by the time BBC have got hold of a report on a rave its often the Police who told them in the first place. Auntie has tried asking people here for info (including myself) and to be fair they have offered on several occasions to show “our side” but no one is willing to talk as they cannot really protect their sources, they are a govt funded state controlled broadcaster despite their veneer of “independence”.
Incidentally the cops only started telling the media when they knew they could “handle” the rave scene by shutting down enough parties, they are smart enough to know that publicity could otherwise encourage people to attend..
The particular problem here is not even users on this site or even SJ but the people who put stuff on youtube, facebook and bebo – those web 2.0 sites have known policies of full collaboration with the Police. They are commercial sites, careers and livelihoods depend on them and when cops say “jump” they reply “how high do you want, officer?” for fear of having servers seized or being filtered/censored by concerned parents/teachers/uni staff (censorship means no views for their advertisers)
We have indeed lost our “free speech” on the wider internet but it was because we shouted way too loud a few years back and too many normal people didn’t like the noise we made. Trying to regain this “freedom” using the web 2.0 sites and thinking its OK because no moderators warn people is dangerous and counterproductive.
As yet, I’ve not seen anything in the Sheffield-based mainstream media about these raves but the more stuff posted on line and the more info given they wil eventually pick up on them.
the way to treat discussing parties on line in 2008 is a “reverse propaganda” type thing, you don’t want to rub it in peoples faces that you have got away with invading someone elses property/resources and brazenly done a lot of criminal activity there, or in the case of Forestry land dared to challenge accepted norms of how public spaces should be used.
As an example of the risks, the footage of East Anglian free parties shot by ravers was used (without permission or payment!) by the BBC in 2007 shortly before the backlash and massive crackdown started.
The events became a talking point amongst a lot of normal people at my work and not in a good way – people were saying stuff like “surely you don’t go to those things where police cars get smashed up and there are riots etc?” Before this publicity, no one (other than a few moaning dog walkers) was particularly bothered what went on in the forest at a weekend, or they thought it was harmless mischief. In local media the stories often run alongside others about ketamine culture and addiction, particularly in East Anglia and Gloucestershire. What they didn’t know didn’t hurt them, now everyone knows of the dark side of our culture.
incidentally take a look on a map and you lot aren’t that far away from North Norfolk (which was the area where certain badly run crews caused the most problems)
