NATO and beyond this May in Chicago:
A call-out to progressive civilian journalists

An open call to grassroots reporters: This May, the military, financial and political leaders of NATO and their spinmasters will meet in Chicago. Protesters are coming, too, to oppose NATO’s military agenda and the political and economic agendas of their paymasters. Chicago politicians and national security forces are gearing up to suppress those protests -- an ugly parallel to the lethal suppression of popular will in countries subjected to NATO bombing, occupation and repression.

Progressive grassroots and civilian journalists will be there, as well, to cover the protests and the larger economic, social and environmental issues that drive opposition to NATO militarism.

That’s why Chicago Indymedia is partnering with local and national progressive media makers -- livestreamers, bloggers, print and radio reporters, videographers, photographers and more -- to host the Chicago Independent Media Convergence Center -- CIMCC.

Our goal is simple: to support progressive grassroots journalists in your efforts to cover the action and the issues in Chicago this spring. Our model is well-tested: grassroots progressive media convergence spaces convened by Indymedia collectives and their partners across the planet, from Genoa to Quebec.

We’ll provide space to edit and upload audio, video, and photographs, work on stories, connect with fellow grassroots reporters and civilian journalists, get fast-breaking info about actions on the ground, pick up maps and transportation tools, connect with our livestream video/radio and Twitter feeds, learn about how to connect with groups and projects mobilizing for NATO -- all of the support that progressive news reporters need to cover the NATO meeting and the larger forces allied to support its agenda.

Consider this an open invitation to join us -- to use our space, our information resources, our livestream capabilities, our breaking newswire, our networks and more. Our media convergence center is sited at MultiKulti, a grassroots community space at 1000 N. Milwaukee (at Augusta) on Chicago’s near west side, less than a third of a mile from the Blue Line public transit stop at Chicago Avenue and right on the #56 bus stop from the Chicago Loop. Bring your laptops, your video cameras, your smart phones -- and most of all, your commitment to provide the kind of grassroots news coverage that has come to inform the power of advocacy journalism and grassroots news projects.

We ask that if you’re planning to use CIMCC as a base from which to report from Chicago, you let us know you’re coming and register in advance by emailing media@natoprotest.org. Please tell us a little about yourself and your work as a journalist, about what you hope to accomplish during your time in Chicago, about your needs as a grassroots reporter, and include some links to your work. Our space will be open from May 11 to May 24. We can make arrangements for access before our official opening date; please email us for more information.

Like all grassroots projects, we also welcome support, both monetary and in-kind. Let us know if you’d like to volunteer to help staff the space, donate equipment, or offer funds to help offset our costs for equipment and connectivity. Donations are tax-deductible. Make them here:

See you this May in Chicago, at CIMCC and in the streets.

CIMCC: the Chicago Independent Media Convergence Center
MultiKulti, 1000 W. Milwaukee Ave., 4th floor, Chicago
312-446-4939 | media@natoprotest.org | chicago.indymedia.org | natoprotest.org
Make a donation! Click here -- and be sure to put in CIMC in the ‘designation’ line.