Media Bridges

On the drive back to Columbus from the Cincinnati One Web Day event, I was not only trying to figure out the best way to present the event in my blog post but also the best way to answer questions from my eleven year old.  I brought my son with me to the event.  I let him miss school (not a minor decision) in order to expose him to a situation where he could ask a question of a representative of a presidential candidate and to talk with others about the importance of technology in our lives.  I also wanted him to understand how the event came to be and why it was important.   Ultimately, those are the same things I want to convey to you. 

We did not have a representative of McCain participate.  Gigi Sohn, founder of Public Knowledge, represented Obama.

I should define the process for invitations.  I emailed invitations to both campaigns.  Through my involvement with the Obama campaign I was given a good email address for requesting a McCain rep.  The request was forwarded twice.  We landed with an individual who tried his best to get us someone.  Unfortunately when it turned out Michael Powell was not available in the morning, the McCain folks were unable to find us someone who a) wanted to participate and b) made it through their vetting process.   Very unfortunate.  Also important to note, we did invite the Nader folks.  No response.

The most fitting means of discussing online civic participation is via online civic participation.  If you live in a battleground state, turns out you can do so within the context of a presidential election ☺.

On Monday, September 22, representatives of Senator Obama and Senator McCain will discuss their candidate’s technology platform with interested citizens and the media in Cincinnati Ohio. Via Skype video chat.

Tech policy today is super important.  Should all citizens have access to affordable broadband?  Should all citizens have access to training to utilize broadband?  How should innovation be encouraged to ensure job development and technological advances?  Should the internet be regulated to ensure full participation?  These are some of the technology issues our next presidential administration needs to have thought through.   And thought through very carefully.

Imagine you were told the way you have been doing business is obsolete. Who told you this? Mostly government officials. (Yes, I know the government is always on the cutting edge of technology.) How would you respond? You would probably respond similarly to the 5/10/whatever steps of grief/anger. That is pretty much what has happened to Community Media Centers, those places where community folks learned to shoot, edit and produce video. Those places where community organizations, religious organizations and local governments post their events and produce their shows. They have been told they are no longer needed now that the Internet can stream video. (Often referred to as the YouTube phenomenon). They have been told this because the government officials (and those who would restrict future funding) do not understand that distributing the locally produced content on cable is only one piece of the public benefit provided by Community Media Centers.

After going through their multiple steps of grief/anger, community media folks are planning for their future. As a community, they are discussing how to best be of benefit to the individuals in their regions who need them. They are discussing how to post locally created content online, how doing so changes the structure they have been familiar with.

I was honored to engage in these discussions at the Central States Alliance for Community Media Regional Conference & Trade Show where they had asked me to speak on a couple of panels. I love spending time with folks who have dedicated themselves to their cause. And these folks very much have.

Some in community media are very uncomfortable with the idea of becoming an online creation and distribution hub for community media. Others have already started down the path.

During my sessions we discussed the following: