knight commission presentation to league of women voters, june 4, 2010

8/9/2019 Knight Commission Presentation to League of Women Voters, June 4, 2010

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Knight Commission Presentation to the

League of Women Voters Convention 2010

Workshop on Informing Communities: SustainingCitizen Participation in the Digital Age

Charles M. Firestone

Executive Director

Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program

Atlanta, Georgia

June 4, 2010


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A project of

John S. and James L.

Knight Foundation

and the

Aspen InstituteCommunications & Society

Program


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Commissioners Theodore B. Olson, Co-Chair, former Solicitor General of the U.S.

Marissa Mayer, Co-Chair, VP, Search & User Experience, Google danah boyd, researcher, now with Microsoft Research Lab

John S. Carroll,former editor, Los Angeles Times

Robert W. Decherd, CEO, A.H. Belo newspaper chain

Reed E. Hundt,former Chairman, FCC (Clinton Admin)

Benjamin Todd Jealous,President, NAACP Mary E. Junck, CEO, Lee Enterprises newspaper chain

Monica Lozano,SVP, ImpreMedia, Publisher & CEO, La Opinin

Lisa MacCallum,Managing Director, Nike Foundation

Andrew Mooney,Executive Director, LISC, Chicago

Donna D. Nicely,Director, Nashville Public Library Michael K. Powell,former Chairman, FCC (Bush Admin)

Rey Ramsey, CEO, One Economy

Paul Sagan, CEO, Akamai

Alberto Ibargen, ex officio, CEO, Knight Foundation

Walter Isaacson, ex officio, CEO, Aspen Institute


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Approach

As we face a news media crisis, what are the news

and information needs of local communities?

What should be done to meet them?

The Commission looked at the local geographical

community as that is still the focus of political

decisions and community life.

Vision of informed communities.


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Informed Communities

Communities need information to coordinate, solve

problems, establish public accountability, and

develop a sense ofconnectedness.

Information is as vital to the healthy functioning

of communities as clean air, safe streets, good

schools and public health.

Information ecologies servepersonalas well as civic

information needs.


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Healthy Informed Communities(Appendix I)

A majority of government information and

services online, accessible through a central and

easy to use portal

A local government with a committed policy on

transparency

Quality journalism through local newspapers,

local television and radio stations, and online

sources


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Citizens with effective opportunities to have their

voices heard and to affect public policy

A vibrant public library, or other public center for

information that provides digital resources and

professional assistance


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Ready access to information that enhances quality of

life, including information provided by trusted

intermediary organizations in the community on a

variety of subjects

Local schools have computer and high speed Internet

access, as well as curricula that support digital and

media literacy

High speed Internet is available to all


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Objectives

Envisions the need to:

Maximize the availability of credible information,

Enhance the information capacity of individuals,

and

Promote civic engagement.


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Objective I Findings

Maximizing the Availability of

Relevant and Credible Information

People need relevant and credible information

to be free and self-governing.

T

he current financial challenges facing private news media couldpose a crisis for democracy.

Public media should provide better local news and information.

Not-for-profit and non-traditional media can be importantsources of journalism.

Public information belongs to the public. Government must bemore open.

Informed communities can measure their information health.


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Objective I



Recommendation 1: Direct media policy

toward innovation, competition, and supportfor business models that provide marketplace

incentives for quality journalism.


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Objective I



Recommendation 2: Increase support forpublic service media aimed at meeting

community information needs.

Public broadcasting needs to move quickly toward abroader vision ofpublic service media, one that is morelocal, more inclusive, and more interactive.

Greater integration of new technologies andcommunicationpractices with traditional forms ofbroadcasting.


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Objective I



Recommendation 3: Increase the role of higher

education, community and nonprofitinstitutions as hubs of journalistic activity and

other information-sharing for local

communities.


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Objective I



Recommendation 4: Require government at alllevels to operate transparently, facilitate easyand low-cost access to public records, and

make civic and social data available instandardized formats that support theproductive public use of such data.

Open Government Laws: employees and contractorsshould apply more vigorously

Transparency: electronic participation; tracking oflegislation with opportunities to comment on all drafts;

cameras in the courts.


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Objective I



Recommendation 5: Develop systematicquality measures of community informationecologies, and study how they affect socialoutcomes.

Combined with Appendix I of the Report, thiscouldlead to community self assessments,

perhapsled by an independentlocalentity.


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Objective IIFindings

Enhancing the Information Capacity of Individuals

People need tools, skills, and understanding

to use information effectively.

All people have a right to be fully informed.

There need be no second-class citizensininformed communities.

Funding to meet this goal is an investment in the

nations future.

Americans cannot compete globally without newpublic policies and investment in technology.


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Objective II


Recommendation 6: Integrate digital and

media literacy as critical elements foreducation at all levels through collaboration

among federal, state, and local education

officials.


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Objective II


Recommendation 7: Fund and support public

libraries and other community institutions ascenters of digital and media training, especially

for adults.


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Objective II


Recommendation 8: Set ambitious standards

for nationwide broadband availability andadopt public policies encouraging consumer

demand for broadband services.


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Objective II


Recommendation 9: Maintain the national

commitment to open networks as a coreobjective of Internet policy.


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Objective II


Recommendation 10: Support the activities of

information providers to reach local audienceswith quality content through all appropriate

media, such as mobile phones, radio, public

access cable, and new platforms.


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Objective IIIFindings

Promoting Public Engagement

To pursue their true interests, people need to be engagedwith information and with each other.

Creating informed communities is a task for everyone.

Young people have a special role in times of greatchange.

Technology can help everyone be part of thecommunity.

Everyone should feel a responsibility to participate.


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Objective III


Recommendation 11: Expand local media

initiatives to reflect the full reality of the

communities they represent.


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Objective III


Recommendation 12: Engage young people in

developing the digital information and

communication capacities of local

communities.


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Objective III


Recommendation 13: Empower all citizens toparticipate actively in community self-governance,including local community summits to addresscommunity affairs and pursue common goals.

Bridging capital

Initiate community dialogue with summits directed atcreating community action agendas to improve thelocal information environment.


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Objective III


Recommendation 14: Emphasize community

information flow in the design and

enhancement of a local communitys public

spaces.


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Objective III


Recommendation 15: Ensure that every local

community has at least one high-quality online

hub.


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Conclusion

The information issue is everyones issue.

Join the dialogue at:www.knightcomm.org

OR

via twitter at #knightcomm

knight commission presentation to league of women voters, june 4, 2010

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