it’s your paper - scc insight

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………… IT’S YOUR PAPER…………………………………………………………. THE ROLE OF THE PAPER…………………………………………………. SELLING THE PAPER……………………………………………………… WRITING FOR THE PAPER………………………………………………… OUR WEBSITE…………………………………………………………….. SOCIAL MEDIA……………………………………………………………

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It’s Your Paper Page !1

In the wake of the deepest crisis capitalism hasfacedsincetheGreatDepressiontherehasbeenabroad shi7 to the le7 inAmerican society. This isreflected in the increasing openness to socialismespecially among young people; as well asoverwhelming support for a $15minimumwage,increasingtaxaFonontherichandforprogressivesocial reforms likemarriage equality. This has feddirectly into the enormous support for BernieSanders'presidenFalrunwherehehascalledfora“poliFcal revoluFon” against the billionaire classand popularized socialism to an audience ofmillions. Ithasalso raised thequesFonsharplyofwhether the Democrats can be somehowtransformed into a party that serves the interestsofworkingpeopleorwhetheranewpartyof the99%mustbebuilt.SocialistAlternaFvehasbeenattheforefrontofmakingtheargumentthatSanders'poliFcal revoluFon should conFnue and not betrapped within the confines of the corporateDemocraFcParty.

SinceOccupyburst forth in2011 in revolt againstcorporate dominaFon and massive inequality,there has also been a reemergence of socialstruggle. The sharpest expressionof this over thepast two years has been the Black Lives MaWerupsurge among black youth which has created areal crisis for the establishment parFcularly in anumber ofmajor ciFes. Even the growth of rightpopulism which we have seen in recent monthscanbeaspurtobuildingafightbackonthestreetsinthishighlypolarizedenvironment.

ANa%onalPla*orm

The past two years have witnessed the

transformaFon of Socialist AlternaFve. KshamaSawant was elected in 2013, the first socialistcouncil member in a major U.S. city in decades.Thiswasfollowedbythesuccessfulfightfor$15inSeaWle in which Kshama and Socialist AlternaFveplayedacriFcalrole.Wehaveplayedaleadingroleon many other issues facing working people inSeaWle,parFcularlyinthefightforrentcontrolandaffordable housing. In 2015, we proved that asocialist could not only be elected but also re-elected. We raised an incredible $500,000 andcreated awell-oiledworking classmachine to getout the vote. Now we are leading a grassrootscampaign to get a $15minimumwage passed inMinneapolis. These campaigns and victories are amodel for the development of independent le7poliFcsaroundthecountry.

MembersofBostonSocialistAlternaFvesellingtheApril2016paper


Wearenowthemostvisible socialist force in thecountry. We will soon reach 1,000 members buthavethepotenFaltogomuchfurtherthanthis inthe stormy period we are entering. Developing acohesive Marxist party of thousands which canintervene effecFvely in events requires an acFveandeducatedmembership.Thispointstotheneedfor more theoreFcal and analyFcal material thatcanassistourcollecFvepoliFcaldevelopment.ThismustnowbeapriorityforourEditorialBoard.

Ourwork in SeaWle and Kshama's re-elecFon hasalso created a tremendous plaborm for us tointervene in naFonal developments. We aredemonstraFngthecapacitytoreachamuchwidernaFonalaudiencewithour ideas.WefirstdidthiswithKshama'sresponsetotheStateof theUnionin2014.But in recentmonthswehave reachedabroader audience in amuchmore sustainedwaythrough our Movement4Bernie iniFaFve. AtMarchForBernie–whichwe led inseveralciFes–thousands cameon the streets and heard us talkabout socialism and building a party of the 99%.Kshama's arFcle on Counterpunch enFtled “The(un)DemocraFcParty:WhyWeNeedaNewPartyofthe99%”onwasviewedbysharedover10,000Fmes. As of early May, our peFFon calling onBernie to run all the way to November as anindependent has been signed by over 20,000people. And DarleWa Scrugg’s takedown of FoxNewshostNeilCavutowasviewedbymillions.

As we are seeing 2016 is opening up a baWle ofideas on the le7. PresidenFal elecFons create apoliFcized atmospherewhich socialistsmust seekto uFlize. They can also create real challengesparFcularly in the form of “lesser evilism” whichwehavetocombat.AllofthispointstothecriFcalneedtogetourmessageoutineverywaypossible.

In thenextperiod, ifwearetoreallybecometheleading force among the growing numbers ofworkers and youthwho recognize that capitalismoffers no future and want fundamental change,then we will have to take significant steps todevelop our workers' media including first andforemostourpaperbutalsoourwebsiteandsocialmedia.

MovingtoaMonthlyPaper

Socialist Alterna.ve has been a monthlypublicaFon for nearly two years. The increasedfrequency has allowed us to cover the rapidexpansion of social struggle, parFcularly the fightfor$15andBlackLivesMaWeranddevelopmentsin the presidenFal elecFon in amore Fmelyway,thoughundoubtedlytherehavebeenpointsinthepast period when we would rather have had aweekly!

SocialistAlterna.vehasbeensoldonthestreetsofFergusonandBalFmore,Chicago,andMinneapolisas BLM protests erupted; on the doorsteps inSeaWle during Kshama's reelecFon campaign andat Bernie Sanders' massive rallies in state a7erstate.DuringtheweekleadinguptothecaucusesinWashingtonstate,wesold800papersinSeaWle.

MembersofoursisterorganizaFon,SocialistAcFon(CWI-HongKong),usetheirpapertostartconversaFonsonthestreet.

MembersofNYCSocialistAlternaFvesellingtheFebruary2016paper


Afewweekslaterduringthe"BaWleofNewYork,"as the establishment went all out to crush thepoliFcalrevoluFon,wesold500papersatralliesintheBronx,ManhaWan,andBrooklyn.

