Democracy

What the Open Internet Means for Democracy

Lindsy Embree — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:49:51 -0500

Full article: OpenInternet.gov
Steve Waldman
Putting aside the question for now of how to guarantee openness, it does seem clear that the ability of the Internet to encourage democracy, empower grass roots Americans and people around the world, requires a profoundly open system.

The Spectacle of Illiteracy and the Crisis of Democracy

Stevie Converse — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:11:29 -0400

Full article: Truthout.org
Henry A. Giroux
The collapse of journalistic standards finds its counterpart in the rise of civic illiteracy. What this decline in civility, the emergence of mob behavior and the utter blurring in the media between a truth and lie suggests is that we have become one of the most civically illiterate nations on the planet.

Black and White and Dead All Over

Stevie Converse — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:30:48 -0400

Full article: Mother Jones
Dave Gilson
As the crisis in journalism deepens, will the decreases in journalists and investigative reporting bring democracy to a halt?

Democracy in Need of a Bailout

Stevie Converse — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:53:33 -0400

Full article: Denver Post
David Sirota
The biggest threat to democracy is less the regrettably decimated journalism industry than the disenfranchised public. If we cannot or will not turn already reported news into immediate action, then no newspaper, however profitable or aggressive, can bail us out in the future.

Personal Democracy Forum

Jordan Berg — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:01:44 -0400

Start: 06/28/2009 - 23:00

End: 06/29/2009 - 23:00

Timezone: Etc/GMT-4

The Personal Democracy Forum is the world's largest and best known conference on the intersection of technology and politics. For the sixth year, more than 1,000 top opinion makers, political practitioners, technologists and journalists will come together to network, exchange ideas, and explore how technology and the Internet are changing politics, democracy, and society. Including Free Press Executive Director Josh Silver.

Democracy's Cheat Sheet?

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:01:45 -0400

Full article: Slate
Jack Shafer
The insistence on coupling newspapering to democracy overstates the quality and urgency of most work done by newspapers and inflates the capacity of newspapers to make us better citizens. Newspapers are being reduced to a compulsory cheat sheet for democracy.

Web-Savvy Obama Team Hits Unexpected Bumps

Stevie Converse — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:18:52 -0500

Full article: Washington Post
Jose Antonio Vargas
The team that ran the most technologically advanced presidential campaign in modern history is finding it difficult to adapt that model to government. WhiteHouse.gov, envisioned as the primary vehicle for President Obama to communicate with the online masses, has been overwhelmed by challenges that staffers did not foresee and technological problems they have yet to solve.

A See-Through Society

Stevie Converse — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:04:41 -0500

Full article: Columbia Journalism Review
Micah L. Sifry
The low-cost, high-speed, always-on Internet is changing the ecology of how people consume and create political information. We're poised for a revolution in participation, not just in consumption.

Constitutional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0

Mary Alice Crim — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:42:43 -0500

Start: 01/09/2009 - 19:32

End: 01/11/2009 - 19:32

Timezone: Etc/GMT-4

This event will bring over 100 members of the Millennial Generation together to discuss, act on and harness the incredible levels of civic engagement they have built through the 2008 elections using traditional grassroots organizing and new online social media.

Media and Democracy in America Today: A Reform Plan for a New Administration

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:18:59 -0500

In this report, Common Cause unveils its vision for the future of media and democracy in America. The report lays out a plan of action for the next president and Congress to take to ensure that media performs its appropriate role in our democracy.