Reinvent The Media!

Everybody talks about the media, to paraphrase Mark Twain, but nobody ever does anything about it. Like the weather, the average person thinks that the media is something out there, something that people enjoy or suffer through, but don't influence. While the attendees at the recent "Quality Journalism in the 21st Century" conference at the University of Washington did do their share of talking about the media, the ultimate aim was to identify what could actually be done about it. Many of us in the "Citizen's Voices" session had serious doubts about the ability -- or the desire -- of the media to assist citizens in dealing with the problems that we will be facing in the 21st century. While the journalists at the conference were confident that their craft would persist no matter which directions new technologies and new economic circumstances might take them, our group worried that those forces might easily propel the media even further into the depths of sleazy infotainment.

Since one of the strongest themes to emerge from our discussion was the importance of citizen leadership and engagement with the media I developed a list of suggestions for promoting more responsive and useful media.

What can citizens and activists do?

• Provide feedback to the media. Tired of sensationalism, stereotypes, mayhem, and commercialism? Call up the newspaper or radio station. Send them e-mail. Let them know that it's not acceptable. On the other hand, if the media produces stories that promote social justice (even when they're in conflict with the powers-that-be) let them know then too!
• Support independent media. Buy it! Use it! Create it! Without Tom Paine and his brand of alternative journalism in the 1700s there would be no United States today.
• Apply pressure and cooperate with government. We need public and publicly financed access to media. People need the information that the government uses and creates. Not just the Starr Report!
• Experiment with democratic communication technology. Without strong involvement the web is likely to become entirely commercial to the detriment of civil society. (Within a few short years commercial web sites comprise more than 90% of all web sites.)
• Organize across borders Q expand global consciousness. Issues such as the environment, women's opportunities, and racism don't stop at national boundaries.

Educators have important roles as well --

• Teach media literacy in schools. With all the virulent media around, students need intellectual vaccines that can help them understand and use the information that they receive.
• Demystify media and communication technology. Today's students can play a vital role in the evolution of tomorrow's communication technology and policy but only if they believe that they're capable.

The government also has important -- though often neglected -- responsibilities --

• Support the first amendment. Although the temptation is great to restrict unpopular speech in print and electronically, the experiences in the former Soviet Union, Iran, and numerous other oppressive states around the world should remind us of the wisdom of our forefathers.
• Oppose media monopolies. When the flow of information is restricted by a small number of players, the ability of our society to make wise decisions is likewise restricted. Unfortunately the government has been a key player in exacerbating this problem!
• Promote citizen-led media and research. Citizens in many cases are best able to identify and address important issues. There are scores of new approaches which put citizens back in the driver's seat. The Loka Institute, for example, in Amherst, Massachusetts (http://www.loka.org) recently issued a comprehensive report on these ideas. They've sponsored citizen's panels to help identify concerns that are being neglected.

For journalists in the field --

• Tell and listen to authentic stories. Life is richer and more deeply textured than the cartoonish stories that the media often serves us.
• Develop, circulate, and archive understandable facts and figures. Today's issues are more complex than yesterday's. Journalists need to spend that extra time to ensure that the information is accurate and accessible.

The new media world opened up by the Internet and the World Wide Web offers new opportunities as well as new threats. Therefore citizens must --

• Organize around universal access and public spaces in cyberspace. As access to electronic resources becomes more important those who can't afford to connect will be left further behind.
• Provide on-line forums and outlets for alternative and marginalized voices

And, finally, some advice for all of us --

• It's sometimes necessary to TUNE OUT the media. Turn it off and take the time to reflect! Our society today offers a non-stop stream of information. Unfortunately it's hard to sip from a fire hose.

We all live in a complex "ecosystem" of communication flows. If citizens aren't active in this ecosystem the media may continue its free-fall into the dark hole of the lowest common denominator. Don't ignore the media. Reinvent the media.