Since going monthly we have also significantlyexpandedoursubscripFonbase(wereceivedover$2,000 in online subscripFons in the first threemonths of 2015 alone) and have increased ouronline content to an average of an arFcle a day.WehavealsosetupanumberofnewsecFonsonour website including a secFon for material inSpanish.Eachmonth,wepostseveralnewarFclesinSpanish,eithertranslaFonsororiginalmaterial.

The monthly paper has generated a lot ofenthusiasminsideourrapidly-growingorganizaFonwherethebulkofmembershavejoinedinthelasttwo years. We have a wider range of comradeswriFng for the paper and the website than everbefore.

But this does not mean that we are where weneedtobe.Wefaceamajorchallengeintryingtorecreate a socialist culture centered around theuseofourphysicalpaper.ThepaperisavitaltoolforanacFve,fighFngorganizaFonwhereweseektoengagepoliFcalconversaFonsonstreetcornersandondoorstepsinworkingclasscommuniFes,in

workplaces, on campuses and at demonstraFons.This is definitely an alien concept in the era ofsocial media. But it is nevertheless essenFal forbuildingthesocialistmovement;wecannotsimplyrely on internet contacts. It is also criFcal foruniFng our far flung organizaFon around acommonlineandapproachinthecomplexpoliFcaldevelopmentswhicharerockingthecountry.

Our NaFonal CommiWee has decided to make2016 the “year of the paper” where wequalitaFvely expand our circulaFon throughexpandingour subscripFonbaseandget thebulkofourmembersinvolvedinsellingthepaperonaregular basis. A key part of this will be theconscious use of targets in all the branches. Thiswill also help to lay the financial foundaFon forfurther steps forward in developing thepublicaFons.

Thepurposeofthisshortpamphletistoassistourbranchesinthiseffortbyexplainingmorefullytherole of the paper in a revoluFonary organizaFon,giving ideas for how to sell the paper effecFvely,makingtheprocessofwriFngforourpublicaFonsmoretransparentandlastbutnotleastimprovingouruseofsocialmedia.

TomCrean-May6th,2016


“AtthedoorstepscampaigningforKshamaSawant,I never end any discussion on the doorstepwithout offering the paper: ‘Would you want togetacopyofournewspaper?’

Pitching the paper allows us me to link theimmediate issue we’re campaigning on to oursocialistvision.Io7ensay:

‘For us, it's not just about this one elecFon. Thewhole system is broken. The economy is broken.ThepoliFcalsystemisbroken.

‘WewanttobuildawholenewkindofpoliFcsthatrepresents working people, not corporaFons.Weneed mass movements like the Fight for 15,independent candidates, and a whole new partythat doesn't take corporate cash and offers us atool to fight for our interests. Want to check itout?’

Manypeoplehavebought thepaper frommeonthedoorsteps.Somepeoplehaveevensubscribedandsigneduptojoin!”

Patrick Ayers Seattle, WA

Selling the paper during Kshama’s reelection campaign

“The basis of a news story must be something lively and specific, as well as

being timely - something that has just happened, that took place a day or

two before or not long before. But the interesting facts can be noted and

singled out only if the worker correspondent has a point of view.”

-Trotsky in The Role of the Worker Correspondent


To start we should restate the role of the printpaper in a revoluFonary socialist organizaFonunderthecondiFonswhichexistintheU.S.inthe21stcentury.

The purpose of our paper is not primarily toreportnews,norisitanacademicjournalaimingsimplytodebateideasinavacuum..Ourpaperisacampaigningpaper.ItisanindispensabletooltohelpfightforasocialistprogramandtobuildourorganizaFon.

Onpagetwoofthepaperwelist“WhatWeStandFor”.ArFclesarecarefullyselectedtotakeupkeypoliFcalissues,andthepapercombinesagitaFonaround concrete demands with propaganda toflesh out our unique perspecFves, program, andstrategytoawideraudience.Ourpaperalsoplaysa criFcal role in poliFcally educaFng membersandsupporters. It isourmost important tool forrecruiFng new members and helps unify ourenFre membership around a common poliFcalproject.

First and foremost the paper should act as theorganizaFon's “collecFveorganizer.” Thepaper isproduced by the Editorial Board which isappointed by and responsible to our ExecuFveCommiWee, theday todayelected leadershipof

Socialist AlternaFve. Each issue forces theEditorialBoard,inconsultaFonwiththeExecuFveCommiWee,todecidewhatarethekeyissuesandstruggles at themoment fromourpointof viewand, flowing from that, our analysis, demandsandnext steps for themovement.Ofcourseouraudience in this is not just our membership orotheracFvistsbuttheworkingpeopleandyouthwe can reach at protests or community papersales.

The fact that there isvery limitedspace ina12-pagemonthly forcesustoprioriFzewhich issueswearegoingtohighlight.Thisofcourseisnottosay that the issues we choose are the onlyimportant ones and we can and do use ourwebsitetosupplementthepaper.

Moving to amonthly is helpingmake the papermorerelevanttotheworkoftheorganizaFon.Forexample,thepaperandindividualarFclescanbemoreeasilyintegratedintobranchdiscussionsoncurrent events and ongoing movements. Everymonth, aweek a7er the paper comes out, eachbranchshouldhavea20minutediscussionduringthe business secFon of the meeFng about thenewissue.Comradesshoulddiscusswhethertheythink the mix of arFcles was right and whetherparFculararFclesmakeacoherentargumentthatwillhelpthereaderunderstandourprogramanddrawsocialistconclusions.

