roundtable: Content is the cargo of truth

roundtable: Content is the cargo of truth

Content is the cargo of truth

Matt York (myork@videomaker.com)
Mon, 20 Mar 1995 09:31:30 -0800 

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 09:31:30 -0800
Message-Id: <199503201731.JAA01651@video.hidden.videomaker.com>
To: roundtable@cni.org
From: myork@videomaker.com (Matt York)
Subject: Content is the cargo of truth


On St. Patrick's day Vigdor Schreibman wrote:
>"Ultimately, however, betterment of content is the only thing that matters.
>That is one important reason why I have suggested that reliance upon the 
>market system is so 
>foolhardy, when profit pressures can be depended upon distorting the 
>content of all content and communications.  Content and 
>communications 
>to serve the public good is simply disregarded by the market, for 
>example, requiring an independent infrastructure to serve the paramount 
>social and environmental needs and interests of a mature democratic 
>nation.
> 
> The literature on this subject, while sparse, is not entirely absent.  
>I discussed the subject in my book "The Marketplace of Broadcasters' 
>Ideas," citing the insight of professor Zacharia Chaffee, Jr., 
> 
>      The mere absence of governmental restrictions will
>  not make newspapers and other instrumentalities play
> their proper part in the kind of society we desire.  In
> addition, affirmative action must be taken either by
>  the government or by other persons with power to
> influence methods and content

Karen Coyle also said:
>Content is a big issue, and you're right that there isn't much talk
>about it.


In a democracy the marketplace for ideas dictates "who is heard saying 
what". In a socialist system, the government takes money from its 
citizens to make sure the "right people are heard saying what they think 
should be". In a communist system the government starts out itself 
"being the right people to be heard" but then degenerates into 
"manufacturing who is heard and it is them". Then we have little red 
books and rewritten history.

The marketplace may be imperfect but its the best we can hope for. As far 
as the value of content goes, I think its really who is heard as well as 
what is heard. 

We really can't worry too much about what is said. We must have faith 
that the "truth" will prevail in an open and free environment. "Content 
and communications to serve the public good" is obviously subjective.

Its kind of like having a party and hoping the guests talk about "good" 
things. We really can't control that. All we can do is hope.  What we 
can do is to invite the right people. Who are they? Hopefully everybody. 

In reality very few people will -post, upload contribute or produce-
content, so it won't be everybody.
 
Who should be and what can we do to allow them to gain access? Why can't 
they gain access now?  Is anyone consuming too much conduit now for us 
to have hope of "reaching the truth"?

Does Dr. John Malone of TCI have too much bandwidth?

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