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hey! I wanted to share a little about the history of Indymedia, my experience with Independent Media Centers and how they are interesting propositions for a few anguishes Iâve seen being shared on this platform.
I hold the IMC dear to my heart because of my positive experience interacting with the organization in Urbana-Champaign during the brief period of time I resided there. It was one of the places I felt the most curious to learn about the city I was living in, and made me closer to the community. I briefly did some research at their zine library and volunteered for the books to prisoners project. Most IMCs donât hold a physical space anymore, but many continue to host their websites that function as open publishers and share news and articles written from local perspectives through an anti-capitalist lens.
The Indymedia network has its roots in the 1999 Seattle WTO protests, as a way to cover the anti-globalization protests by the people engaged in the movement in the midst of police violence against protesters and negative mainstream media coverage. It was a network of people with different skills, and though it engaged in several types of media there was a particular interest in the possibilities of digital media as a tool of activism and to engage with it at a global level.Â
The network has decreased significantly, and some of it is related to the corporatisation of the internet, most digital activism began to take place in big platforms, especially X, and there was less focus on exchanging skills, programmers working with librarians, working with radio technicians, that offer the possibility of keeping and running independent platforms. As we see that Meta and X are increasingly aligning with misinformation and the rise of the global far right movement, and many are looking for alternatives to engage with the internet and digital media in general, I believe the Indymedia network is an important milestone to look into, communities can host the own open publishing websites, radios, newpapers, events etc etc you donât need to know or do everything alone, people have different skills to share and joining forces to work together will always offer more interesting results.Â
Iâll leave here the sites that are still up for people curious
Chicago Indymedia
dcindymedia.org | Spoonfed News Causes Blindness
Los Angeles Independent Media Center
Local News | Rochester Indymedia
Rogue Valley IMC â Florida Independent News
San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center
Santa Cruz Indymedia : Indybay
UCIMC: Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center Foundation
Indymedia Argentina Centro de Medios Independientes (( i ))
CMI Brasil | Centro de MĂdia Independente
Indymedia MĂ©xico - Medios autĂłnomos | CooperaciĂłn sin mando
de.indymedia.org | dont hate the media, become the media!
Indy Features - Indymedia Ireland
Indymedia Lille
Indymedia Nantes
IndyMedia | - Vrij Media Centrum Nederland
Jan 26, 2025
Related Recs
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US-lean but lots of international stuff. you mention BBC so iâm assuming youâre a brit but if youâre american or okay with a US-lean in your media - hereâs leftist and independent or worker-owned news. they all do political reporting some just have a general lean in content. all have social media accounts/email newsletters and iâm guessing most have rss if youre into that
general lefty: In These Times, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Real News Network, The New Republic, Truthout
social movement + labor focus: Unicorn Riot, Jacobin, BreakThrough News, More Perfect Union
tech or science focus: The Intercept, 404 Media, The Verge, Inside Climate News, Sequencer Mag
identity focus / perspective (ie feminist, lgbtq, bipoc): Prism Reports, The Advocate, The Flytrap, Capital B, 19th News, Jewish Currents, ReWire, Assigned Media, Prison Journalism Project, The New Arab
culture focus (music/film/tv/lit/sports): Hearing Things, Book Riot, Pop Heist, Defector, Aftermath, Edge of Sports
read with a grain of salt but i like a lot of local outlets too
Apr 24, 2025
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UbuWeb - archive for video, text and sound, all avant gard art
Marxists.org - archive for marxist texts
CrimethInc - archive for anarchist publications and news
Aeon - magazine on philosophy and science
Eye on Design - magazine on design news
Failed Architecture - magazine on critical architecture and urbanism
LitHub - literary magazine
Anna's Archive - love of my life â„ïž
A terra Ă© redonda - magazine of art and politics
Passa palavra - news and articles on Brazillian politics
Digilabour - news and articles about gig economy and surveillance capitalism
Jan 3, 2025
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In light of recent news (Trump bombing Iran) and the general state of the news industry / media consumption habits post-social media, I wanted to share some outlets, podcasts, and people churning out reliable, pro-democracy news. I plan on updating this list later next week, before I share on other socials.