Ateverypoint,thekey issuewithourmaterial isapplyingthetransiFonalmethod:arewecorrectlygaugingtheconsciousnessoftheaudienceweareaddressingwhetheritbeasecFonoftheworkingclass, radicalizing young people or acFvists in astruggle? Not all arFcles are addressed to thesameaudience.

“The newspaper can and should be the ideological leader of the party, evolving theoretical truths, tactical principles, general organisational ideas, and the general tasks of the whole party at any given moment.”

-Lenin from “What is to be Done?”


Wemust then askwhether the pointswemakewill resonate or whether we are unintenFonallycreaFngobstacles topeopleunderstandingwhatwemean.

Thepaperismeanttobeatoolfordialogueandwinningpeopletoourideas.Butinadialoguewemustalsolistenandreflectonwhatpeopletellusabout our line and our material. This is whyreports fromtheexperienceofselling itareveryimportant to send to the Editorial Board tohelpimprovethenextarFcleandissue.Weneedyourfeedbacktosharpenandhoneourargumentssotheycanhavethemaximumeffectonradicalizingworkersandyoungpeople.

Everycomradeshouldseetheyhavearoleinthestrengtheningofourpaperaswellasourwebsiteandincreasingtheirreach.InordertostreamlinecommunicaFon between branches andindividualsandtheEditorialBoardhavecreatedanewemailaddress:

[email protected] which Josh Koritz will monitor and help ensurethatallqueriesarerespondedtoinaFmelyway.

Each branch should elect a paper organizer. Thepaper organizer's role is to promote the role ofourpublicaFons,centrallythepaper, intheworkofthebranch.Thepaperorganizerwillmakesurethat thebranchdiscusses eachnew issueof thepaper of Socialist AlternaFve and will thencompile a brief report for the Editorial Boardbased on that discussion. They will work toengage allmembers in acFvely selling thepaperandwill leadthedrivetogetallourmemberstosubscribe to the paper. They will also haveresponsibilityforidenFfyingstoriesofinterestforthe paper or the website; idenFfying potenFalnewauthors,copyeditors,etc.

Each branch should look for someone who hasphotography skills and can take good photos ofprotests,pickets,etc.ThebestpicturesofacFonsshow the energy and mood, along with thediversity of those parFcipaFng. Pictures ofbannersandsignscanbegood,buthave toalsofocus on the people holding the banner or sign.It'salsogoodtogetpicturesthatgivesomesenseof the size of an acFon, especially if it's wellaWended.

LENIN ON THE ROLE OF THE PAPER

The Workers and Pravda

The chronicle of workers’ life is only justbeginningtodevelopintoapermanentfeatureofPravda.Therecanbenodoubtthatsubsequently,in addiFon to leWers about abuses in factories,about the awakening of a new secFon of theproletariat, about collecFons for one or anotherfield of the workers’ cause, the workers’newspaper will receive reports about the viewsand senFments of the workers, elecFoncampaigns. The elecFons of workers’ delegates,whattheworkersread,thequesFonsofparFcularinteresttothem,andsoon.

The workers’ newspaper is a workers’ forum.Before the whole of Russia the workers should

raise here, one a7er another, the variousquesFons of workers’ life in general and ofworking-class democracy in parFcular. TheworkersofStPetersburghavemadeabeginning.It is to theirenergythat theproletariatofRussiaowestheworkers’firstdailynewspapera7erthegrimyearsofsocialstagnaFon.

Let us, then, carry their cause forward, unitedlysupporFnganddeveloping theworkers’paperofthe capital, theharbingerof the spring to come,when the whole of Russia will be covered by anetwork of workers’ organisaFons with workers’newspapers.We, the workers, have yet to buildthisRussia,andweshallbuildit.

Extract,wriWenbyLenininAugust1912.

PublishedinPravdaCollectedWorks.Vol.18,pp300-301


Paper sales giveus a reason to approachpeoplewith our poliFcs, a tool to stop someone in thestreet or approach someone and start a poliFcalconversaFon with them. While social media isincreasingly how people digest news andcommentary, it cannot replace an in-personinteracFonthatissocriFcalinpoliFcs.

Selling the newspaper in our communiFes, atworkplaces, college campuses, and at weeklypapersales,offersusanopportunity totalkwithpeople about poliFcs and how theworld can bechanged. At each interacFonwe should strive tofind out where people are at, the key issues ontheir minds and try to connect these to ouranalysisandelementsofourprogram.

Every branch should strive to have a weeklypapersale,ideallywithatableinaworkingclassneighborhood.

The interacFonswe havewith people are a vitalpart of developing our perspecFves on howconsciousnessischanging. ThislinkisdecisivetodevelopingafighFngprogramthatbothconnects

withordinarypeopleandpointsthewayforward.

Success at selling the newspaper and signing upnew contacts increases as comrades gainconfidencespeakingtopeopleaboutourpoliFcs.WithpracFce comradesgetbeWerat explainingour arguments for independent poliFcal acFon,for building movements, and for a socialisttransformaFon of society. But it must also bestressed that it is criFcal not just to speak topeoplebuttolistencarefullytowhattheyhavetosay.

OnequesFonpeoplefrequentlyaskis:

Whynotgiveitawayforfree?

Foronething,wecan’taffordtogiveitaway.WegetnocorporateadverFsing.Weaimtomakethepaperself-financing.

More importantly,weshouldalwayspointout topeoplethatourpapertalksabouttheissuesfromaworkingclassstandpointandforthatreasonwedonotreceiveanycorporatesponsorshipthroughads,etc.Webelievethatbuildingamovementtochangesocietyandendtheruleofthebillionaireswill require sacrifice and struggle. Asking formoneyispartofshowingthatweareseriousandthat we need the help of working people todevelopourpublicaFons.Andfrankly,peoplearealsomorelikelytoreadthepaperiftheypaidforit.

