On March 23, 2010, ConnectNetwork, in partnership with The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia, the Knight Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University, hosted the Summit on New Media + Change in Richmond. We asked 70 participants from the media (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Style Weekly, WRIR and others) nonprofits, government and activists, what should an informed Richmond look like and what steps can we take to get there? We captured their discussions and now, we ask the Richmond community to comment on the findings. ConnectNetwork will use all feedback to create a final draft and consideration of next steps.
Why does your input matter? Advancements in technology and social media are changing the way we communicate, yet in the same breath, traditional media is in need of reinventing, local stories grow scarcer by the month, and many citizens still do not have Internet access or the opportunity to engage in their community and have their voices heard. It is our responsibility as a community to ensure that every individual has their personal and civic information needs met and the chance to participate in local matters.
Please take a few minutes to read the big ideas and action steps that came from this summit. You may confirm and/or expand on what was said, submit new ideas and even disagree with statements made. Your thoughts are critical for shaping change efforts in Richmond. We have posted the findings on blogspot. You may leave your comments there by simply clicking on “comments” at the very bottom. Be sure to include your name. You may also email your thoughts to us: networkinfo@connectnetwork.org.
For further background on the summit, the discussion topics were framed by the 2009 Knight Commission Report which calls for informed communities, described by the following:
- Information is open and accessible to all people, regardless of socio-economic status;
- Information represents the interests and perspectives of the entire community;
- Government is open and transparent;
- Affordable high-speed Internet services are available to all;
- Information intermediaries, such as libraries and universities, engage with information and make it convenient and accessible to citizens;
- Digital and media literacy is widely taught;
- Local media is abundant in many forms and accessible through many platforms; and
- Citizens can assess and track changes in the information health of their community.
Lastly, if you are interested in being involved with this project in the future, please let us know via email: networkinfo@connectnetwork.org
Thank you for your continued support,
ConnectNetwork and ConnectRichmond