The 2005 Graham Spry Memorial Lecture Making Media: Creating the Conditions for Communication in the Public Good

Abstract

Contemporary media in all their guises support and sustain an unprecedented platform for communication and public discussion - for those who are able to participate. Creating an environment in which media can flourish is the domain of public policy. The media policy framework and the possibilities that it provides are terribly misunderstood. That does not mean that media policy should be cast aside. Using a range of historical and contemporary issues and examples, this article explores how people and their public institutions can create the conditions that enable media and communication technologies to serve the public good.