California NIF Network Blog

Jon Stewart has become the leading advocate for the ‘public’s right to think’ with his interview on The Daily Show last night of Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s Mad Money. Like he did on CNN’s Crossfire in 2004, Stewart effectively articulated the disappointment and anger of many people as he made the case for more journalistic accountability and less entertainment-based excuses. Why is it that our most effective voice on 21st century journalism is a comedian? I think it’s time to talk more in a deliberative way about the role of the media in public discourse, and it would probably be best if the journalists just listen to the public this time. Or is that even possible? They’d probably feel obliged to have an expert panel tell us what we said after we conclude our forums.

The showdown between Stewart and Cramer was hyped for sure…helping both shows gain in viewership. On another level, however, the conversation wasn’t as much about the sins of omission or commission by CNBC as it was about the responsibility of ‘news’ shows on all media outlets to provide the unbiased, accurate and timely information the public needs to make decisions in the real world. No one is saying this is easy…not Stewart, and not me. That’s why it’s a critical profession. Cramer says he’s trying, but agreed that he and others at CNBC should have done better, concerning the financial bubble and meltdown. I think we need to have some serious conversations about the information we need, who provides it, and how we restore trust in profession that delivers the raw materials for critical thinking to millions of people on a daily basis.

Do we have a public right to think? If we do, we’d better consider our raw materials supply. Anyone knows that inferior raw materials can’t produce high-quality products. Applied critical thinking is needed now, more than ever, as our decisions become more intricately woven together to create a global fabric. Most of us want to make the best possible decisions we can for some selfish reasons…we want the benefits of those good decisions. In addition, however, many of us want to make good decisions as our contribution to the well-being of our family, our friends, our neighbors, our nation, our environment, and all of humanity. I think we need to talk about our ‘right to think’ as citizens, and I think this means we should talk about the media’s role in producing reliable and timely raw materials for our daily, critical thinking needs.

Posted by deliber8ca at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On March 4, 1789…yes, 220 years ago yesterday…New Hampshire ratified the U.S. Constitution to replace the Article of Confederation, making the new framework of our government operational. The ratification, however, may not have been completed without additional promises and negotiations about the rights of individuals under a new federal system. Ten amendments were added to the Constitution as the ‘Bill of Rights’ in 1791, fulfilling these critical promises and stabilizing a fragile new form of government. From the very start, the tension between ‘we the people’ and ‘I the citizen’ has been the focus of attention and conflict, even leading to the Civil War. And…it seems every generation of Americans must decide again and again how to balance the rights of the many with the rights of the one. My interest today is in this tension within the specific context of each generation…and each moment…in the dynamic life of our country.

I think we worry most about the extremes. If we push individual freedom to its limits, we probably end up with total anarchy with no meaningful relationships at all. Then, on the other hand, if we push the authority of the government to its limits, we end up with a totally homogenized population of followers who move like a herd of not-so-bright wildebeests who run because everyone else is running. Neither of these extremes is very attractive, so we’re basically forced to live in the range between them…where we have to constantly decide how to adjust our individual desires in light of the many ‘we’ relationships that make life fulfilling and sustainable, even the special ‘we’ relationship with our government.

My interest here is not just in this tension…I add to the mix the tension that comes from each new and unique context as ‘we’ decide things together as responsible, yet independent, citizens. It is our natural and changing environment that shapes us and our decisions much more than we’d like to admit. Physics, chemistry, genetics, and even the weather affect each us profoundly as cope with an ever-changing and dynamic context of ‘we’ decisions. Sheesh…it’s so complex, I can scarcely understand how we can get through just one day! My suspicion is that this triad of tensions plays a critical role in our personal, social, economic and political lives. Here we may find a profoundly philosophical foundation for effective issue framing. How does this issue affect ‘me’…‘we’…‘here and now’? Think about it. Talk about it.

Posted by deliber8ca at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We need to understand how the Great Depression was ended as we decide together how to stay out of a 21st century depression. According to recent research and current stock market declines, the probability of a full-on depression is now higher than 30%...and this estimate is climbing. People are talking about the decline of our economy and the pending financial meltdown of national economies around the world. How can we contribute to the deliberative conversation of our neighbors and leaders?

As I’m writing this, I’m also listening to an interview on MSNBC where the ‘expert’ on the show is complaining about the reemergence of ‘big government’ in the administration’s recovery plans. Just a couple days ago, the conversation on the ‘Morning Joe’ program focused on downplaying the severity of the economic crisis, and ridiculing those who want to intervene strongly to reverse our economic downward spiral. At this crucial time in our history and probably the most important time in our lives, it appears that we’re being led mostly by pundits, spin-artists and entertainers. What then should we do?

I’m thinking back on the lectures in my Economic History class at UC Santa Barbara in the early 70s. I took the class because it fulfilled a requirement, but found it to be one of the most eye-opening classes in my undergrad studies in Economics. Our professor had studied the Great Depression extensively, and had come to the conclusion with hard data and statistical analysis that New Deal methods were indeed effective. But here’s the problem…when unemployment was reduced from 25% to 10%, it was assumed that the Great Depression was over, so government spending was greatly reduced. Unfortunately, this caused the economy’s recovery momentum to stall…until the globalization of World War II. Then government spending and national sacrifice increased dramatically for a full-employment, totally-focused war effort. At the end of WWII, our economy emerged with new strength and confidence to bring an era of unprecedented innovation and prosperity.

So, here’s the reason this is important today…the evidence is clear that recovery from the Great Depression was achieved through massive government spending, uncompromising focus, and universal sacrifice. While the policies of the New Deal were unable to move us through recovery, these New Deal methods were mandated as a part of the war effort…and they did work. We’re wasting our time in debating whether the New Deal worked…recovery from the Great Depression came through spending, focus and sacrifice. What if we decided to start our conversations with this assumption, and then asked our neighbors to deliberate on how we spend precious government dollars wisely, how we create a laser-like focus on effective recovery, and how we inspire all Americans to choose sacrifice rather than privilege? I’m hoping we can decide our way out of this crisis rather than fight our way out through another awful war.

Posted by deliber8ca at 04:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)