Finally, asking for a donaFon for the paper canhelp us si7 through the people we meet at apaper sale to idenFfy who is worth discussingwith further, who may be interested in joiningSocialistAlternaFveandthestruggleforasocialistsociety,andwhojustwantstotalk.

MemberofBostonSAsellingtheSeptember2015paper.


Forsomepeople,sellingthepaperonthestreetcomes more easily than others. However,everyonecandoit.Sellingthepaperisaskillwecanalldevelop.

Every member is capable of building SocialistAlternaFveandsellingthenewspaperaspartofthatprocess.

NomaWerhowshy,themoreyoufindoutabouthowcapitalismistherootcauseoftheproblemssociety faces and themore you agreewith theneed to build a revoluFonary party to fight forsocialism,themoreyouwanttosellthepaper.

Over Fme, through pracFce, discussions, andexchangingexperiencesandideas,themoreyou

willbecomemorecomfortablewithapproachingpeopleandofferingthemourpaper.

HOW TO SELL THE PAPER

GENERAL TIPS

1.SellthepaperonourpoliFcs.Peoplewillbemoreinterested if they know it has a unique poliFcalperspecFvetooffer.It'salsomorelikelytoleadtoanengaging discussion with the person. You can showthem a parFcular arFcle and discuss the poliFcalissues raised by it: “We have an arFclemaking thecase for Bernie to run as an independent.” You canalsosellthepaperonitsmoregeneralpoliFcs:“Haveyou heard of Socialist AlternaFve? We think theeconomy and poliFcal system is rigged by bigbusiness.Wecampaign formassmovements,anewparty of the 99%, and socialist policies. Would youliketocheckitout?”

2.Papersalesareateameffort!It'sbesttostarteachpaper sale, whether at a table in a working classneighborhood, outside a workplace or at a largeevent, with a huddle of all members to set targetsanddiscussourapproach.Ifweareseungupatableit is worth puung up signswith good clear slogansthat will get people's aWenFon. We should also, ifpossible, havebuWons for sale. These get people tostop and are in themselves an excellent source offighFngfund.

3.Bepersistentbutnotoverlyaggressive.Don't juststand back and wait for people to come to you.Approach people in a friendly manner, “Can I offeryouacopyofourpaper?” Knowthatnoteveryoneyouapproachwillbuythepaper.RejecFonisOK–it’sa numbers game. The more people you offer the

paper to, the more you will sell, and the moreconversaFonsyouwillhaveaboutsocialistideas.

4. It's good to have an “edge” like a peFFon orcampaign,butnotnecessary.Wecanengagepeopleeven if all we have is the paper. If we do have acampaign,makesuretousethepaper! It'satool totransiFon from the specific issuewe're campaigningon toourbroader socialist program, and to interestpeopleinourparty.

5. Assume support. Polls indicate that people areopen to socialist ideas, especially youth and peopleof color. If you are confidently talking to someoneaboutourideas,theyaremorelikelytolistenthanifyouaren'tsure.

6.Don'twasteyourFmewithpeoplewhojustwantto argue. You could endupmissing theopportunitytotalktosomeonewhoisgenuinelyinterested.

7. If they say yes, ask for “Any donaFon”. ThesuggesteddonaFonis$2.Onemembersoldapaperfor$100!

8. Let people knowwe're aparty they can join. Tellthem about Kshama and any campaigns we'rebuilding.GettheircontactinformaFonandaskthemifyoucangivethemacalltotalkmore.Iftheyseemreally interested, try to schedule ameeFngon thespot..

Find the pace that’s right for you, but do give it ashot.

ComradeinLSR(CWIinBrazil)sellingtheirpaper.


What if there's not a place with a lot of foottrafficwhereyoucansetupatable?

ItisabsolutelytruethatsomeciFeshavemoreofapedestrianculturethanothersandthatinsomeplacesitisverydifficulttofindaplacetosetupasuccessfultable.

InthissituaFonweneedtobemorecreaFve:

Is there a major workplace nearby where wecouldsellthepaperatthebeginningortheendof

theworkday? Thismay evenmean selling at theedgeofaparkinglot.

MallsormajortransportaFonhubsarealsoworthinvesFgaFng although obviously we will need tobeonpublicspace.

Is it possible to sell the paper door to door in aparFcularneighborhood?

We must also develop networks of people weknowwhowill buy thepaperalthoughobviouslywealsowanttoturnthemintosubscribers.

Ihavehadthehonortowritefor,sellandpromotethe public face of our organizaFon for 21 years.The importance of our paper flows from thestandpointofhavingadialoguewiththeworkingclassandpoor,totestoutourideas,analysisanddemands for consideraFon, adopFon, acFon andverificaFon.

To write for our newspaper has allowed me todevelopandhonemy skills as awriter,organizerandspeaker.TotranslatetheideasandmethodofMarxisminplainlanguagethatworkersandyouthcan understand, that will speak to their realityunder capitalism and racism, playing a role inconjuncFon with events inspiring them to act intheir own name for internaFonal socialism andworkers’democracy.

To sell our newspaper is the greatest task andreward for all our poliFcal discussions on everylevel of our organizaFon. This is wherewe learnhow to listen and engage working people’sconsciousness and struggles. Some of the bestmoments I’ve had as an SA organizer have beenduring a community or workplace paper sale,receiving feedback, negaFve or posiFve fromworking people. Each conversaFon, allows us tospeakthelanguageoftheworkingclass.

