Since its release two weeks ago, Public Media 2.0: Dynamic, Engaged Publics, a report from American University's Center for Social Media, has attracted positive feedback from the twitterati and blognizanti from academia and, yes, public media. Authored by Jessica Clark, director of the Center's Future of Public Media Project and Pat Aufderheide, director of the Center for Social Media, Public Media 2.0 is a thorough examination of the participatory media infrastructure-the platforms, the tools, the players, the stakeholders--and the role it will continue to play in shaping democracy and democratic life. A product of four years of research-a period during which Public Media 2.0 arguably made its most dynamic manifestation in the 2008 US Presidential Election--the report looks forward, exploring new ideas about engagement and participation, propelled by the ever-expansive Web 2.0 world.
"The people formerly known as the audience have reorganized themselves into networks," said Clark, in a statement. "That throws open the doors for what public media can be."
"Tomorrow's public media will be media made by, for, and with the public, but it won't happen by accident," added Aufderheide. "This report provides a map of opportunities and ways to make the most of them."
Public Media 2.0 is available for downloading here here. And here's a Cliff's Notes/slideshow presentation of the report on Slideshare.net. And here's a clip of Jessica Clark explaining the essence of the report: