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Galvanising the Fourth Estate

Galvanising the Fourth Estate. The National Forum e-Petition site Graham Young Executive Director The National Forum 17 th August, 2005. Why is the fourth estate fourth?. Newest comer In modern times the fourth has become first Communities rarely form around government consultations

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Galvanising the Fourth Estate

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  1. Galvanising the Fourth Estate The National Forum e-Petition site Graham Young Executive Director The National Forum 17th August, 2005

  2. Why is the fourth estate fourth? • Newest comer • In modern times the fourth has become first • Communities rarely form around government consultations • Communities that form around politicians are called political parties • Media organisations invariably form, or form from, community.

  3. What is the National Forum • Media organisation formed to use the ‘net for explicitly democratic purposes • Town Square • Shopping Centre of Ideas • Producer’s Co-op • eDemocracy project

  4. The National Forum • 230,000 site visits per month • 70,000 individual readers per month • 700,000 page views per month • 8,000 people on regular email lists • 16,000 profiles. • Australian population 20 million

  5. Concept Any of us should be able to enter the site and engage with, and/or act upon, political information as it suits us, and to whatever level suits us.

  6. Meeting in the middle Community • A problem or need • Discussion/Debate • Resolution of the discussion into a proposition or series of propositions • Determination of a majority position on the proposition • Consent of the governed • Action Government

  7. Stages • Passively consume – entry level of complexity • Investigate – research tools and information should be readily available – more detailed level of complexity • Discuss – forums and one-to-one discussion potentially with authors, researchers, legislators etc. • Organise - hook-up with others to influence outcomes • Interact with the institutions of democracy

  8. Method • Posted poll http://petitions.nationalforum.com.au • Poll also in the form of a parliamentary petition • Sponsored by members – Rights Australia and Marise Payne • Supported by articles: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3514

  9. Method cont. • Supported by forum debate: 119 comments on Georgiou article alone • Allowed votes for (6,051)and against (39) and comments. • Viral marketing – emails to subscription lists, advertising script, draft email • Validated email address and created profiles • Linked signatories to electorates

  10. Method cont… • Petition tabled in Senate • Each MHR received an email with a merge file of their constituents and their responses • Reported back to signatories • Followed-up with signatories on responsiveness of MPs

  11. Results • Government compromised. Poll, particularly results, must have played a part • A related petition involving another politician - Anna Burke - to follow. • Metric introduced as “carrot and stick” to encourage MPs to respond. • Sponsors and others have contact details and tools to continue conversation.

  12. Theoretical considerations - Morrisett • Widespread and effective access to decision-makers • provision of relevant and timely information • interaction within and between institutionally, politically or geographically distinct networked communities • access to various positions in relation to policy issues • the capacity to register choices, and awareness of the implications of different choices

  13. Morrisett cont. • evidence that such deliberations have informed actions by governing institutions or elected representatives in relation to those issues

  14. Theoretical Considerations - Coleman • Aesthetics (Culture of Sobriety) • Metrics

  15. Fourth Estate the Enfolding Estate • Internet blurs boundaries between media and publications • Vast bulk of the Internet is concerned with “vanity publishing” • Communities form more readily around media than organs of government. • Some part of the democratic disconnect to do with perception that politics exploits, rather than is part of, community.

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