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Earlier this year the independent news website indymedia.us received a subpoena from the FBI regarding a grand jury investigation. The subpoena requested extremely broad information about all visitors to the site and required that the request be kept confidential, despite no legal basis for such secrecy. After nearly a year of legal battles by Indymedia and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the request was revoked. But even if Indymedia was forced to turn over information that the government required, such information is not even stored in order to protect the privacy of Indymedia users. That’s the type of practice that sets Indymedia apart from many online publications. And indeed, Indymedia was one of the very first independently run online media outlets. Founded in the build up to the historic Seattle Anti-Globalization protest in 1999, the Independent Media Center as it was originally named, provided an alternative user-empowered web platform for news of the activists’ protests and issues. The model proved so popular it multiplied to cities like Los Angeles, and all over the world. Today there are hundreds of online Indymedias linked to cities, where citizen journalists can report on local and global issues. The beauty of the model is that anyone can publish and each Indymedia site has its own autonomy – anathema to the standard corporate media model. This weekend Indymedia is celebrating 10 years and here in Los Angeles, the anniversary is marked by an all day event with workshops, food, music, and community groups

GUESTS: Anna Kunkin, Sasha Costanza-Chock, Ben Wood, members of the LA Indymedia Collective

There will be a an all day event on Saturday November 14th from 12 noon to 10:30 pm at 1450 East 6th Street in Downtown LA. The event will feature workshops, bands, music, dancing spoken word, and film. Find out more at la.indymedia.org.