Our paper is an instrument in the internaFonalworkers’ movement, it’s a living and breathingorgan that we shape through our parFcipaFon

andacFvityinthestruggleforsocialism.Wemustbe unrelenFng in building an effecFve SocialistAlternaFve newspaper because today’s crisis ofcapitalism is creaFng the present and futuregravediggersofthisinsidiousanddiseasedsystemof violence, poverty, racism and environmentaldestrucFon. Let’s make sure every potenFalrevoluFonary worker and youth has on theirkitchen table and bookshelf a copy of SocialistAlternaFve.

Eljeer Hawkins New York, NY

From Labor Militant to Socialist Alternative


ANSWERING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WhoarethemembersoftheEditorialBoardandwhatistheirrole?

The current membership of the Editorial Board(EB) isGeorgeMFBrown,TomCrean, JoshKoritz,TyMoore,CalvinPriest, JessSpear,BryanWatsonandTonyWilsdon.Tom is theeditorof thepaperandTyandCalvinarethewebeditors.

The EB's central task is the producFon of thepaper.Weproduceanoutlineof thenext issue inthefirstweekofeachmonthwhichisamendedaswe approach the date we send the paper to theprinter(usuallythe20thor21stofthemonth).

All naFonal material published in the name ofSocialistAlternaFvemustbeapprovedbytheEBorthe ExecuFve CommiWee although naturallydifferent types ofmaterial require different levelsofeditorialoversight.ForexampleareportfromademonstraFonisfarmorestraighborwardthanananalysisofamajorpoliFcaldevelopment.

Where do ideas for ar5cle come from and howdoestheEBdecidewhichstoriestopublish?

Many ideas and proposals are generated at theweekly meeFngs of the EB. Ideas are alsosubmiWedbybranchesandindividualcomrades.

At any given point we have to clearly prioriFzewhatwill be the key issues and developments towhich we devote editorial resources. Our EB

membersalsoplayother roles in theworkof theorganizaFon and this can limit the resources wehave at any given moment. There are manyexcellentideaswhichwearenotabletofollowup.And itcanalsohappenthatwedonot feel thataparFcular arFcleproposalwillworkorwill simplyrequireeditorial resources thatcan'tbesparedatthatFme.

Again any comrade can submit a proposal or awriWenpiecetotheEB.ItisourobligaFontoreplyinaFmelyway.

“The first thing is to examine

yourself rigorously: What do I

want to talk about? For whom?

And why? This is a precondition

for anything else. The question of

how to write is also of enormous

importance, but it has to come

second.”



IhavenotwriNenforthepaper–whatisthebestwaytogetstarted?

OneopFonistodiscusswithyourbranchorganizeror paper organizer about wriFng a report on ademonstraFonorkeyissueordevelopmentinyourarea.Onethingourpaperandwebsiteneedsmoreof are short arFcles of this typewhich show thatwe are present and acFve across the country. Ithelps tomakeourorganizaFonmore aWracFve topeopleintheSouth,theMidwestoranyotherpartof the US when they see material aboutdevelopmentsneartowheretheylive.

We have also launched a new feature enFtled“Workers'Lives”bothinthepaperandthewebsitewhere comrades (or non-comrades) can describetheir experience of the joys of working undercapitalismandhowmuch theyadore their bosses(pseudonyms may be necessary). Here is whatwe'relookingfor:

Describethenatureofthework. What are the problems facing people in yourworkplace(lowpay,longhours,lackofhealthcare,workingcondiFons)?Is there a union? Are you acFve in it? Does theunioneffecFvelymobilizeworkersonthe job?Arethere examples of people resisFng aWempts tosqueeze more worker out of them, unsafecondiFons,sexistorracistmanagers,etc?

Forthepaperweneedtokeepthesepiecesunder500words;forthewebsitewecangoupto800.

AthirdopFonistowriteareviewofamovie,bookorTVseries -butget in touchwithusbeforeyoustartwriFng!

I have been asked to write for the paper or myproposalwasaccepted–whatistheprocess?

AmemberoftheEBwillbeassignedtoworkwithyou. For arFcles intended for the paper, the EBmember will provide an outline, more or lessdetailed depending on the nature of the piece.Once your dra7 is submiWed, you will receivecomments and suggesFons for ediFng or, ifnecessary,reworkingsecFonsofthearFcle.

In-depthpieces and important arFclesonpoliFcaldevelopments or social struggles are then sent tothe EB as a whole for review. This can lead tofurtheramendments.

IfyouarewriFngforthepaper itcanhappenthatanarFclewill go through severaldra7swhich canbea challengingprocessbut iso7ennecessary tohoneourmessage.AtthesameFmewewantthevoice of our members to come through in thefinished product. Please be paFent and open todiscussingandpuung inmoreworka7erthefirstdra7isdone.

What is the usual deadline for material in thepaper?

IngeneralwetrytocommissionarFclestwoweeksinadvanceofwhentheyaredue.Ofcoursewheneventsoccurquickly, thedeadlinemaybeshorter,someFmessignificantlyshorter.

Whatelseshouldawriterbedoing?

Writersshouldbeonthelookoutforstrongimagestoillustratetheirpiece.IfthearFcleisareportonalocalstruggleorprotestitwouldbegoodifwehadourownimage.Asalreadypointedouteachbranchshould try to idenFfy and develop a branchphotographer.

Writersshouldalsotrytothinkofagoodheadlinefor their piece. Your ideas are o7en beWer thanours!

“When you write, picture to yourself, as clearly as you can, how

your article would sound being read aloud in your own shop at the

factory, or in the one next to yours or in some other plant nearby.”



It isamisconcepFonthatwritersandonlywriters(in the professional sense of the term) cansuccessfully contribute to a publicaFon; on thecontrary, it will be vital and alive only if for fiveleading and regularly contribuFng writers thereare five hundred or five thousand contributorswho are notwriters. One of the shortcomings oftheold lskra,onewhich I always tried to rid itof(andwhichhasgrowntomonstrousproporFonsinthe new Iskra)was that too liWlewas done for itfromRussia.We always used to print everything,pracFcally without excepFon, that we receivedfromRussia.Areallyliveorganshouldprintonlyatenthofwhatitreceives,usingtherestasmaterialfor the informaFon and guidance of thejournalists.Wemust have asmanypartyworkersaspossiblecorrespondwithus,correspond intheordinary,notthejournalisFcsenseoftheterm.

IsolaFonfromRussia,theengulfingatmosphereoftheaccursedémigré slough,weighs soheavilyononeherethatlivingcontactwithRussiaisouronlysalvaFon. Let all remember thatwewant in fact,andnotjustinword,toconsider(andtomake)ourorgantheorganoftheenFre“majority”,theorganof the mass of Russian comrades. Let everyonewho regards this organ as his own and who isconscious of the duFes of a Social-DemocraFcParty member abandon once and for all thebourgeois habit of thinking and acFng as iscustomary towards legallypublishedpapers– thehabit of feeling: it is their business to write andours to read. All Social-Democratsmust work forthe Social-DemocraFc paper.We ask everyone tocontribute, and especially the workers. Give theworkers the widest opportunity to write for ourpaper,towriteasmuchastheypossiblycanabouttheirdailylives,interests,andwork-withoutsuchmaterial a Social-DemocraFc organ will not beworth a brass farthing and will not deserve thename. in addiFon, please send us private leWers,

notintendedascontribuFonstothepaper,ie,notfor publicaFon, but by way of comradelyintercourse with the editors and to keep theminformed,andnotonlyabout factsand incidents,but about the prevailing senFment and theeveryday, “uninteresFng” humdrum, rouFne sideof the movement. People who have not livedabroad cannot imagine howmuchwe need suchleWers (there is absolutely nothing secret aboutthemeither, and towrite such an uncoded leWeronce or twice a week is really something thebusiest person can do). Sowrite to us about thediscussions at the workers’ study circles, thenatureofthesediscussions, thesubjectsofstudy,and the things theworkers ask about; about thestate of propaganda and agitaFonal work, andabout contacts among the general public, in thearmy,andamongtheyouth;aboveallwriteaboutanydissaFsfacFontheworkersfeelwithusSocial-Democrats, about the things that trouble them,abouttheirsuggesFons,criFcisms,etc.

MaWersrelaFngtothepracFcalorganisaFonoftheworkareparFcularly interesFngnow,andthereisno way of acquainFng the editors with themexcept by a lively correspondence not of ajournalisFcnature,butsimplyofacomradelykind.Of course, not everyone has the ability orinclinaFontowrite,but...don’tsay“Ican’t”,say“Idon’t want to”; given the desire, one or twocomrades who could write can be found in anycircle,anygroup,eventhesmallest,eventhemostminor (the minor groups are o7en especiallyinteresFng, for they someFmes do the mostimportant, though inconspicuous, part of thework).

CollectedWorks.Vol.7,pp523-528

WriWen on 29 November (12 December) 1904,publishedinleafletforminDecember1904

LENIN: On Workers Writing for the Paper


It’s Your Paper Testimonials

“The other day my newly formed Dorchester branchhad our regularly scheduled paper sale at the JFK Tstop. The comrade bringing the table was unable tomakeitandsoitwasjustmeandsomeoneelsewithabackpackfullofnewspapers.Weweregoingtojustsitaroundandwait forbranchbutwefiguredto justsellsomepapers.ItisalwaysmoredifficultwithoutatableandsomesignswithcatchyslogansandbuWons.ThisisthestaFonwheretheUMASSstudentsareandcollegekidslovebuWons.Butwetriedanyways.Trumpwasonthe front of the paper sowewere leadingwith StopTrump’sracism,checkoutasocialistnewspaper.

Amanthatwasabout60cameupandsoIaskedhimto buy a copy. He called me some awful names andtalked about how horrible I was because I was “acommunistthatsupportedmurderers”. I toldhimthatwas not the case. He yelled that his wife was fromCzechoslovakiaandso“heknew.”Ibegantoignorehimbuthekeptgoing.Thiswasn’tthefirstFmesomethinglikethishadhappenedbuthejustwouldnotgoaway.Ifinally asked him if he would leaveme alone and he

said I was a typical communist because I wanted to“takeawayhisfreespeech.”Thebusloadsofkidskeptcoming and I kept onwith the paper. A7er an hour Isold7papersfor30bucksandgot4contacts!

That oldmanwatchedme.He got real upsetwhen ayoung man handed me a twenty dollar bill and hisemailaddress.Butthatisok.Becausesevenpeoplearegoing to read about the ideas of socialism, andhopefully they will come to a meeFng. But I neverwouldhavemet them ifwehadn’t just stoodoutsideandsoldthepaper.”

Toiya Shester Boston, MA

“OurbranchesrecentlyaWendeda#JusFce4JamarrallyagainstthecountyaWorney'sdecisiontonotprosecutethe two police officers responsible for the shooFngdeathofJamarClark.WhilediscussingthisoutrageousinjusFcewithpeopleattherallywealsoaskedthemtoget involved in15NowMinneapolisand tocheckoutSocialistAlternaFve.

I approached a protester during the march thatfollowedtherally.Ipresentedthe15NowpeFFon,andsheeagerly signed, ciFng the toughFme sheandhertwosonshavehadfindingdecentpayingjobs.Butshealso expressed regret that she couldnot volunteer asmuchasshewouldliketo,giventhatshelivesfarfromthe neighborhoods where the upcoming ballotcampaignwilloperate.