News and podcasts***
my top sources/podcasts
ProPublica: award-winning, independent, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is "to expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing." https://www.propublica.org/
Mother Jones: a nonprofit newsroom founded in 1976 and produced by the Center for Investigative reporting. Supported by readers like you. And if you love print, consider subscribing to their magazine! https://www.motherjones.com/
Democracy Now!: Pro-democracy news within and beyond our borders. The 1-hr radio show has been airing since 1996, and is packed with high quality reporting, investigative journalism, and interviews. Hosted by Amy Goodman, Juan GonzĂĄlez, and Nermeen Shaikh and funded by viewers like you, available wherever you get your podcasts and on their website. https://www.democracynow.org/
Citations Needed: Develop your media literacy skills with this podcast "about the intersection of politics, power, and PR," hosted by Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson. In other words, they blend history, humor, and data to call out media for relying on/regurgitating false and destructive narratives, tropes and stereotypes. https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/
other good outlets:
Zeteo News: founded by British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan after MSNBC cancelled his show, the Mehdi Hasan Show at the start of the Gaza genocide. Zeteo is "where independent and unfiltered journalism is making its comeback." High profile contributors and columnists, including Greta Thunberg and Bassem Youssef, who co-hosts Zeteo's podcast We're Not Kidding. Substack, youtube, podcasts, and more: https://zeteo.com/
Media Matters for America: MMFA watches Fox news (and CNN) so you donât have to. They're a progressive media watchdog tracking and correcting conservative dis/misinformation across social media, broadcast, and cable. They produce high quality data studies, qualitative research, and analysis across the political spectrum. https://www.mediamatters.org/
The Intercept: The Intercept, founded 2014, "[sees] journalism as an instrument of civic action." They produce great investigative journalism, and are currently focusing on Politics, Justice, the War on Gaza, Technology, Immigration, and Chilling Dissent. Their founder is a weirdo, but he's not connected to the publication at this point. https://theintercept.com/
The Nation: The Nation was founded by abolitionists in 1865, and believes "independent journalism has the capacity to bring about a more democratic and equitable world." https://www.thenation.com/
Issue specific outlets/podcasts
BellingCat: an "independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists," which primarily focuses on digital-based research. They also do OSINT training workshops! https://www.bellingcat.com/
404 media: A "journalist-founded digital media company exploring the ways technology is shapingâand is shaped byâour world". great reporting on tech, ai, and the many influencers and oligarchs shaping our media and political attitudes. https://www.404media.co/
Wired (specifically the politics section): Wired is a bi-monthly magazine that's been churning out fantastic articles about DOGE, Musk, and the tech oligarchs and online influencers influencing US politics and culture. https://www.wired.com/
Qanon Anonymous: An entertaining podcast about the many extremists and conspiracies influencing us podcasts and culture, including but not limited to qanon, like: What's with the rise of anti-trans bigotry? Why are people drinking raw milk? Why is RFK jr like that? https://www.qanonanonymous.com/
The Present Age by Parker Molloy: criticism, culture, and politics newsletter run by ex-MMFA researcher Parker Malloy. Effective and digestible media analysis and diligent fact checking. https://www.readtpa.com/
Abortion Everyday by Jessica Valenti: Jessica Valenti runs this popular reproductive freedom/justice substack. Abortion Everyday will give you a better grasp on how lawmakers are restricting reproductive rights and how people are fighting back at the local, state, and national level. https://jessica.substack.com/
The Flashpoint by Eoin Higgins: Eoin Higgins is an author whose work has appeared in The Intercept, New York Times, and other outlets. He recently published "Owned," a book about tech billionaires, the media, and the right. The Flashpoint is his substack, which he wants to keep as free as possible. https://eoinhiggins.substack.com/
People
Some people to follow, in addition to the people mentioned above, in no particular order:
Hasan Piker: May as well kick this off with the most well-known progressive activist and twitch streamer. Most accounts under @/ hasanabi or @ HasanTheHun. https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabi
Nikki McCann-Ramirez: Former MMFA Tucker Carlson watcher turned Rolling Stone politics reporter. Also hosts the American Friction podcast about US politics. for social media, check https://linktr.ee/Nikkimcr
Jamelle Bouie: NYT opinion columnist, focusing on history/politics, who you may have seen on TikTok. @/jamellebouie on tiktok, @/ jbouienyt on twitch, and @/jbouie on bluesky. more on https://jamellebouie.net/
Jordan Uhl: Independent news, politics, and analysis-- including for TikTok/Reels. Uhl's worked with The Intercept, MoveOn, and more. Social media links here: https://solo.to/jordanuhl
Justin Baragona: Senior reporter at the Independent who has worked with Zeteo News and The Daily Beast. @/justinbaragona on most socials.
