A working group of staff members at the Federal Communications Commission issued a report calling for Congress and policy makers to support civic journalism.
“There is a shortage of ‘local, professional accountability reporting’ which will (not surprisingly to any of us journalist folk) lead to corruption. The working group foresees a world where non-profit media, including web sites, state-based C-SPANs, citizens tweeting, and Low Power FM stations, need to play a bigger role in filling the information gap left behind by contracting newspapers and shrinking broadcast resources. The report also predicts more collaboration with non-profit media for needed content that has ceased to be – well, profitable – for today’s for-profit media companies.” writes Brittany Griffin Smith for the Citizen Media Law Project.
The group lists three goals for legislators and policy-makers: increasing transparency, making better use of public resources, and removing obstacles to innovation. -db
From a commentary for the Citizen Media Law Project, July 15, 2011, by Brittany Griffin Smith.