Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy
Encyclopedia
The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy is a group of 17 American media, policy and community leaders formed to assess the information needs of communities in the United States in the 21st Century, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation funded the Commission and commissioned the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program to run it. The co-chairs of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy are Theodore B. Olson
, American lawyer and former Solicitor General of the United States, and Marissa Mayer
, Vice President of Search Product and User Experience at Google
. The Commission held its first public meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2008, and subsequent meetings or community forums in Aspen, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Missoula, Montana; Mountain View, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. The Knight Commission released its report, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age on October 2, 2009.
On October 28, 2009 the Federal Communications Commission appointed Steven Waldman, Steven Waldman
president and editor-in-chief of beliefnet.com, "to lead an agency-wide initiative to assess the state of media in these challenging economic times and make recommendations designed to ensure a vibrant media landscape." In announcing the appointment the Commission cited the Knight Commission as one of the factors leading to this appointment and initiative.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-294328A1.doc
Marissa Mayer, co-chair, vice president of Search Product and User Experience, Google
Theodore B. Olson, co-chair, constitutional lawyer and former Solicitor General of the United States
danah boyd
, social media researcher at Microsoft Research and Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University
John Carroll
, former editor, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun and Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader
Robert Decherd
, chief executive officer, A.H. Belo Corporation
Reed Hundt
, former chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Alberto Ibargüen
, ex officio, president and chief executive officer, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Walter Isaacson
, ex officio, president and chief executive officer, The Aspen Institute
Benjamin Todd Jealous
, president and chief executive officer, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP)
Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer, Lee Enterprises
Monica Lozano, publisher and chief executive officer, La Opinión
Lisa MacCallum, managing director and general manager, Nike Foundation
Andrew Mooney, executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation/Chicago (LISC)
Donna Nicely, director, Nashville Public Library
Michael Powell
, former chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Rey Ramsey
, co-founder and chief executive officer, One Economy Corporation
Paul Sagan, president and chief executive officer, Akamai
Peter Shane
, executive director of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy , Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law, Ohio State University
The Commission report was presented to several notable federal officials during a forum at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 2009. Participating officials included Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; Aneesh Chopra, the Obama administration's Chief Technology Officer; and Ernest J. Wilson III, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Theodore Olson
Theodore Bevry Olson is a former United States Solicitor General, serving from June 2001 to July 2004 under President George W. Bush.- Early life :...
, American lawyer and former Solicitor General of the United States, and Marissa Mayer
Marissa Mayer
Marissa Ann Mayer is Vice President of Location and Local Services at the search engine company Google. She has become one of the public faces of Google, providing a number of press interviews and appearing at events frequently to speak on behalf of the company.-Education and career :After...
, Vice President of Search Product and User Experience at Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
. The Commission held its first public meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2008, and subsequent meetings or community forums in Aspen, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Missoula, Montana; Mountain View, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. The Knight Commission released its report, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age on October 2, 2009.
On October 28, 2009 the Federal Communications Commission appointed Steven Waldman, Steven Waldman
Steven Waldman
Steven Waldman is Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, serving out of the Office of Strategic Planning. Previously, Waldman was the Editor-in-Chief, President, and co-founder of Beliefnet, a multi-faith spirituality website....
president and editor-in-chief of beliefnet.com, "to lead an agency-wide initiative to assess the state of media in these challenging economic times and make recommendations designed to ensure a vibrant media landscape." In announcing the appointment the Commission cited the Knight Commission as one of the factors leading to this appointment and initiative.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-294328A1.doc
Members of the Commission
The 17 members of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy are:Marissa Mayer, co-chair, vice president of Search Product and User Experience, Google
Theodore B. Olson, co-chair, constitutional lawyer and former Solicitor General of the United States
danah boyd
Danah Boyd
danah boyd also known as Danah Michele Boyd, is an American social media researcher known for her public commentary on the use of social networking sites by youth...
