as another journalist (and fan of Indymedia) I think that I should point out that the Daily Mail reporter doesn't really respond to the point.

you ask why her reporting was biased - she replies that some protestors made petrol bombs.

turn the example on its head. if I accuse IMC of biased reporting you could presumably reply that some journalists have convictions for violent behaviour. it doesn't address the point at all.

similarly it is so easy to pick apart the line about "objective, professional journalism" it isn't true.

in what sense is the Daily Mail objective? it is pro-Tory yet the majority of Britons do not vote Conservative - why does it assume a political orientation not shared by the population that reads it?

in what sense is it professional to make the jump from "suspected of organising protests" to a "mastermind" of riots. organising protests is an activity undertaken by all kinds of people including Dail Mail favourites such as fuel protestors and the Countryside Alliance. I assume that Indymedia will refer to any spokseman for either of these groups in future as "the mastermind behind the demonstrations"

in what sense is it journalism to rely what the police (who have to justify a killing) and the Foreign Office (not even present, and who will only rely on the local police for info) for your information? journalism is supposed to be objective potrayal of the facts, not repeating the spoon-fed line.

the fact that this wasn't "objective, professional journalism" is clearly demonstrable by looking at the way practically all the other papers and TV (hardly friends of the protestors) quickly started picking holes in the police story and pushing the angle of police brutality. as anyone familiar with the media will know this hardly ever happens when there is tropuble at a demonstration.

the attempt to justify a shoddy piece of reporting merely demontrates how out of touch the Mail is with modern social forces.

best of luck with your documentary.

Faked news is a specialiality of mine.
Ms Morris appears to base her articles on what `appears`to have happened. The Cops said it was like that so it was like that. The cops said that 23 police officers were injured by rocks thrown from the roof of the school.
This was widely reported in the worlds press and is still being repeated in the Italian press. But no evidence has ever been produced either to show that rocks were indeed thrown or what kind of injuries the police sustained.
The corporate press has loyally repeated the piles of bullshit fed to them by the Italian authorities.
Indymedia is spot on because now there is a platform for an alternative opinion and an open debate on press distortion.
I`ll remember to look out for this ladies fakes .

Dear Ms Morris

Thank your for your reply. I have noted your comments about the various violence and non violent aspects of the Genoa protests. We will be exploring the debates surrounding this.

I am saddened that you will not give your own views about your own reporting on camera. Despite your comments as a "professional, objective journalist", I am still at a loss to understand why you presented Mr Covell as the "masermind",and the "Briton who led rioters".

Not one single other reporter came to these conclusions, in fact they presented Mr Covell as an Independent reporter. I would be interested to know what led you to this conclusion?.
In light of your mistake, have you or the Daily Mail printed a retraction since the error in your reporting?

Yours sincerely,


Paul O' Connor
undercurrents

morris states that she risked her butt to get to the Sky`s bedside .
She didn`t mention that the hospitals had been taken over by the military
so what was so risky about getting into a hospital in a civilised european country.
She would have had a press credit for the G8 meeting so what`s the big deal ?
Or perhaps she was wearing kinky black under wear, proof enough of her BB connections, also proof that she is the leader of a dangerous gang and therefore a legitimate target fo robo cop and his possee of state morons . a good kicking from the Italian cops with a sing along nazi song session
would have done wonder for this fucking bitch . .
The rome correspondents for the UK press knew who SKY was by sunday night . Monday they knew the whole story . Surely she could have cross checked to see if anyone knew him and just maybe
aske them , rather than making snide comments about his house . sure she wouldn`t go on film with her version it`s a pile of puke .

Regardless of Mr. Covell's role in the Genoa protest, justice is not administered by having your head kicked in at the roadside by military police, to the point of death. At least not in any civilized society.

Oh it's always sad to see how the corporate medias and their "fony" journalists work. The fact is that a 23 year old boy was cold bloodedly murdered by Marco Placanica (the name of the fascist Carabiniere) and that several hundreds of people were brutally arrested, tortured in jail and all. Hey is this in Rwanda or in Italy a so-called democracy member of the EU? What is it that makes people from the mass medias miss these very disturbing facts, they are either complete morons that believe in police and state propaganda or totally twisted and ill minded individuals working for the "Capitalist revolution" or perhaps a mixture of both ? Ms Morris, have you ever heard of basic rights and freedom of expression that are guarenteed in a piece of paper called a constitution ? So what about having jails in Genoa with nice pics of a scumbag like Mussolini on their walls and having fascisti baboons oblige prisoners to sing fascist songs ? But of course they only things she remembers of Genoa are some petrol bombs being fabricated by some protesters. MMM perhaps they were shrewd enough to prepare to protect themselves from having their skulls and bones smashed by "Robocop" armed to the teeth killers. But forget it her mainstream media brainwashing probably makes it impossible for her to get the point anyway. I think that we shouldn't bother with the corporate medias, they're dead wood !

deadwood burns well, ridicule the bastards.
most of them are pretty thick and that is the reason they
get the job, apart from the nepotist angle of course.
wot gets me is how fucking arrogant they are, this morris bitch comes across as that way 4 sure..

goodwood (stan`up)

Well, well... I work for a mainstream media organisation and I disagree with the above point. This sort of attitude is a real problem for everyone. NOT all journalists who work for so-called "corporate media" outlets are as piss poor as Ms Morris when it comes to covering this protest movement.

