Didn't get enough of the goings on in Seattle last week?
Get ready to "hurt" yourself.
Wow! I can't even remember how much email I received in the last
week regarding the WTO and globalization. If I said 1,000
messages that would be a serious understatement. From up to the minute reports
from people in Seattle, to in-depth analysis of the greater meaning
of the protests, it was certainly a busy week.
In observing the torrent of activities around the "Battle in
Seattle" (as it's been dubbed), my view is that it was more than
just the re-awakening of the broad progressive left in the United
States, it was also a virtual coming-out party for the alternative media.
Over the past several years, much attention has been paid to the
importance of the Internet in documenting various international
struggles and events, such as the Zapatista armed struggle in Mexico, the
ethnic conflicts and the bombings in Kosovo, the June 18th
protests in Germany and London, and the continuing effect of the
economic sanctions against Iraq.
However, while the WTO gathering in Seattle was also an
international event, it had a uniquely North American flavor to it,
and this was the perfect opportunity for the alternative media
to flex it's muscles, and that it did. Schwarzenegger would be proud.
To put it bluntly, the various alternative media outlets kicked
some serious butt and basically left the mainstream media at
the starting line with an astonished look on its face. This was
due not only to the hard work and dedication of the journalists
and reporters there in Seattle, but to my favorite transport
mechanism and yours, the Internet.
As mentioned previously, reports were coming in fast and
furious, in some cases from people literally in the middle of
areas that were being tear-gassed.
To help you get a good idea of what I'm talking about, I've
compiled a listing of what I consider the best alternative
media sites that have information on the WTO, globalization, and
the events in Seattle last week.
If most of what you know about the protests and demonstrations was what
you read/heard/saw in the mainstream media, you're in for a shock:
Emperors New Clothes
(In particular, take a look at an article called
"Collateral Damage
in Seattle")
Independent Media Center
(They were ground zero for alternative media coverage of the WTO events)
Public Citizen/Global Trade Watch
(Take a look at
"A Citizen's Guide to the WTO")
ZNet/Z Magazine
(Lots of original commentaries from many famous Leftists)
Corporate Watch
(Always my favorite site on just about any subject they tackle)
AlterNet
(A good collection of articles summarizing many of the issues)
Left Business Observer
(On the ground reports and photos from Doug Henwood)
Democracy Now
(Pacifica Radio archived feed that you can listen to with RealPlayer)
National Lawyers Guild
(They're helping with the legal issue of getting protestors out of jail)
World Trade Observer
(The "official" alternative newspaper for the events in Seattle)
rTMark
(Spoof of the official WTO/GATT site. The only difference is the truth!)
Additional Sites:
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Global Exchange
Third World Network
Food First
The Preamble Center
Postcards from Seattle
Ruckus Society/Globalize This!
Mid-Atlantic Infoshop
People for Fair Trade
Art & Revolution/Direct Action Network
Direct Action Media Network
OneWorld
Grist Magazine
