Learning how to access, analyze, and create digital and media content with thoughtfulness and social responsibility is one of the key recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy, whose landmark report, Informing Communities, was issued last year.

To address this need, Professor Renee Hobbs (founder of the Media Education Lab, Temple University) has outlined a plan with specific steps that policymakers, educators, and community advocates can take to help Americans thrive in the digital age. Read Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action

To mark the release of her white paper and discuss its implications, the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation hosted a high-level roundtable discussion featuring representatives from government, education, and other areas November 10, from 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Aspen Institute's Washington office. This discussion took place immediately following the paper's release at the Family Online Safety Institute’s annual conference on Internet Freedom, Safety & Citizenship. This is the second in a series of White Papers focused on the Knight Commission’s 15 recommendations for creating healthy informed communities.