This document discusses emerging models for participatory journalism in public media. It examines how public media is transforming in the digital age through increased user participation, social media, and new production and distribution tools. New models range along a spectrum from closed, broadcast-style systems to more open, collaborative models. Experiments in civic and community journalism show promise, but public broadcasting still tends to prioritize traditional broadcast. The future may bring more hybrid approaches combining open and closed systems for different goals.
2. The Future of Public MediaProject goal: to examine the transformation of public media in a digital, globalized ageActivities:ResearchCodes of Best PracticeStakeholder conveningsPolicy analysis
4. Our Assumptions Media for public knowledge and actionDesigned to support civic agency and the formation of publics in democraciesDistinct from advocacy mediaEmergent: not just public broadcasting
6. Game ChangersIncreasingly cheaper production & distribution toolsEscalating broadband mobile useExplosion in social media, social gamingWork, play and civic action “in the cloud”APIs, maps and mashups
12. Decentralized R&DFoundations supporting innovation in community and international news, educational mediaNews labs popping up:Nieman, J-Lab, IRW, RJI Widespread individual and corporate experimentation with new platforms
14. Examining the Old GrowthWhen ecologists go into the field to research natural ecosystems, they seek out the old-growth forests, the places where nature has had the longest amount of time to evolve and diversify and interconnect. The political web covering the 2008 campaigns was so rich because it’s old growth media…Web 2.0-style political coverage has had a decade to mature into its current state.—Steven Berlin Johnson
21. A Spectrum of EngagementStrategic choices for public media
23. State of PlayPublic broadcasting: generally still more closed than openHowever: Public contexts rising alongside public contentIncrease in hybrid news sites, combining various models for different goals