Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age
From Forward:

This report focuses on the information people actually need, and works back from there, suggesting ways that the flow of information and its uses may be enhanced. That is a fundamentally different approach from traditional media policy that sought to promote or regulate existing media. Since the current pace of information technology change is rapid to the point of defying regularization or regulation, the Commission’s approach is to steer to the true north of what is constant, the need for the free flow of information in a democracy.

Nothing in this report is meant to be prescriptive. Everything in this report is meant to propose and encourage debate.

Nevertheless, vision emanates from core values and it seems to us axiomatic that access to information is essential, while definition of what is valuable information is open to debate. Therefore, if there is no access to information, there is a denial to citizens of an element required for participation in the life of the community. That is as real politically (in denying voters information about candidates and issues) as it is socially (consider digital social networks) and economically (in a world where entry level job applications at MacDonald’s or Wal-Mart must be made online, denial of digital access equals denial of opportunity).

Source: Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 and is filed under Government Documents and Political Information, Papers and Presentations, Search News, Source File, Technology and Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.