist, homophobic, and other rubbish from the site.

An open wire is not usually enough to get quality news coverage on your website; it helps to have at least a couple of writers making a serious effort to report on events and issues.

News articles should always cover the Who, What, When, and Where of an event first, and obey basic laws of grammar and spelling. It helps for them to be as concise as possible. This isn't the corporate media, so you don't have to be afraid to report some of your personal experiences or opinions or to make articles exciting in other ways. Corporate news definitely isn't "objective," and you shouldn't pretend to be, either?^be upfront about your stance, while avoiding rhetorical flourishes and rambling.

When it comes to getting good photographs, it helps to take as many as possible. Digital cameras are generally the easiest and cheapest cameras for this purpose. Take pictures from differing vantage points: get crowd shots, individual shots, shots of anything out of the ordinary. Take hghting into account, and aim for clean shots with the faces at mid-level in the picture. All this goes double for video recording, and you also have to pay attention to your balance and steadiness in holding the camera. If you can keep the camera in one place, consider using a tripod for extra stability. For audio recording, get the microphone as close to each speaker as possible, and don't be reluctant to tell an interviewee to pause if the audio tape is about to run out. With all electronic gadgetry, always check the batteries, and have replacements!

Getting into video production may seem difficult and expensive, but nowadays, thanks to new digital video cameras, non-linear editing systems, and public access television, almost anyone can begin to make their own videos. If you can find a good library, a college media center with lax security, or a public access television channel, you can make a video without a digital video camera, an expensive editing program, or even a computer of your own. The main obstacle to overcome is the large amount of space video takes up on a computer. Try getting an editing program from friends or off the internet; once you have a good one, learning to edit is not too difficult. If you complete a video, you can hold public showings, book a tour around the country to show and speak about it in person, even syndicate it on an independent television station. All of these could also function as fundraisers for your independent media center.

Video Editing

Almost all communities have public access television stations that offer cheap or even free classes on video editing, television show production, and fieldwork. If your community does not have a public access channel, find out who the local cable provider is and demand one. Many states have laws that force cable companies to provide public access channels for the commimities they serve. Not only do public access channels offer classes, once you have completed a basic course you can check out their equipment, use their video-editing suite, even sign up to host a hve public access show.

Public Access Television

Doing media work at direct actions is the lifeblood of many an independent media journalist, and it's a thrilling and dangerous undertaking. It's vital, since it's often the only way that news about a particular direct action will get out. If the direct action is highly illegal and the participants want to remain anonymous, you will probably want to remain anonymous as well, as any media work you do can tie you to the action. However, if you can upload your report and documentation from a computer that can't be

Media Work at Direct Actions

Independent Media 351

You can make your own movie out

of an existing one by dubbing in

your own dialogue; alternatively, add

your own subtitles to a movie in an

obscure foreign language.

Independent Media 352