To suggest that all mainstream journalists are merely the propagandists for the police and big business is not only wrong, it is as narrow minded a blanket condemnation as the Daily Mail suggesting that anyone who went to Genoa was a "mindless thug" etc. etc.

What Indymedia/others ought to do is to work out for itself which journalists from the mainstream can be trusted to give a fair account and then work with them/co-opt these reporters. Build up a database of who has written/reported/broadcast what and work together with the good ones...

"Don't hate the Media -- Be the media" is the Indymedia moniker... but you also have to realise that there are times when the capabilities of the mainstream are needed to get a message out as fast as possible to the biggest possible audience.

I know this because I saw it in Genoa: on Friday 20th in the morning mainstream journalists wree being attacked by some demonstrators. One guy from FAU tried to attack my camera twice...

But by the afternoon, after the killing, some of these same demonstrators were scouring the area actively seeking out mainstream reporters/cameramen/snappers to take them to Carlo Giuliani's body to film/photograph it. And similarly, after the attack on the IMC/GSF School Indymedia's frankly self-important posturing "ban" on contact with the mainstream handily evaporated when it was felt necessary to let the world know what had occured.

Now, why bother with the scummy mainstream if websites like Indymedia and SchNews et al are up to the task?

The answer is that at this stage in the game the independent players are still far too small and esoteric to get critical news out fast enough to the vast majority of poeple who are NOT actively involved in the struggle and probably don't even know where to look on the internet for such sites (if indeed they are fortunate enough to own a PC and modem etc.)

Sometimes you should look around and see who there might be on the INSIDE of the mainstream who can be trusted to give this movement fair treatment and then work with them. Otherwise it becomes a viscious circle doesn't it?

If demonstrators say "we will not talk to anyone from the mainstream because they are all corrupt fools" they can't very well turn around and say "The mainstream media don't give a fair account of our views."

How can those good journalists who ARE interested in getting a full picture do their job if they are treated as pariahs by activists or randomly attacked on the streets as easily targeted symbols of supposed corporate authority by people who are so fucking brave they would rather assault a cameraman/photographer who is unarmed and extremely unlikely to retaliate, as opposed to getting up into the line and taking on the police?

And on a contentious parting note... I noticed that a large number of video activists were apparently unwilling to hand over their copyright to IMC's proposed "Global Mix." Why is this one might ask? In my opinion the bottom line is that a lot of the eager young activist journalists would be only too happy to take a job/make a film for mainstream broadcasters/press if they were given the chance. As a result lots of people were keen to hang on to their copyright should any good opportunities for career advancement/a bit of dosh present themselves. I wonder how many mainstream hating people will at some point in the future be touting around CVs with previous work for Undercurrents/Indymedia et al on them?

Does that make such people opportunistic scum and turncoats. No, not at all. What it would mean is that there would be one more good and possibly trustworthy person in the mainstream.

Don't hate the media.... know them... USE them.

Ah well, Ms Morris is just another poodle in denial, and people in that position hate more than anything to be exposed for what they are - scared.
Why should she sacrifice her hard won position (its not easy being obedient and smiling to your boss all the time) for the sake of some dew-eyed sentimental view about facts being more importent than message?
With bills to pay, lifestyles to aspire towards, rewards and treats to collect, there simply isn't the sufficient time or motivation to do things the hard way (integrating often conflicting info into meaningful statements about actual events).
[She] demonstrates[sic] the reporters art of playing to the gallery whilst stealing the lead to a tee - why report when you can distort.
Forgotten, but not forgiven - my advice, to avoid badly lit streets for a while, or dob your editor in!

Okay - we have here plenty of posts on the pitiful, dangerous and yet truly ridiculous journalism of Ms Morris, and more pro and con mainstream journalists - BUT WHAT ABOUT MARCUS, RICHARD, NICOLA, AND SOME SIXTY OTHERS WHO GOT SEVERELY HURT for no good reason beyond G8 vindictiveness? How are they, where are they, are they safe, are they in a position to fight back? Do they need help?

Not a word from anyone. Does nobody actually care about following up so as to increase our numbers through clear understanding?

THIS is the main failure of the mainstream media (and it's beginning to look like the indys are following suit) - NO FOLLOW UP - NO CONTINUITY - NO EXPLANATIONS as to why.

If we continue to accept this 'blip culture' approach then no-one from the outside will EVER understand what all the crap is about. I've always assumed this is exactly what the owners of the press want - FUD on a grand scale.

