Involving Citizens Between Elections

Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of NBC News, believes that the voters' political interest needs to be sustained and channeled during the years between elections. "Communication is no longer just one way, as it always has been, from the government to the people," he said. "It is now increasingly going from the people back to the government. It is a two-way stream, and it becomes more important than ever that public opinion be sophisticated, well informed, and knowledgeable about the key issues." Noting that "it took commissions and reports and pressures" to create the Commission on Presidential Debates, he urged that think tanks, political parties, and other entities undertake a similar effort to find ways to inform and involve the public between elections.

Edward M. Fouhy, executive producer of the Commission on Presidential Debates, reported that such efforts are already under way. The Jefferson Center in Minneapolis has convened citizen juries to analyze issues. The Wichita Eagle and other Knight-Ridder newspapers have provided forums for citizens to discuss issues. The Kettering Foundation has continued to sponsor citizens' forums. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is looking for ways to get involved. "There is far more bubbling up, out there beyond the Beltway, than people here in Washington realize," Fouhy said.

But two cautionary notes were raised. Wald of ABC said that the electorate's attentiveness may not last, and so the media should "continue to cover the news" as well as look for innovative approaches. CNN's Turner voiced "a philosophical musing" about whether enhancing voter participation and interest is truly part of the press's mission.

Lawrence K. Grossman
Former President, NBC News
The public is becoming a fourth branch of government. Nothing gets done in Washington without first testing public opinion. While we have developed some very strong structures and institutions to deal with our elections, none of those structures and institutions exist with any real effectiveness in the years between elections. It is time that we begin to address that problem with as much seriousness as we have been devoting to issues of presidential debates. If we do not do something about educating public opinion between elections, we are going to have a very troubled democratic society.

Edward M. Fouhy
Executive Producer, Commission on Presidential Debates
From a media standpoint, the most interesting approach to citizen involvement in politics is what is happening in the Knight-Ridder newspaper group. They have changed the way that they cover politics and the way they look at public policy issues. They have asked their readers to tell them what interests them and how they see an issue developing.
They have also taken it a step further by providing forums. The editor who described this to me said that for the first one, they just invited citizens to a hotel ballroom. "Everybody stood around, and they assumed we were going to give the meeting some structure. Well, we were not. We were simply providing the forum." Eventually citizens' groups began to form, and they began to tackle issues having to do with education. It is an interesting new form of journalism, which bears watching.

Richard C. Wald
Senior Vice President, ABC News
There is a general feeling in the public that what will happen now is important. But maybe we are living through a peculiar period of history that will not recur. There is not necessarily a continuing public interest in the public weal.
Therefore, it is necessary to do two things. The first and the simplest is to take advantage of the moment. I believe that these institutional possibilities are of value. We should try as best we can to carry the public debate on a regular basis. But we should not lose sight of the fact that we have to continue to cover the news, to try to be interesting, to be flexible in how we do that, to look for features and other things that keep people involved.

Ed Turner
Executive Vice President, CNN
As citizens we would like to be able to sustain this interest in politics. It is great for the country; it is good for all of us. But as journalists, should we be in the business of creating these vehicles that lead to voter participation and interest? Or should our role be more disinterested and dispassionate?
As an executive of a company, I care about the community in which we function. But as an old skeptical news guy -- your mother says she loves you, but check it out.
I feel ill at ease in the various roles I find myself in. I look for no answers, but I bring it up because, to me, it is troublesome.

Newton N. Minow
Director, The Annenberg Washington Program
We have got a lot of college roommates here today. Sandy Vanocur was my college roommate. Cliff Sloan's college roommate was Jonathan Alter. And Larry Grossman's college roommate was Dick Wald. (His other two college roommates, Roone Arledge and Max Frankel, could not make it.) This is in fact a roommate conference.