An Experiment in Participatory Media
We are witnessing a critical time in the history of American journalism. As for-profit newspapers are folding as Wall Street crashes, many are left wondering if journalism can survive. As mainstream journalists scramble to come up with new working media models, The Indypendent should be recognized as a leader in non-profit, participatory community journalism. With our roots in the global Indymedia movement, for nearly 10 years the The Indypendent has been providing ordinary New Yorkers with important news and analysis absent from the corporate, mainstream news. At the same time, we have maintained an open door for people to learn basic journalism skills so they could become empowered to be the media. We were the original “citizen journalists” before the mainstream media caught up with the trend.
The Indypendent is the newspaper of the New York City Independent Media Center and is the only truly independent, free newspaper in New York City. It provides original in-depth, hard-hitting reporting on local, national and international news and commentary to our print and online readership of more than 100,000. The newspaper is published every three weeks on Fridays.
The newspaper is a labor of love by a team of talented volunteers who operate as a “working collective,” meaning that everyone participates in editorial planning and the production of the newspaper, as well as helps out with the organization, fundraising and administrative tasks. Volunteers are responsible for much of the writing, and all of the editing, photography, layout, graphics, illustrations and distribution. Since the newspaper was founded in 2000, more than 600 journalists, media activists and community members have participated in the production and distribution of The Indypendent! Two individuals share the role of full-time general coordinator and are charged with the tasks of news coordinating, welcoming volunteers, administration, editing, advertising sales, production, distribution and outreach.
We are a community participatory media project and welcome new writers, photographers, copy editors, designers and illustrators to join our working collective at any time. When you sign-up as a volunteer, you are invited to join monthly lively editorial meetings where we discuss as a group local news and politics and brainstorm about what should be published in the upcoming issue. In addition to the monthly editorial meeting, volunteers participate directly in the newspaper’s production, including helping to fact check, copy edit, write headlines and assist with other necessary tasks. We ask that all volunteers help out with non-editorial related tasks such as fundraising, outreach and distribution.
While we welcome new energies and people to the project, we ask for a mindful humility when joining us and respecting the wisdom, experience and skills of long-time volunteers. Previous journalism experience is not required to join us. To inquire about volunteering, please email: volunteer@indypendent.org.
Please consider signing up as a monthly sustainer today! Sign up at indypendent.org/donate.
The Indypendent’s Submission Policy and Upcoming Deadlines:
A wonderfully diverse group of people submit articles, photography and illustrations from around the world to create this volunteer-produced award-winning newspaper.
The Indypendent welcomes submissions about local, national and international topics that address the news and provide analysis and a broader context.
We also solicit reviews and features for our culture section. We prefer articles that review upcoming releases of independent films, books, albums and theatrical productions and ongoing local exhibits that all address larger social, political, economic and environmental issues. We also love to feature local artists, musicians and community members.
Please send in article or photography submissions to: submissions@indypendent.org.
If you are interested in submitting art, please email the Indypendent Art Coordinator Frank Reynoso: freynoso@indypendent.org.
And please review our editorial guidelines before submitting your work. As a volunteer-produced newspaper, we unfortunately do not compensate contributors for their work. The Indypendent is not responsible for lost or damaged original material sent through the mail. If you would like your submissions returned, please include stamps to cover mailing costs.
The Indypendent upcoming deadlines for submissions:
Please consider signing up as a monthly sustainer today! Sign up at indypendent.org/donate
–
The Indypendent’s Editorial Guidelines:
Most stories that appear in The Indypendent vary from 400 to 1,400 words. A number of factors influence final word counts, including the quality and timeliness of the article, previous coverage of the issue and the size of other stories and graphics that will appear on the page. We encourage writers to send in articles within these word lengths unless you are writing a longer feature or investigative news article. Photo essays are also accepted as long as there is careful attention to crafting a narrative arch and the subject matter is relevant to our audience.
If your article, photograph or illustration is chosen for publication, an Indypendent editor will contact you within the day or two after deadline.
We believe editing should be a dialogical process in which writers and editors discuss, debate and collaborate to produce the best story possible. Indypendent editors work in “the spirit of collaboration” with writers to produce a final draft for the newspaper. Indypendent editors try to not be the nasty editors everyone hates, who rewrite articles with little care to how the writer feels. However, Indypendent editors are empowered to make final decisions on an edit if conflicts between the writer and editor arise. The author has the right at any time to ask that her/his name be removed from the final version of the article. In that case, the article will receive a byline of “Indypendent Staff.” The author can also choose to have her name appear at the end of the article, (e.g. “Jane Doe contributed to this report.”)
The Indypendent reserves the right to edit selected content for accuracy, clarity and length.
Questions to ask yourself about your submission:
– Is the article well-written and well-reported? (i.e. clear, concise prose, original reporting, great research and fact-checking?)
– Is the article timely and newsworthy?
– Does the article offer a unique perspective on the news that is ignored in the dominant media?
– Does the article address the larger context of the story? Have you considered how historical and current systems of power have possibly influenced topic in question? (These systems of power include political, economic and social systems including capitalism, colonialism, globalization, imperialism, neo-liberalism, racism, sexism, ego, etc.?)
– Is the article engaging?
– Does the article cover a subject of interest to the readers of The Indypendent?
– What is the word count? (We prefer articles that range from 400 to 1,400 words, although we do use and edit longer pieces.)
Please consider signing up as a monthly sustainer today! Sign up at indypendent.org/donate
–
Indypendent Basic Journalism Workshops
Do you want to be the next citizen reporter? Tired of the mainstream media and want to learn how to BE the media?
Longtime contributors and volunteers with The Indypendent will lead this 4-hour basic journalism and introduction to Indymedia workshop.
The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning the basics of journalism in order to be able to report on the world around them.
The next workshop is: Saturday, February 6 from 1pm to 5:30pm at our office in Manhattan. The workshop will provide an introduction to media criticism, news writing, interviewing, research and journalism ethics. No prior journalism experience required to apply. We are currently accepting applications for the workshop. When you return your application, we will reserve a space for you at the workshop (we have limited space.) Please email indyreporting@gmail.com to obtain application. We have limited space available, so seats will be reserved in order we receive application.
Please note we are asking a suggested donation of $10 to $30 for the workshop.
Where:
Cost: Sliding Scale ($10-30). No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
No prior experience in journalism required. Limited space available so apply today!
Email indyreporting@gmail.com for more information and a simple 1-page application.
Please consider signing up as a monthly sustainer today! Sign up at indypendent.org/donate
—