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Ken Klippenstein: Journalist who worked at The Intercept, now publishes a substack about national security state and politics. @/kenklippenstein or @/kenklipp on most social media.
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Journalist and author. May recognize him from "between the world and me" or "the Message". more here: https://ta-nehisicoates.com/
Amanda Moore: a freelance journalist who went undercover on the right. Writing can be found on substack at the https://www.turtlediaries.net/ . Social media here: https://linktr.ee/noturtlesoup17
Hannah Gais: Extremism researcher currently working for the SPLC. Free newsletter at posts from the underground. Find her at @/ hannahgais or on https://postsfromunderground.ghost.io/
Prem Thakker: Zeteo journalist, great reporting on immigration, gaza, and crackdowns on dissent in America. find his socials here: https://linktr.ee/premthakker
Ari Drennan: Research director for MMFA's LGBTQ program. @/AriDrennen on most socials. Also runs a substack: https://aridrennen.substack.com/
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***note: I chose news based on how reliable and biased I view these outlets or podcasts after professionally watching and researching the news and politics for 5+ years. I chose outlets that are generally reliable, unbiased, or had a pro-democracy bias. Podcasts were given more leeway since most podcasts are entertainment AND news.
By reliable, I considered whether reports are factual and whether the writing was high quality (generally free from typos/grammatical errors, not written by AI, etc). I also considered their reputation among journalists (have they won awards, which awards, do I see reputable journalists linking to their reports, etc). For bias, I considered whether outlets have a tendency to a) editorialize reports and b) privilege anti-democratic perspectives. I also considered global and historical contexts. While "ranking" sites like allsides or ground news may say x outlet is very left wing, how would x outlet compare to y outlet in a comparable democracy? Are there any scandals that might question xâs reliability, and what accountability measures did they take after the scandal?
Jun 22, 2025
Top Recs from @nanabo
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One of the things I like the most about Pi.fyi and the current scale of users is that it's still noticeable when a rec was inspired by another.
Sometimes the rec directly mentions the other, but other times you can kinda assume that reading an especific thing here triggered a memory or an ideia.
It's very cute and interesting to notice the small influences interacting with other humans online can have.
Feb 11, 2025
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I know there are days when you are so tired, or maybe you made a big meal for friends and family or you spent the afternoon meal prepping and now you have to clean like five pots and a tray, but be brave!!! (my inner monologue)
Don't force your future self to wake up to a bunch of dirty dishes. It will keep your mind full because you will be constantly reminding yourself to clean that up.
May 23, 2025
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UbuWeb - archive for video, text and sound, all avant gard art
Marxists.org - archive for marxist texts
CrimethInc - archive for anarchist publications and news
Aeon - magazine on philosophy and science
Eye on Design - magazine on design news
Failed Architecture - magazine on critical architecture and urbanism
LitHub - literary magazine
Anna's Archive - love of my life â„ïž
A terra Ă© redonda - magazine of art and politics
Passa palavra - news and articles on Brazillian politics
Digilabour - news and articles about gig economy and surveillance capitalism
Jan 3, 2025