look at the site below, see the pix and their own plaudits, self applause and self adulation, and then click on "hidden posts" to see what is being censored here.

http://la.indymedia.org/news/hidden.php?id=224315

Is it 'hate speech' to disagree or question ?
None of the comments hidden says they are hateful when a few people with signs and scarfs promote themselves on this indymedia site.

Is it not following the so-called radical crowd that aligns with one site of any nation you want to name?

is this mass media's methods of keeping out of sight anything but the slant that they want to show and honor and propagandize or promote ?

what is going on here ?
If the NSA allows it and the FBI are not offended by these comments from various different people who do not even know each other, and if this is still America the Free Speech Zone....then why hide these ?

This is not the first time that someone personally chose to hide comments made or an article written.
The other time it happened was about an article about the Guadalupe historical story. Repeated requests were made to get information on WHY it was hidden and unfindable...and no one ever answered any emails or were acting responsibly.

What is it here ? Donations are given, articles and comments are written, and then "hidden" to stay on only one side of a conflict ?

Where are the staff responsible here ?
Are there any ?
Why is there never a direct response?
Does one have to go in person to confront whomever happens to be at the office to find out ?
with a....
grudge?

And you;ll see a sea of loons, goons, spam freaks and hate/insult.
And especially the lies and warped crap from the zionist lobby.
So take a look. Enjoy the ambiance.

thank you for pointing this out.
A strange bent to censor particular posts. Like this one
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/176233.php
vetted and sourced but very sensative to a particular issue

who decides what is allowed on this site ?

who is volunteer-enough to answer questions of who decides and takes control over censorship here?

this lack of transparency and then finding one's writing disappear or be shipped off to pink hidden post land is disconcerting and scary too.

Is there no one responsible for anything because it is "independent" so much so that no one knows anything or care what happens here as long as it is not hacked as a website ?

Do the censored have to try and try again to be seen and read here when a person "in the office " who is powerful to have Access to Eliminate whomever they think they dont like...or someone has identified as 'not wanted' and it is an automatic thing ?

how does it work ????
someone please inform us ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL....

keep this site meaningful and not propagandistic or limited....

the onus is on the website staff to not be so easy to eliminate writings unless they dont even read them ???? huh ????

someone explain... who is authorized to do the hiding ?
who reviews them ? who decides what is not acceptable and what are the real standards ...when it appears to be a political slant and nothing else that is getting posts to be hidden. Really.

and not just tell us to be thankful that goons and bad stuff is all over....yes, some oversight please, but with some reasonableness too.....

because this site gets picked up by search engines it is more valuable than ordinary blogs and websites that are lost in the multitudes.

The purpose of posts is to make known opinions,

or ask questions that can be answered by some other stranger reading here for another topic maybe,

or to expose anonymously what can be damaging if revealed in a person website or blog,

or to find unity with others on a topic that would be really hidden when there is no exposure like this site gets for being international and not just a separate entity.

Indymedia can be and is valuable in many ways.
But the staff are ignoring our pleas for better oversight on it's censoring what seems to be just 'another point of view"

do we have to get to the "most censored stories of 2009 in LA " and set up a list of what is 'just another thought' by a different person ?
whatanidea !

[not spam, not hate, not attack,not cruel, not bad bad bad stuff]

[this is also being sent to the Indy contact email, but from past experience, no one ever responds from there either]

The people who control the propaganda machine are very thorough. They not only have complete control of the mainstream news outlets they create bogus "alternative news" outlets.

These alternative news sites are carefully crafted to look like some grassroots free speech enterprise. To some extent they let a lot of people post a lot of things to keep up appearances. In reality they are still controlled.

This obvious censorship of relevant info is going on at IMC's all over the place. A lot of people are complaining about this. The censor's invariable response is the namecalling propaganda technique.

ie: "Why it's just a bunch of racist spam...wierdos...etc."

One gets the impression that all these censors got their instructions from the same source. There is a lot of stuff that that doesn't even appear in the hidden section. Posts sometimes show up and then disappear a few minutes later. It looks like IndyMedia was a sham to begin with or it was infiltrated.

Dear censors; Your self righteous posturings and your narrow view of what's politically correct aren't real convincing. Every time IMC censors someone they create another person who knows that IMC is not what it pretends to be. You either have free speech or you don't.

The spam, hate/insult etc. threatening to overwhelm the forum are a big problem. So is the strange criteria for review when and if it ever occurs.

The *other* problem is total lack of transparency. Their 'contact' link is studiously ignored when used and emails concerning active maleware directed *personally* indicating IP log tracking are also ignored.
Like this forum was/is the private hobby and agenda of a few and none of the business of the many.

