America’s Critical Community Information Needs

Abstract

This book critiques U.S. public policy about communication and offers guidelines to improve public safety and create strong democratic communities. The lack of effective emergency communication, basic information about health care, education, jobs and the economy, and civic life is at a crisis state, creating problems for the whole community, not just a vulnerable few. The Communications Crisis in America is not because of changing markets or new technology, it is the failure of public policy. The authors include economists, sociologists, journalists, lawyers and a diverse group of media and communication scholars, all offering an urgent call to action and difficult, but achievable steps forward. Foreword; Acknowledgments; Contents; Notes on Contributors; List of Figures; List of Tables; Introduction; Section 1: Preface: New Approaches to Solving the Communications Challenge; Chapter 1: America's Critical Community Information Needs; Defining Critical Information Needs; Everyday and€Quality-of-Life Needs; Emergencies and€Public Safety; Health; Education; Transportation Systems; Environment and€Planning; Economic Development; Civic and€Democratic Life; Civic Information; Political Life; Location, Location, Location; Public Policy; References. Chapter 2: Understanding Our New Communications Economy: Implications for€Contemporary JournalismIntroduction; The Decline of€the€Traditional Business Model for€News; The Evolving News Ecosystem; Algorithms and€Automation; Single-Subject News; Audience Engagement; Shifting Dynamics Between Large and€Small Market Journalism; Conclusion; References; Chapter 3: Researching Community Information Needs; Communication Ecologies and€Community Research; Economic Research: Market and€Audience Analyses; Information Inequality and€Digital Exclusion Research. Mass Communication Research and€Content AnalysisComputational Social Science Research and€Network Analysis; Conclusion; References; Section 2: Preface: Communication Challenges in a Changing America; Chapter 4: Understanding a€Diverse America's Critical Information Needs; Introduction; Addressing Race and€Ethnicity; The Internet Alone Is Not the€Answer; Historical Gaps Resulting from€the€Nature of€the€Exchange; Different Groups Create Different Media Environments at Home; Conducting Research on€American Diversity and€Diversity of€Media Use; Challenge and€Opportunity; References. Chapter 5: Feminist Perspectives on€Critical Information NeedsIntroduction; Women and€the€Politics of€Information; Women's Political and€Economic Status; Women's Health and€Welfare; Women's Civic and€Political Engagement; Women's (Lack of) Access to€Information; Discussion and€Policy Recommendations; References; Chapter 6: Ethnic Media and€the€Social Incorporation of€New Americans; The Audiences of Ethnic Media and the Critical Information Needs These Media Help Address; Ethnic Media's Constraints on€Meeting Audiences' Critical Information Needs; Conclusions; Notes.