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manifesto On the level of policy, the philanthropic community could add its voice in support of network neutrality and efforts to improve the United States' miserable record in providing true broadband Internet accessible to the public, regardless of ability to pay.

even when unprofitable;

• promote efforts to extend the true accessibility of broadband Internet to the public, even when unprofitable;

For these efforts to succeed, it is important to enable international linkages in all areas:

• experiments in other media systems, including developing countries, are developing technologies and models that have applications in the US
• the media are increasingly global, and the U.S. is not a market leader: contact and collaboration with scholars and practioners in other countries is critically important
• international coverage, which is in decline in the U.S., can be improved and increased through collaboration with media producers of all kinds around the world

leverage the centuries of combined expertise and experience extant in the journalism corps, providing the tools and skills that will enable journalists to participate in the new environment when their current employers are reluctant or unable to do so;

• support networked efforts that put public service function first and that use the best of new and existing media to create media that complements rather than competing with existing news media;
• challenge existing public media to fulfill its mission in the new digital environment;

players and various models of al In order to realize this potential, concerted efforts are required by groups motivated by the

serves the public 

is needed to support an engaged, informed public

for complete are struggling to save their businesses. Professional journalists are desperate to save their jobs. Big entertainment and technology companies are building online empires designed to collect mass audiences, regardless of the content. Meanwhile, political and technology bloggers are talking to each other and their book agents about their growing impact. Citizen journalists are wondering just how long this will continue to be fun. The majority of the public is watching TV and paying little attention.

The goal of an informed public is not at the top of anyone's agenda. This is even more true for the less wealthy, less wired, less active public(s).

It is critical for those who care about an informed public to shift their focus from the self-identified needs of content producers new and old and focus instead on the needs of the audience for news and information. Projects to do this should aim to:

• understand and promote the functions and qualities of news and information that will serve the needs of various communities, completely independent of the model of production or distribution;
• discard the myth that the US media system was ever "perfect" and aim instead to build the best possible system going forward;
• leverage the centuries of combined expertise and experience extant in the journalism corps, providing the tools and skills that will enable journalists to participate in the new environment when their current employers are reluctant or unable to do so;
• support networked efforts that put public service function first and that use the best of new and existing media to create media that complements rather than competing with existing news media;
• challenge existing public media to fulfill its mission in the new digital environment;
• educate the audience to be better and more active consumers of news, recognizing that the vast majority will remain essentially passive;
• promote efforts to extend the true accessibility of broadband Internet to the public, even when unprofitable;
• support civil society organizations in developing their use of new media in ways that promote not only advocacy but also independent journalism

For these efforts to succeed, it is important to enable international linkages in all areas:

• experiments in other media systems, including developing countries, are developing technologies and models that have applications in the US
• the media are increasingly global, and the U.S. is not a market leader: contact and collaboration with scholars and practioners in other countries is critically important
• international coverage, which is in decline in the U.S., can be improved and increased through collaboration with media producers of all kinds around the world

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