Media & communications - openDemocracy (Page 140)

The Fire and the Games: how London’s Olympic opening confronted corporate values

London 2012's opening ceremony had a lot to say about the British and their homeland. Behind the eccentricity and humour lay a radical challenge to neoliberalism and the corporate control that the City of London thrives upon, and the Games have embraced. It showed that a different form of popular

By Anthony Barnett

/ 30 Jul 2012

One year after terrorism struck Norway: taking stock

Key figures in the Norwegian media have acted on the assumption that open confrontation with right-wing bloggers and activists is the most effective strategy to combat extremism.

By Anders Ravik Jupskås and Tore Wig

/ 24 Jul 2012

Notes from the Editor-in-Chief

Our Editor-in-Chief launches a new front page feature. His first note reflects on Norway's past year and the need for eternal vigilance both against online hate speech and the new manacles on internet freedom in the pipeline.

By Magnus Nome

/ 23 Jul 2012

Exploring the commons

Today's rediscovery of the notion of the commons stems directly from the need to regulate and to explore how to enable the collaborative action of a multiplicity of protagonists who are autonomous and so not governable by simple authoritative mechanisms.

By Marco Berlinguer

/ 12 Jul 2012

The commons: beyond the market vs. state dilemma

Elinor Ostrom, the Nobel Prizewinner who died this week, pioneered this work. Value is created through the logic of sharing with others in an open and even casual way. Innovation is no longer a monopoly, unassailably colonised by mercantile initiative.

By Joan Subirats

/ 12 Jul 2012

Reinventing democracy in Europe: introducing the week

The economic and social travails sweeping through Europe can be traced to an imperceptible but seismic shift in the ground of European democracy. This is the takeover and corruption of democratic politics by an amalgam of economic and political elites, a change poorly compensated for by the rise o

By Ash Amin

/ 10 Jul 2012

Reclaiming democratic demands from the populists

As citizens lose confidence in democratic institutions, xenophobic populist parties thrive and join their voices to the critique of the state of national and European democracies. Their arguments often coincide with those of liberal or leftist critics, but their goals are radically different

By Jordi Vaquer

/ 10 Jul 2012

Russian journalists: poor, venal… but (usually) honest

Journalism in Russia has never been easy, but today the complications are many. If you write to order, you may be financially better off but you will be despised. If you are honest, then you can end up risking life and limb. But despite the dangers there are still journalists prepared to stand up

By Mikhail Loginov

/ 6 Jul 2012

Breaking the chains of linear programming: an open letter to the future DG

In order to satisfy its commitment to technological innovation, the BBC needs to place greater emphasis on experiments with interactive programming. Recognising this is not a case of smoke and mirrors but imperative to representing the public interest.

By Mandy Rose

/ 28 Jun 2012

Does the government need new internet surveillance powers?

The UK faces a range of cyber threats to its security – including terrorist cells, child pornography and cyber-crime. Are they enough to justify extending the government’s powers of online surveillance?

By Gilbert Ramsay

/ 21 Jun 2012

From 'special interest' to public interest: minority programming and the BBC’s democratic mandate

One of the BBC's most lauded strengths is its ability to tailor programming for its audiences' special interests. The future DG should attempt to harness the ethos of this diverse and high quality output with a view to rebuilding the institution's democratic vision.

By Jamie Mackay

/ 15 Jun 2012

BBC beta – Any better?

The latest incarnation of the BBC website is a revealing insight into the institution's changing priorities. But what does the new, stark layout reveal about the influence of Government policy on public service broadcasting in the UK?

By Sam Caleb

/ 13 Jun 2012