THANKS "sheepdog"
and those who can enlighten us lightweight IT folk, who feel we are on solo flight falling into dusky net-holes here on this site...
this Indy site that has great potential as an open sharing tool... the only one I know that is local and open...right ?

I even attempted to "volunteer" at la.indymedia because of my frustrations, which is the end result of what I can do when other things dont work. I pursue and try to get into 'it' to help the dynfunctions ... and....yeah..sure...they still dont work, of course...but what else is a good saver to do ?

Anyhow, I could not find a Los Angeles [where I am located] office, link, contact. And some linked pages were not even accessible at all from a library's fancy computer, e.g. to get their "FAQ" info or make contacts....the whole process is beyond my ordinary comprehension....

Thus...if a person simple and plain like me wants to Help or to find out how this all works, I cant.

anyone know different or more to help me ?

writing to "info@la.indymedia.org" is worthless with no response...ever...so far...

and if there is no LA indy where does one even go in person to help them/ us out ? San Diego ? Orange County ?
Alaska ? So Africa ?

and if the ISP numbers are located and used by someone in this org in any way, how is it used ?

what does that mean to us ordinary cheap computer at home folk ?

we should not dare use these personal machines for fear of more retaliation ? surveillance ? or what ?

goodness ! .. where else to voice local opinions & concerns & insights & questions ?

any other place to be read and responded to ?

blogs on fancy sites are so full of 'comments' that any question or concern seems quickly immediately lost in the barrage of others who are also making comments and want visibility too.

what to do ?
where else to write ?
how does this all work ?

help
us
all
please

surprise to me, but maybe the chaos, turmoil, take-overs, [bail outs are part of the take overs of plain folk by fancier folk], and
this misnamed Independent Media is as censored as the advertising kind is.
huh?
what ?
why ?

the paranoia, suspicions, distrust and fears explode with such actions....as HIDING THE ORIGIINAL ARTICLE ON THIS QUESTIONNING IF INDYMEDIA IS CENSORING....how obvious an answer, so quickly ! that's fast action.
proof that there is fake images here too....in this plastic [thus inedible, artifical] pudding we are dipping into glucky yucky, owch ? [pudding is a pacifier to many, baby food, easy to access and swallow, thinking it is sweet, nutritious, healthy and helpfull....but then....as analogy...turns into sharp hard stones that are not to be swallowed, not consumed, not believed as 'good' at all ..... =what a stupid story....oh welll...


except that in my past experiences when something obviously deliberately malicious is done... it was actually stupidity and ignorance and non-awareness that then looked more deliberate than the mean person could create or comprehend...so sometimes dumb people do dumb stuff and it looks just like deliberate intelligent bad actions.

how confusing...and how misleading....words used that mean not what they 'seem' or pretend to be...political speech...advertising talk....sales sly fraudulent images and lies to lure people into believe Independent also means Fair and Honest and free-speech-styled USA standards.

guess, we are wrong again....
be pro-the current PC victims or be censored and hidden

be agreeable and smile sweetly UP and never disagree

be a "yes" person and believe all words/lies/propaganda as if your next words depended on being accepted [here]

be quiet and hypocritical, lie like the rest or be guillotined
[ =cut off , exiled, denied equal citizenship]

be a good child and servant and just pretend you are a full and equal citizen with a voice in this society

be obedient and take your complaints and concerns elsewhere....no one wants to hear abour your desires...

ok,
gone !

"impermanence" is all this is....maya....illusions...changing and shifting ....as in the last eons of dinasours had it convert into urban city environments......

or ?

the whole thing sounds like an episode of the outer limits. And it probably is.
Bandwidth comes into play, and anyone not topping up the cookie jar...BUT

1
Who or what is responsible for the algorithm that changes the math question each time I try to submit a comment and will NOT allow me to PUBLISH anything?
Commig up with
Sorry no Spam
or
Wrong answer to math question.
Well, johnk?

There were issues brought up years ago about taging each 'hidden' with its particular error/violation, but this promise was never kept. This was introduced as a way of feedback/correction but as usual, with a few exceptions, things are done here in the cloak of a 'security' culture and not even explained.
This is a recipy for corruption, no matter the righteous beginnings of the original ideals.
The IMCs are corroding under the isolated and hidden affairs within the collectives. I realize collectives are autonomous* but jesus christ.
Where it seems to view communication of critical problems go unaddressed at the pecular whim of a few staff members.
I've contributed to this forum. I would appreciate some time, in the light of day, to post dialogue with the LA IMC about the above issues.
Thank you.
* meaning self determined under a frequently erronous "open publishing"
frought with crashed systems, left crashed, sites overrun with spam/hate/lunacy and left that way.
The crews 'staffing' these sites are catatonic and or selective about legitimate, primary sourced and sensative information needing to get out.
As opposed to mindless spam and other BW attacks on the IMC in general and this particular site.