22 febbraio 2010

Il Futuro dei media secondo la FCC

Davanti ai licenziamenti e alle chiusure di sana pianta di molti quotidiani, di fronte alla moria di emittenti locali e alla contrazione dei programmi rivolti alle singole comunità, l'intera democrazia americana - quella che i nostri zelanti capi "ultraliberali" scendono in piazza a difendere, dopo aver firmato ogni sorta di comportamento abusivo della libertà di stampa - reagisce interrogandosi sul futuro dei mezzi di informazione, sulle cose da fare per evitarne la crisi e l'impoverimento.
La FCC ha lanciato un ambizioso piano di discussione con il progetto Future of the media, una consultazione aperta i cui obiettivi sono «to assess whether all Americans have access to vibrant, diverse sources of news and information that will enable them to enrich their lives, their communities and our democracy» valutare cioè se tutti gli americani abbiano accesso a fonti di informazioni diversificate e "vibranti", capaci di arricchire la loro vita, le loro comunità, la nostra democrazia.
Mentre da noi i direttori dei telegiornali pubblici vengono accuratamente selezionati in base alla loro capacità nell'anestetizzare la pubblica opinione, nelle democrazie vere l'industria mediatica viene criticata e discussa. Il documento pubblicato oggi dalla FCC è reperibile a questo indirizzo e riguarda ovviamente anche la situazione della radiofonia locale, nazionale, non commerciale. Un sito Web sul Future of media è stato aperto all'indirizzo http://reboot.fcc.gov/futureofmedia Nel documento che dà il via a questo importante dibattito, la FCC cita un primo rapporto confezionato dalla Knight Commission dell'Aspen Institute, una importante organizzazione no profit che promuove la discussione pubblica su tematiche fondamentali per la politica e l'economia. Anche questo rapporto, Informing Communities - Sustaining democracy in the digital age, è disponibile online sul sito della Commissione e può essere scaricato qui.

FCC Cites Knight Commission in Future of Media Project

Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, the report of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, is the result of a year-long study to assess the information needs of communities across the United States. The report sets a vision for healthy, informed democratic communities and offers 15 policy measures to help citizens meet their local information needs. This report has received considerable press coverage as well as attention at the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC announced January 21, 2010:
"As the nation’s expert agency involved in media and communications policies, the FCC has begun an examination of the future of media and the information needs of communities in a digital age. The objective of this review is to assess whether all Americans have access to vibrant, diverse sources of news and information that will enable them to enrich their lives, their communities and our democracy. The Future of Media project will produce a report providing a clear, precise assessment of the current media landscape, analyze policy options and, as appropriate, make policy recommendations to the FCC, other government entities, and other parties."
"The bipartisan Knight Commission on Information Needs of Communities recently declared: America is at a critical juncture in the history of communications. Information technology is changing our lives in ways that we cannot easily foresee."
"The digital age is creating an information and communications renaissance. But it is not serving all Americans and their local communities equally. It is not yet serving democracy fully. How we react, individually and collectively, to this democratic shortfall will affect the quality of our lives and the very nature of our communities."
Read the complete FCC Public Notice. Learn more about the Future of media at its web site http://reboot.fcc.gov/futureofmedia.

More on the Knight Commission

The Knight Commission is the first major national commission to report on news and information in the digital era. It is comprised of 17 respected leaders from the fields of media, public policy and community organization, including co-chairs Theodore B. Olson and Marissa Mayer. Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation president and CEO, and Walter Isaacson, Aspen Institute president and CEO, served as ex-officio members. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided funding for the Commission and the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program gave the Commission its institutional home. Peter M. Shane, the Davis and Davis Chair in Law at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University, served as the Commission’s executive director.

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