CRISIS IN DEMOCRACY: CRISIS IN DEMOCRACY: RENEWING TRUST IN AMERICA RENEWING TRUST IN AMERICA THE REPORT OF THE KNIGHT COMMISSION ON TRUST, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY This is a project of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 19/002 The Knight Commission invites you to join the public dialogue on this report beginning February 2019 at http://as.pn/trust or by using the Twitter hashtag #knightcomm Copyright © 2019 by the Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute 2300 N Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20037 Published in the United States of America in 2019 by the Aspen Institute All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 4.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/us/. Individuals are encouraged to cite this report and its contents. In doing so, please include the following attribution: Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy, Crisis in Democracy: Renewing Trust in America, Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute, February 2019. For more information, contact: To purchase additional copies of The Aspen Institute this report, please contact: Communications and Society Program The Aspen Institute 2300 N Street, NW Publications Office Suite 700 P.O. Box 222 Washington, DC 20037 Carmichael Road Phone: (202) 736-5818 Queenstown, Maryland 21658 Phone: (410) 820-5326 Email: [email protected] Publication design by Miller Creative Group Website design by the Aspen Institute CONTENTS Statement by the Co-Chairs, Tony Marx and Jamie Woodson 2 Executive Summary 5 Crisis in Democracy: Renewing Trust in America The Report of the Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy Part I. Context Chapter 1. Trust in Democratic Governance 14 Chapter 2. Media and Democracy: Our American History 24 Chapter 3. The New Media Environment 38 Chapter 4. Why Has Trust in Government and Media Declined? 52 Part II. Recommendations Chapter 5. Restoring Trust in Journalism 72 Chapter 6. Strengthening Democracy Through Technology 104 Chapter 7. Revitalizing Citizenship in the Digital Age 126 Call to Action 148 Endnotes 153 Appendix Glossary 171 Contributors to the Knight Commission 176 Members of the Commission 180 The Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy Anthony W. Marx Jamie Woodson Co-Chairs Raney Aronson-Rath Meredith Artley Stephen L. Carter Perry Chen Nonny de la Peña Richard Edelman Francis Fukuyama Theaster Gates Richard Gingras Sean Gourley Amy Gutmann H. Fisk Johnson Joanne Lipman Nuala O’Connor Eduardo Padrón Eduardo M. Peñalver Deb Roy Christopher Ruddy Mizell Stewart III Charles Sykes John Thornton Anthea Watson Strong Jonathan Zittrain Members Alberto Ibargüen Daniel R. Porterfield Ex-Officio Charles M. Firestone Executive Director A project of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. STATEMENT BY THE CO-CHAIRS THE REPORT OF THE KNIGHT COMMISSION ON TRUST, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY 1 There is an urgency today in the United States. Political polarization has reached crisis proportions. Americans cannot assume that their fellow citizens are operating under the same set of facts. Many of us live inside echo chambers where only our own political sentiments can be heard, and distrust those who do not agree with our particular viewpoint. Provocateurs and hatemongers, foreign and domestic, are fueling disagreements, and media are amplifying the divides. Some of this is recent, but some is the continuation of long trends of media disruption, voter apathy and political polarization. However one describes the problem, there is a disturbing discord in the American polity that needs everyone’s attention and resolution to fix. This Commission report focuses on the intersection of the distrust in American democratic institutions and in the journalistic media. These are difficult times, calling for strong responses to the dilemmas set forth below. The Knight Commission on Trust, Media and Democracy consists of 27 individuals from various sectors of society—current and former members of media, business, nonprofits, academia, government and the arts. A partnership of the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Commission began working in the summer of 2017 with the aim of reporting in early 2019. During that time, the Commission benefited from a wide diversity of input on crucially important issues. It held meetings around the country, hearing from a wide array of witnesses, scholars, activists, government officials and, through a Medium channel, the general public. We as co-chairs are awed by the concern, competence and commitment of our fellow Commissioners as well as the many others who have participated in the process. It is a daunting task that the Commission has undertaken, and none, in our minds, could be more important. What should Americans do to restore trust in our democratic republic and the media that serve it and us? More specifically, what can our leaders, our media and our