Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Public media faces a future of rapid structural changes. Federal support has been rescinded, state funding is inconsistent, and hundreds of local stations, especially in rural areas of the country, risk going dark. Yet public sentiment remains more supportive than the political headlines suggest. A 2025 national surveyopens a new window: found that U.S. voters trust public media more than media overall and view it more favorably than for-profit outlets. At the same time, how people find, consume, and trust information is fundamentally changing. Half of U.S. adults under 30 now trust national news organizations and social media personalities at roughly the same level; many say the voices they rely on most are individuals who they consider more “authentic,” responsive, and relatable.
Public media sits at the intersection of institutional vulnerability and a rapidly shifting information ecosystem: it is trusted by the public yet increasingly competing with new voices and platforms for attention and relevance. In this context, a group of leaders from media, philanthropy, and research met in November in Washington, D.C. to imagine its long term future.
