Indymedia Ireland has long prided itself on the good looking "Oscailt" software platform it operates but all that glitters is not gold. In its little over five years of history the collective has been accused repeatedly of sexism by the global womyns IMC list, at first for its inablity during three years to attract a female moderator or editor and most lately for taking the extra-ordinary measure of blocking the IP and barring the contributions of a woman whose only fault was suffering brain damage. Describing her as a "persistent abuser" and her articles which had detailed the accident which led to hre brain injury, one of the "editors" described her writing as "under par".
IMC Ireland soon to be summoned to trial
The publishing guidelines applied by the global indymedia nodes are mostly quite similar. Some local nodes resent cross posting, all nodes must deal with trolls, but no indymedia site has ever attempted to introduce as many guidelines as the Indymedia Ireland collective which have effectively silenced all criticism of the editorial for many years.
The editors themselves seem to be a self-perpetuating clique, where one individual has held the privilege for over three years whilst also controlling the development of the site and the Oscailt software.
Many of the decisions including the most recent to monitor and block IP's and thus impede open publishing appear to be based on meetings with an average of four people in attendence.
Many might think it's a wonderful site, might enjoy its embedding facilities for youtube vids & rely upon it for coverage of issues. But serious questions are finally being asked can Indymedia Ireland under its current administrating collective, imposing its current publishing guidelines and banning its only publically identified spokesperson for mental disability for "writing below par", be long more considered a "real Indymedia".
Perhaps it would be best, for the talented but small clique to recognise their site is valued, but not as an IMC. For them to move aside and make no attempt to block the next working group dedicated to setting up and maintaining a genuine Indymedia site in Ireland.
The editors themselves seem to be a self-perpetuating clique, where one individual has held the privilege for over three years whilst also controlling the development of the site and the Oscailt software.
Many of the decisions including the most recent to monitor and block IP's and thus impede open publishing appear to be based on meetings with an average of four people in attendence.
Many might think it's a wonderful site, might enjoy its embedding facilities for youtube vids & rely upon it for coverage of issues. But serious questions are finally being asked can Indymedia Ireland under its current administrating collective, imposing its current publishing guidelines and banning its only publically identified spokesperson for mental disability for "writing below par", be long more considered a "real Indymedia".
Perhaps it would be best, for the talented but small clique to recognise their site is valued, but not as an IMC. For them to move aside and make no attempt to block the next working group dedicated to setting up and maintaining a genuine Indymedia site in Ireland.