citizens do to better understand the “other,” to distinguish between truth and disinformation and to govern ourselves fairly and effectively? The Commission considered many creative ideas for solutions and refined the ones it considered the best and most practical. Some are bold, some are obvious, all are aspirational. They embrace a set of values that provides a compass for where this country should go: responsibility, transparency, diversity, innovation and commitment to the greater good. 2 CRISIS IN DEMOCRACY: RENEWING TRUST IN AMERICA STATEMENT BY THE CO-CHAIRS For example, we look to the journalism sector to be more transparent in how they develop, write and correct stories, and in telling us who they are. We look to the digital distributors of news to act more responsibly in determining what goes out over their media, while also giving consumers more control over what they receive. We also support measures that give consumers the opportunity to change providers. And we ask all Americans, including their political, media and business leaders, to commit to this country’s basic democratic ideals by becoming more civically- and digitally-literate citizens. Each Commissioner comes at the issues from a different perspective, life experience and value set. Yet we were all able to agree on these principles and proposals. We are particularly proud that this Commission modeled what we hope America can do more of: come together, listen to the other, find common values and common ground, and move forward with goodwill and ambitious aims. Some of the Commission’s recommendations are specifically intended to encourage this kind of civic deliberation to take place more often, across political, geographical and class divides. That is our message, one that we hope all Americans commit to pursuing in the years ahead regardless of their political viewpoints and the particular issues facing their communities and nation. This report has two parts. The first defines the issues and establishes the context. The second sets forth a series of unanimous recommendations addressed to government, media executives, business leaders, journalists, political leaders and every citizen. That said, we each have different opinions on particular details that we hope to expand on in the days and years ahead. We also note that while each of the Commissioners supports these measures, the organizations for which they work do not necessarily endorse every point. We have many to thank for bringing us to the culmination of this report. We do so in the Contributors to the Knight Commission section at the end of the report. The foundations of the American form of government are built on the assumption that truth will prevail from a fair deliberation among people of goodwill, coming together for a common purpose. Each of these elements is in crisis. The American identity is at stake. The urgency is clear. We urge you to act. Tony Marx Jamie Woodson Co-Chair Co-Chair THE REPORT OF THE KNIGHT COMMISSION ON TRUST, MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 CRISIS IN DEMOCRACY: RENEWING TRUST IN AMERICA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There is a crisis of trust in American democracy. By virtually every measure, Americans’ trust in most of their democratic institutions, and particularly in the media, has declined dramatically over the past half century. A country that provides universal education, proclaims press freedom and enjoys the legacy of one of the oldest representative governments in the world is nevertheless having great difficulty understanding and supporting its democracy. Why are Americans losing faith in democratic institutions? Government appears gridlocked and unresponsive amid large-scale global shocks and serious domestic challenges. American politics are sharply polarized. The gap between the wealthy and the poor continues to grow, with declining prospects for upward mobility. And racial tensions persist. Although a vibrant free press is an essential element of a healthy democracy, much of the public lacks faith that the news media are accurate and unbiased. While most people find some content source that they like, they show declining trust in news media as a category. Advances in technology have given citizens unparalleled access to the world’s great pool of knowledge and people. Yet that same technology is overwhelming individuals’ ability to find news they consider trustworthy. Because the internet allows anybody to create content and share it widely, there are fewer controls over accuracy. Misinformation and disinformation are spreading virally, sometimes by innocent sharing, sometimes with malice. Meanwhile, the line between news and opinion has become blurred, as news reporting is increasingly intermixed with commentary. Declining revenues have forced many local news organizations to cut back substantially or shut their doors entirely, creating local “news deserts.” And attacks by politicians on the media are further shaking people’s trust in the press.