What’s the future of public discussion in this time of political polarization, harsh rhetoric, fake news, and spin? What policy possibilities might help revitalize it? And what actions might we take to implement them?
The Interactivity Foundation will celebrate its 30th birthday this Fall by hosting a montage of small group round table discussions about the future of public discussion. This event, which will be conducted in partnership with the Newseum Institute, will take place in Washington DC at the Newseum and Knight Conference Center from 12 Noon to 2:30 PM on Thursday, September 21st. It will seek to identify a wide range of concerns facing public discourse—and the various policy and actions that we might take to address them.
The Newseum and the Newseum Institute are dedicated to the explanation and defense of the five freedoms stipulated in the First Amendment to the Constitution, namely, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government about our grievances. Widely regarded as one of the most interactive museums in the world, more than seven million visitors have passed through the Newseum’s doors at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue since it opened in 2008.
This is the second event in which IF has partnered with the Newseum Institute. The first, IF’s sanctuary project on The Future of Free Speech, should be ready to publish a discussion guide this winter. By embracing their shared roles as neutral forums for fostering open and thoughtful discussions, the Newseum and IF are exploring some of the central governance debates of our time, including the future of investigative journalism, free speech, the tensions between national security and privacy, and the role of religious freedom.