ThemarchwasendingandIhadtoleave,butIfeltlike,given her strong support for $15, she might beinterestedinSA,soIquicklypresentedtheMarchissueofthepaper(Issue#21)toshowherthearFcleonthefight for $15. As I turned a few pages, an arFcle onhomelessness in SeaWle ("Capitalism CreatesHomelessness")aswellasanarFcleonClinton'sbrandof feminism ("BernieVersusHilary:What's a Feministto Do?") caught her eye. She asked if she could takethe paper homewith her. The paper's headlines soldthemselves.

InthefinalminutesIhadbeforeIhadtogo,shegavemeher contact info and said shewould like to checkoutthepaperandthinkaboutthepoliFcs.Iaskedherif itwas okay to send an email to followupwith herabout considering membership in SA. She said thatwould be fine, adding that she would definitely readthepaper.

Iemailedher thedaya7er the rally.Aweek laterherreply came back. She wanted to meet for a contactdiscussion.Duringourmeet-up,oneofthefirstthingsshe saidwas that she had read the enFre paper.Wethen had a wide-ranging conversaFon abouthomelessness, Hilary Clinton's anF-worker record andthe need for buildingmassworking classmovementsto address the problems we had just outlined. Thepaperhadseededthediscussionatmanyturns.AttheendofourconversaFon,sheagreedtojoinandhandedmecashdues.ThinkingabouttheroleofthepaperinthisaWempttofindacontact, Iwas impressedbytheway its effecFvely poliFcized Ftles and clear layoutassistedmeduringamomentofclumsiness.”

James Hardwig Minneapolis, MN


Nothing can replace the revoluFonary newspaperasaneffecFvetooltoreachpeoplewithourideasandrecruitthemtothesocialistmovementbutwealso need to have a regularly updatedwebsite asmore and more working class people and youthlooktosocialmediaandtheinternetfornewsandcommentary.

We aim to make our website the go-to place forsocialist analysis of current events, history, andculture. Italso servesasa storehouse fromwhichwe can share our pamphlets, other publicaFons,andmaterials.AllarFclesfromournewspaperarealsopostedonthewebsiteAnd,sincethewebsite,unlikethepaper,hasnospace limits,wecanpostlongeranalysesanditemsthatcouldnotpublishedin the paper (such as long reviews on movies,books, or reports from events we aWend).NeverthelesswestrivetokeepallourarFclesfrombecomingtoolong.

Wri%ngreportsforthewebsite

The website also doubles as a recruiter. SinceKshama Sawantwas elected in 2013we've had amuch higher local and naFonal profile than everbefore, which has led to thousands of peoplelooking up Socialist AlternaFve, visiFng thewebsite, andmany of them clicking the "Join SA"link.ButonebarriertojoiningisthatmanypeopledonotrealizethatweareanorganizaFonyoucanjoin, that we are an acFvist organizaFon withhundredsofdedicatedmembersallacrosstheUS,

buildingthesocialistmovementinourworkplaces,collegecampuses,andcommuniFes.

This iswhy reports from naFonal events,with anoverall introducFon,are requestedandpublished.They showcase the work we do all across thecountryandalsoprovidea snapshotof themoodandpoliFcsofsocialmovements.

Tipsforwri%ngreports

1. Before aWending a major event, it is theresponsibility of the branch leadership to decidewhoisgoingtowritethereport,andthento lookover the report (as quickly as possible) beforesendingittothewebsite.

2.The reports should be wriWen for a broadaudience– crucialpoints to report are themood,theslogans,tacFcsused,nextstepsdiscussed,etc.(see example below). InformaFon on how manypapersweresoldandhowmanycontactswemetis important for internal discussion, but willgenerally be cut from reports before they'republishedonline.

3.Reports should be succinct (usually 150-200words),includepictures(highquality)andvideosifpossible.

4.ThereportsshouldbesenttotheEditorialBoardatEditors@SocialistAlternaFve.org.

The Revolutionary Socialist Website - SocialistAlternative.org


Example Report

“On Tuesday evening, November 25, over athousand people gathered in Union Square todemand jusFce for Michael Brown. FrustraFonwith the status quo reached a boiling point aspeople shut down the Lincoln Tunnel (tunnelbetweenNYandNJ),FDRDrive(oneofNYC’smainhighways), and other major highways throughoutNewYorkCity.

Members of Socialist AlternaFve successfullyrallied, marched, led chants, and opened up abroader conversaFon about combaFng policebrutality, racism, and capitalism with cleard emands . S t uden t g roups , commun i t yorganizaFons, and labor unions made up a largeporFon of the massive crowd. Throughout theevening, low-wage workers in various corporatechains along the route raised their fists frombehind counters andwindows. The link betweenracism, police repression, and economicexploitaFonpermeated the consciousnessofbothparFcipants in the march and supporFvebystanders.”

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SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE

AsmembersofSocialistAlternaFve,socialmediaisa poliFcal acFvity. We should be skillful in theprocessoffollowingcurrenteventsandwriFngupbrief and sharp poliFcal commentary, even if it’sjust selecFng which quote from our arFcle tofeaturewhenyoushareit.

WeallplayapivotalroleinhowmuchtracFonourorganizaFonmakes on socialmedia, as themoresharesourpostshave,thefurthertheywillreach.Wheneverpossible, shareSAarFcles fromtheSAFacebook page or TwiWer profile, rather thanposFngthemaslinks.Thisincreasesthelikelihood

that people will click back on our SocialistAlternaFvepageandgetmoreupdatesfromit.