, social media researcher at Microsoft Research and Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University
John Carroll
John Carroll (journalist)
John S. Carroll was the editor of the Los Angeles Times and The Baltimore Sun. During his tenure the Times won 13 Pulitzer Prizes.-Early career:...
, former editor, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun and Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader
Robert Decherd
Robert Decherd
Robert Decherd is the Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of A. H. Belo Corporation of Dallas, which owns six daily newspapers, including The Dallas Morning News, The Providence Journal and Riverside, California's Press-Enterprise. He is also Chairman of Belo Corp...
, chief executive officer, A.H. Belo Corporation
Reed Hundt
Reed Hundt
Reed E. Hundt was chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission from 1993 to 1997. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, he served for most of Clinton's first term. He was succeeded by William Kennard.- Biography :Hundt attended high school in Washington D.C at the prestigious St....
, former chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
Alberto Ibargüen
Alberto Ibargüen
Alberto Ibargüen is President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami, Florida. He is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald in Miami, Florida, and is chairman of the board of the World Wide Web Foundation, founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee...
, ex officio, president and chief executive officer, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is a writer and biographer. He is the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C. He has been the Chairman and CEO of CNN and the Managing Editor of TIME...
, ex officio, president and chief executive officer, The Aspen Institute
Benjamin Todd Jealous
Benjamin Jealous
Benjamin Todd Jealous is the current president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People . He is the youngest ever national leader of the organization.-Early life and education:...
, president and chief executive officer, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP)
Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer, Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 54 daily newspapers in 23 states, and more than 300 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by A.W. Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa....
Monica Lozano, publisher and chief executive officer, La Opinión
La Opinión
La Opinión is a Spanish-language daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, USA and distributed throughout the six counties of Southern California. It is the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States and second-most read newspaper in Los Angeles . It is published by...
Lisa MacCallum, managing director and general manager, Nike Foundation
Andrew Mooney, executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corporation/Chicago (LISC)
Donna Nicely, director, Nashville Public Library
Michael Powell
Michael Powell (politician)
Michael Kevin Powell is an American Republican politician and lobbyist. He is the incoming president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association . He was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission by President Bill Clinton on 3 November 1997. President George W. Bush designated...
, former chairman, Federal Communications Commission
Rey Ramsey
Rey Ramsey
Rey Ramsey is an American social justice entrepreneur, author, and the former CEO of the One Economy Corporation, a nonprofit he co-founded in 2000...
, co-founder and chief executive officer, One Economy Corporation
One Economy Corporation
One Economy Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based, global, nonprofit organization that uses the power of technology to connect underserved, low-income communities around the world to vital online information and resources....
Paul Sagan, president and chief executive officer, Akamai
Akamai Technologies
Akamai Technologies, Inc. is an Internet content delivery network headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.The company was founded in 1998 by then-MIT graduate student Daniel M. Lewin, and MIT Applied Mathematics professor Tom Leighton...
Peter Shane
Peter M. Shane
Peter Milo Shane is a law professor and writer. His best-known scholarly work focuses mainly on two subjects. The first is separation of powers law, especially law and the presidency. His work often explores what he calls an institutional conception of the rule of law in a separation of powers...
, executive director of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy , Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
Commission Report
The Commission report, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, represents one of the most comprehensive initiatives to identify the various types of information that individuals and communities need in order to function and thrive in the digital era. The report's most urgent finding is that a "broadband gap", a "literacy gap" and a "participation gap" combined threaten to hold those U.S. residents who are young, poor and live in rural areas in a second-class status as citizens. The report contains 15 numbered recommendations listed under three broader objectives that seek to "maximize the availability of relevant and credible information", "enhance the information capacity of individuals", and "promote public engagement." A top priority noted in the report is universal broadband access to all Americans.The Commission report was presented to several notable federal officials during a forum at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 2009. Participating officials included Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; Aneesh Chopra, the Obama administration's Chief Technology Officer; and Ernest J. Wilson III, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.