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A project of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program
Democracy can likely get by with less information and civic engagement than some suggest. But that doesn’t mean we can get by without any.
Journalism must be re-imagined for a networked world in which people use technology for themselves to do things they once relied on journalists to do for them.
If Mayor Emanuel wishes to foster a more transparent Chicago, he must not only continue the release of city data, but ensure that it is put to creative uses that serve the public.
Teenagers become good citizens–and improve their schools and communities–when they are given the chance to contribute
Local stations are the core of public broadcasting.Now is the time to build on that strength, not undermine it.
Communities must make sure there are enough entry points for people to engage in the public square, offering ways for people to come together and helping them stay connected over time.
The keys to a more open and transparent democracy include increased broadband access and a steady flow of government data into online communities, according to two white papers released by the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.
Alex Howard, Government 2.0 Correspondent for O’Reilly Radar, provided a good wrap-up of last week’s Roundtable on implementing the recommendations for government transparency and creating community hubs.
New recommendations for improving local open government and creating online hubs
By Alex Howard · February 25, 2011
Today, the Aspen Institute hosted a roundtable on government transparency [...]
In his article, “Pubcasters on the ropes“ (Variety, January 22, 2011), Ted Johnson summarizes several of the strategies for public media reform presented by Barbara Cochran in her white paper, Rethinking Public Media: More Local, More Inclusive, More Interactive. The paper addresses ways to implement the Knight Commission’s Recommendation 2 on public media.
Pubcasters on the ropes
Stations fend off funding hook
By [...]
The Knight Foundation and the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program jointly released a policy paper on Wednesday with recommendations for federal support for public broadcasting. The report, written by Barbara Cochran of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, is entitled “Rethinking Public Media” and is available here.
Tossing money at technology in K-12 schools is hardly the answer to promoting students’ media and digital literacy. So says a new report from the Aspen Institute, “Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action,” written by Renee Hobbs, a professor at Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater.
Former FCC broadband czar Blair Levin says he has a formula for deploying broadband to 97% of the country in ten years for $10 billion. The government has just finished allocating almost $7 billion in stimulus funds to promote deployment to unserved and underserved areas, but Levin says that infusion “will not be sufficient to ensure that all people in the United States have access to and can enjoy the benefits of universal digital citizenship.”
A former FCC official who played a critical role in the development of the commission’s national broadband plan released a report Wednesday that argues that the federal government should establish a $10 billion fund over 10 years to help ensure all Americans have access to affordable broadband service. In the paper, Blair Levin, the former executive director of the FCC’s broadband initiative, noted that “current government programs to assure communication networks are available to all Americans will neither ensure that such networks are available nor encourage adoption.
Local officials know that communities depend on credible and accessible information. As technology continues to affect and change how information flows, local officials face a dizzying array of opportunities to inform — and be informed by — their communities.
“Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy & Citizen Participation in the Digital Age” was the opening workshop at the June 11-15 League of Women Voters National Convention in Atlanta Georgia attended by three members of the LWV of Montgomery County.
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