Section on Mass Communication Law
Marina Salon F, South Tower/Level 3, San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina
The Mass Speech of American Democracy: Getting What We Deserve?
What is the relationship between our version of democracy and our system of mass communications? How does the latter relate to what our democracy is and how it functions, and what it might aspire to be? One potential approach to these questions is through a communications supply-demand analysis that focuses on one of the most frequent indictments of the relationship: the failings of communications providers in facilitating informed self-government, and the failings of communications consumers in demanding the requisite types of communications fare to achieve that state:
Demand side: Recent popular books are claiming America remains in a dumbed-down-culture and it's getting worse. Is this true, and, if so, is the fault ultimately one of the public's attitude and unwillingness to demand knowledge-enhancing content? What can be done? Does it matter?
Supply side: How well are our information providers (news media, talk shows, news magazine/documentary shows, bloggers, etc.) doing at covering important issues such as Iraq/Afghanistan, international affairs, the 2008 elections, etc., and effectively communicating that information to the public? Is fair and objective coverage possible anymore (especially in light of the economic dislocations hitting the traditional news media), or are the forces of partisanship/sensationalism/infotainment dominating? Does it matter? Are non-market based solutions an increasingly important answer? How is the revolution in digital communications technologies affecting these issues?
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.
-Click here to listen to podcast-