What does it mean to be an informed citizen in America today?
Information has been democratized and diversified. Every cell phone video is a news story; every YouTube account is a classroom. Citizens no longer trust or rely on experts for their information, partially because they can obtain firsthand accounts of the world around them.
In the age of untrusted experts and folk journalism, what is the state of higher education and journalism? Is this trend a boon for our First Amendment rights? Is this the demise of informed citizenship?
The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ Open Mind series will explore “Informed Citizenship and the Economics of Information” with a panel discussion from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, in the Central Library Community Room.
Ken Paulsen, dean of Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment and president of the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center; Elisabeth Shook, librarian for copyright and scholarly communications at Vanderbilt University Libraries; and Chas Sisk, senior editor for Nashville Public Radio, will discuss how universities and news networks might strive to keep citizens informed.
The panel will consider the role of higher education and journalism in making informed citizens. If these institutions do have the responsibility of informing citizens, are they doing a good job? If not, what are the barriers?
Download a flyer for this event.