Introducing Reporters Without Orders
As the date set for the launch draws closer, RWO is a one-man operation, consisting of myself - Lee Kavanagh - as editor, publisher, graphic designer, and everything else. But it is my deepest hope for this little rag that it may attract some talented journalists, anarchists, and assorted other firebrands and writers to get involved, either as permanent staff (columnists, editors, reporters, etc.) or as regular contributors
The kind of subject matter that will be covered is suggested in part by the name itself, and by the tagline, “the home of anarchist journalism.” By “anarchist journalism,” I do mean all of the obvious things: journalism which is anti-authoritarian, which holds power up to scrutiny, which gives voice to needs and welfare of the voiceless, the disenfranchised, the deprived, excluded and subordinated. But it means much more than this, as well.
The philosophy of Anarchism is not merely oppositional, against authority, against government, etc. It also offers its own rich, creative, and eminently positive vision of a different, free society.
It proposes that people have the capacity to organize every necessary or desirable aspect of a functioning society through voluntary arrangements and relationships. A function of anarchist journalism, therefore, is to document the myriad ways in which people are already doing this, whether motivated by an explicitly anarchist ethos or not. In short, a major focus of anarchism is what may broadly be called ‘emergent order’.
A focus on emergent order involves, for instance:
Stories about people, groups, and projects which address the needs of their community and its most disadvantaged members, especially in innovative and unique ways;
Analysis of governmental regulatory and artificial barriers to essential services and better living standards;
Informative articles on what individuals can do to take a more active part in their communities; and…
Generally, such related subjects as:
the gig, sharing, and gift economies; in more theoretical language, black markets, gray markets, microenterprises, and homebrew production projects; modular and vernacular techniques for constructing affordable housing and other vital goods and services, and economies characterised by moves toward reduced capital outlays, distributed infrastructure, and scalability; disruptive technologies; co-operative businesses and business models;
unschooling, homeschooling, free or open schools/universities, and other alternative systems of education; community organization and developing the infrastructure of civil society; mutual aid and resource sharing; etc
In addition to this, we will cover a broad cross-section of those aspects of the social and political landscape which seem most significant to us, including: law and justice, with a focus on the Melbourne and Victorian courts and the cases being heard therein, and Victorian legal advocacy and reform groups; policing and police reform; protests and other forms of civil activism in Australia; civil unrest and activist movements globally, and particularly the global anarchist movement.
Finally, one of the aims of this project which is nearest to my heart is to celebrate the craft and tradition of journalism, and to keep alive the memory of its great practitioners and the noble heights to which they took the medium. To this end, I will be publishing a series of articles on the history of journalism, consisting of: longform essays on significant chapters in that history — the Abolitionist Press, the Afro-American Press, the "Race Beat", the Muckrakers and the genesis of investigative journalism, etc. — supplemented by profiles and critical discussions of the writers who figure most prominently in these narratives and annotated reading lists/guides to the journalism of these historical episodes; and profiles of the great journalists of history, such as I. F. Stone, Murray Kempton, Sy Hersh, Tom Wolfe, Hunter Thompson, etc., etc.
If you’re interested in getting involved, submitting an article, or becoming a regular contributor, drop me a note at leekavanagh1@gmail.com or check out the ‘Submissions/Volunteers’ page.