By talking about Morris, you are giving her a great deal of credibility among the right-wing press. There's nothing the Daily Mail class of journalists love more than being hated by the left. It's just one more step up the ladder for a rather unprofessional and thick hack. I bet Morris is loving it - especially if she's got Undercurrents pleading with her. Forget her!
Let's talk about the Daily Mail's long history of support for fascist values, from Oswald Moseley's British Union of Fascists to engendering hatred against minority groups - single mothers, ethnic minorities, refugees, activists, homosexuals, environmentalists, etc.
In fact, it is not so much a news organ as a method of sustaining the smugness and paranoia which gives the middle-aged lower middle-classes in the Home Counties a feeling of moral rectitude and superiority.
The Daily Mail is not simply a propaganda rag, it's an attitude of mind which is bitter, twisted and spiteful but without resorting to the perceived working-class vulgarity represented by the Sun or the Mirror. It's the kind of mindset which would like to see fascism but dislikes the rabble element. Mail readers need the vilification of minorities and subversives to feel that their prejudices have justification and order will be restored once we've 'gone to war' against all those who threaten their idea of the social order.
The Daily Mail is the product of the deterioration of the fabric of society and the increasing unease and dislocation created by neo-liberalism. Its nostalgic readers hanker for a past which never existed and grab on to those familiar things which are fading away. Once Charles and Camilla are on the throne and the spell of victory over the Germans dissipates, the Daily Mail's present mentality will cease to exist. What worries me is what Morris and the new generation of career hacks will do next. Things can only get worse.

The Front Page Headline of a local national paper screamed:

'NZ MAN FACES G8 DEATH CHARGE '

" A New Zealander arrested during anti-globalisation riots in Italy has been charged with four offences, including attempted murder. "

" It was believed that the attempted murder charge related to the incident in which police shot dead protester Carlo Giuliani. "

" Police arrested 92 people they said were linked to the "Black Bloc", the highest-profile of the violent groups in Genoa. "

Then came the fearsome list of weapons followed by a photo of Carlo Guiliani. The caption beneath the photo read,' Sam Buchanan and friends at G-8 riot'

Frankly, this reporting was simply dreadful, not as
bad as Ms Morris admittedly, but awful. I wrote to the editor of this paper and advised him to sack the person who wrote this nonsense. Were I living in England I would encourage you all to do the same with the Daily Mail. Why should Ms Morris hold down a job as a journalist when she is obviously not good at it? There are plenty of others queuing for such work who would do a far better job and appreciate the priviledge.

Another point I mentioned to this editor was the ease with
which any journalist could log into italy.indymedia
to stay in touch with the action as it happened. Four days later the journalists covering the aftermath at Genoa were still misreporting - 2000 police instead of 20,000, for
example.

But to be perfectly fair there were some good journos on
the job at Genoa. I know,because I posted their works
to indymedia and to the mai-not list. Some of the Guardian writers were very good as were some of the BBC reports,
while there were excellent stories in The Times.

Yes, we already have in our archive all the good journalists who covered Genoa. The one Sunday Times [?] article worth printing was by the unfortunate journalist who got a pasting from the Italian police - his account was quite funny. :-)

perhaps we should establish a small cadre of people dressing up in the uniforms of the local police attendant at protests, and some people who look like they're infiltrators and agent provocateurs, freely intermingling with the cross dressers, who pick out the known representatives of the orthodox press and give em a 'good pasting' - mirror tactics (and just satire)

Darius from the BBC makes some valid points. His reports from Genoa were some of the best that i saw. It didnt turn the protests into a Binary action of anarchists and cops but showed the varied aspects of it.

The best advice he gave is to USE the media. We are all trying to bring about real changes here (i hope anyway) and the mainstream media, like it or not , has a stunning amount of power in persuading people on any issue. Indymedia in the US have a policy of using the mainstream to publicise their own URL so that at least people looking for an alternative can find it.

As for having indymedia/undercurrents on your CV..Judging from the experiecnce of some people who left undercurrents to go into mainstream TV, having undercurrents made life more difficult for them as they were seen as too radical and lefty!

So anyone fancy visiting the Daily Mail?

it has been a while since my very battered laptop has been online to see the commentary. i want to thank paul and the crew from undercurrents for their solidarity, care and support. likewise, i would like to thank everyone on the indymedia newswire for their solidarity and for them thrashing out the issues.
what happened that night gives me a big nightmare everynight. this goes for all of us caught up in the raid. it will take a very long time for all of us to recover from what happened to us. what happened to me afterwards, regarding the now infamous lucy morris article only happened to me and to no-one else.
i now have an announcement to make that she and the daily mail will be hearing from my lawyers very soon if they have not done so already. if the daily mail thinks that it can settle this out of court, they have another thing coming. i am going to put the corporate media on trial! this will be a battle of the values and meaning of democratic media against the sad, sick, twisted corporate media. mark my words the dail mail will wish that it hadn't messed with the movement.
ps lucy morris, an italian judge wants to have a word with you on how you managed to squeeze past my armed guard ( according to italian law, on a MP could of seen me and every policeman in italy knows this. you broke the law. feeling uncomfortable? like you made me feel and my family? good! i also want you to know that the NUJ is taking a very dim view of you level of journalism and that i am feeling phyically better but mentally very damaged. esp over what you did. you will be hearing from my lawyers and from the investigating magistrates in due course.

Marcus Sky! covell