For revoluFonaries, socialmedia can be a crucialtool for reaching working class people with ourideasand toappeal for themto joinus.But, it isnotasubsFtuFonforourothertasks,methods,orfor the democraFc funcFon of our branches.Members are asked to refrain from internaldiscussion on social media, as it is not ademocraFc structure and can harm ourorganizaFon. Any quesFonsmembers have aboutourprogram,posiFononcertainissues,aposiFonourpublicofficialsandspokespeopletake,andsoon should be discussed primarily within ourbranchmeeFngsandstructures.

Many people, young people especially, now gettheir news largely from social media: Facebook,TwiWer, Reddit, and Google+ just to name a few.WitheffecFvesocialmedia,ourmaterialcanreachtens of thousands of peoplewhowe’d otherwisenotbeabletoreach.Wecanalsousesocialmediafor other important purposes, such as geungdonaFonsorbuildinglocalevents.

Our social media should demonstrate theseriousness of our organizaFon, amplify ourvictories,andcreateareachforourpoliFcalideasthatgoesfarbeyondourexisFngsupportbase.Wehave recruited several members whose firstcontact with SA was through our social media,including in areas of the countrywherewe havenomethodofin-personrecruitment.

One advantage of our organizaFonal methods isthat we are able to make decisions and thenconcentrate our resources together for themaximumpossibleimpact.TheEditorialBoardwillbe spearheading ways that we can expand the

reach of our material on social media sites,parFcularlybyaskingcomradesacrossthecountryto share and retweet arFcles - there by giving a"signalboost"toouranalysis.

Especially when major events break out, ourpoliFcal analysis can spread well beyond ournormal reach, and in some cases gain viralaWenFon - to name a few: Kshama’s response tothe2014StateoftheUnionaddress,DarleWa'sFoxNewssmackdown,andKshama'srecentarFcleonCounterpunch. In the days following the SOTUresponse,wereceivedthebiggestfloodofinternetcontactsinourorganizaFon’shistorytothatpoint.

Our campaigns, through their own social mediaaccounts, are perhaps the best examples of oursocialmediaworkandthepotenFalthatexiststobuild professional online presence. During our2015 primary campaign in SeaWle, the VoteSawant TwiWer account had over 600,000“impressions,” or the number of uniqueinteracFonsontheirtwiWerfeed.


We should have two goals when thinking aboutour Facebook presence in a poliFcal way: first,increasing the readership of arFcles, videos, andmemespostedbythenaFonalpage.Second,howbuilding a local periphery of peoplewhowe canengageandwillaWendourevents.

A l l comrades shou ld go to Facebook/SocialistAlternaFveUSA and, under the “Like”buWon,makesure to“Like”ourpageandchoose“See First” so that all comrades always see thematerialwepost.ThiswayyouwillalwaysseenewandinteresFngarFclesinyourfeed.Whenyouseea post,make sure to like it and share it. Sharingworks best when you write your own shortintroducFon explaining why your friends wouldlike it, and/or what you find interesFng orcompelling.

When your branch creates a local event page,invite all your friends (Facebookmakes this easynow), and post the event in local groups, or onlocalpages,makingsuretoexplainwhythatgrouporpagewouldfindtheeventinteresFng.Re-sharetheeventonceevery fewdaysandaskcomradesinthearea,andfriendstore-shareandlikeit.

Small amounts of money can be used to boostpostsinFacebook.Thisshouldbeconsideredasawayforbranchestospecificallyboostevents.Theback end of this allows you to target age andgeographic areas to tailor the reach to peoplemostlikelytoaWend.Makesureyoureventhasanimage (without toomuch text), is clearlywriWen,andhas someaWendeesalreadybeforeboosFng.Usually$20isenoughtoreachover1,000peopleand $50 can get you to 5,000 depending onseungs.

Facebook — General Strategies

Twitter — General Strategies

TwiWerhaschangedhugely inthepastfewyears.Thereare somecommuniFes that sFll use it as ameans of naFonal communicaFon, and there isthe chance that it will be taken up again duringmovements,parFcularlybecauseitdoesnothavethesamelimiFngalgorithmsthatFacebookhastocontrolwhatexactlyyousee.

Afewguides:

• Followreporters,notnewsoutlets.AtFmeswecangetcoverageforevents,orgettheaWenFonofareporterthroughtweeFngatthem.Alwayskeepitprofessionalandcourteous–don’ttrytoguiltpeopleintocoveringthestory.

• Engage with people. If someone writessomething interesFng, ask a quesFon, make acomment.

• Use hashtags (#). Hashtags are used toaggregatetopicsacrossthewholetwiWer-verse.

Ifyousearchfor#BlackLivesMaWeryouwill seea conversaFon going on about the movement,which you can join by using that hashtag.SomeFmeshashtagsarealsousedforemphasis,or signifying something in the tweet that youthink should be a common experience orsenFment(ex.#sorrynotsorry).

• Comment or even live-tweet at events. Live-tweeFngiswhenyouaWemptto,inrealFme,lettwiWer followers knowwhat is happening as ithappens, 140 characters at a Fme. This can bedifficultwithoutacomputer,butifotherpeoplearethere,itisawaytogetfollowers.

• If you are at an event that others are live-tweeFng, interactwiththem.Writetweetsthatare observaFons and tag the people live-tweeFng in them. Reply and interact with theotherpeopletweeFngabouttheevent.

The feed algorithms for Instagram are lessrestricFve than Facebook. However, it is moredifficult to create a following on Instagram thanFacebookorTwiWer.Considerusingitasawayto

quickly post photos to Facebook and TwiWersimultaneously. Also, follow local photographersand acFvists, you may learn about protests oreventsyoudidn’thearaboutinFmetoaWend.

Instagram — General Strategies

it’s your paper - scc insight

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