Sustaining Democracy in a Digital Age

As barriers that once defined the field of journalism―between writer and audience, community and editor―continue to morph, one of the great challenges facing the field is how to navigate these new intersections. And while it’s no secret that all kinds of media players―from large, established, mainstream media outlets to much smaller, community-based groups―could use additional funding given the transitional state of the industry, a recent announcement may signal a brighter future for some: A number of previously unheralded media players received Philadelphia Enterprise Reporting Awards to perform some particularly innovative journalism. The awards of $5,000, announced by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism and funded by the William Penn Foundation, will help get 14 collaborative, public affairs-oriented journalism projects off the ground in the city of brotherly love. 

Especially in recent weeks—when the purpose and tone of the media has been a topic of heated discussion (and rallying)—there has been chatter about the need to reevaluate public media in the U.S. In this vein, there has been a fair amount of reaction in the blogosphere to New America Foundation President Steve Coll’s piece in the The Columbia Journalism Review, which MPI discussed in the last Week in Review. Here are some comments on two responses from MPI collaborators:

The past week has been an eventful one for those working in media policy and the media more generally in Washington. Those of us who were looking ahead to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” on Saturday couldn’t help but find ourselves wondering about the role of the media today, especially after Jon Stewart declared, “The press is our immune system.” How blurred the lines between news, politics, and entertainment continue to be.

We took a week off here at MPI’s Week in Review, but we’re back now with lots to talk about. Let’s call this post a “Two Weeks in Review.”

• As part of the release of Fiona Morgan’s MPI case study on the Research Triangle, North Carolina, based on The Knight Commission Report on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, the Triangle Community Foundation hosted a forum on Oct. 8 in Durham, N.C. Moderated by MPI Fellow Tom Glaisyer, the event brought together a variety of prominent figures in Triangle media (both traditional and new) to discuss the state of Triangle media, as well as the implications of Morgan’s report.