Syndicate: indymedia steals award

[martha rosler <navva@earthlink.net>]

>Status:  U
>Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:06:49 -0400
>From: DeeDee Halleck <dhalleck@weber.ucsd.edu>
>Reply-To: dhalleck@weber.ucsd.edu
>X-Accept-Language: en
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>To: martha rosler <navva@earthlink.net>
>Subject: indymedia steals award
>
>ANARCHISTS STEAL NEWS AWARD AT THE WEBBY'S
>SAN FRANCISCO - Corporate media was both glorified and
>protested tonight at the Webby Awards in San Francisco, CA. Billed
>as the "Oscars" of the internet, the Webby's is a high-glitz awards
>show designed to highlight and promote websites and the web
>industry. Many of the highly-visible sponsors and nominees
>represent corporate media and media consolidation, including CNN,
>ABC News, and more.
>Indymedia was nominated for an award in the "Activism" category.
>An anarchist who showed up at the awards ceremony spoke
>anonymously, saying that "indymedia is news, and it shows the
>corporate media takeover of the internet to say that indymedia is
>activism, not news." Another anarchist present said that if Indymedia
>is an activist site, mainstream media like CNN or ABC are "activists
>for corporations and rich elites."
>A vocal minority in the crowd, wearing masks associated with
>anarchist black blocs at recent anti-capitalism protests, loudly booed
>when CNN and other corporate media conglomerates, like
>Microsoft, were mentioned.
>As the winner was announced for the "News" category, two masked
>people ran onto the stage. One, wearing a gasmask, grabbed the
>"News" award from the host, and shouted, "fuck corporate media!"
>Then he ran off the stage, taking the award with him. The host
>fumbled and said, "someone just took off with the award..." The
>other person, wearing a bandana mask, took pictures and identified
>himself as an Indymedia reporter.
>Sam Donaldson, ABC News personality, was sitting a few rows
>away and could only shake his head in confusion.
>Another anonymous anarchist present said, "corporate media does
>not belong on the internet. As dot-com valuation continues to
>plummet, we hope to save our wonderful co-operative global
>network from insidious, patent-grabbing, idea-owning
>megacorporations which despise free speech and privacy."
>Featured speakers also included San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown,
>who gloated in the changes that the dot-com industry have brought
>to the city. Mayor Brown is frequently targeted by housing activists
>for allowing dot-com companies to illegally rent residential spaces,
>creating one of the worst housing crises in San Francisco since the
>1906 earthquake.
>


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