Who Controls the Message? Producing and Distributing Media Content in the Digital Age

Drawing on research by the Open Society Foundations into the worldwide impact of new and digital media, this forum discusses the role that these evolving forms of media can play in the development and strengthening of democratic societies.

 The discussion considers questions such as:

• Who owns today’s media? Is ownership concentration harmful to diversity—or essential for creativity in a globalized marketplace?
• How can digital media help or harm public interest journalism?
• Is editorial independence being strengthened or undermined?
• Is the freedom of online media undermined by new gatekeepers?
• How are citizens responding? Is digital media increasing activism and participation? Or is it overwhelming and numbing people with a cascade of ever-more information?
• What is the overall impact of these changes and issues on democracy?

Speakers

• Marius Dragomir, Senior Manager/Publications Editor, Open Society Media Program
• Behrouz Afagh, Head of Journalism, BBC World Service (moderator)
• Aboubakr Jamaï, Editor of lakome.com, co-founder and former editor of Le Journal Hebdomadaire (Morocco),
• Tom Glaisyer, Knight Media Policy Fellow, New America Foundation 
• Fernando Bermejo, Associate Professor of Communications, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain); Faculty Associate, Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University