Compassion and the Media - Developing News and Communication Systems that Encourage Greater Compassion

Hello friends,

Why Compassion and Media? I believe these two words have much in common and are intimately bound together because media in the broadest sense is all about how we communicate, what stories we choose to communicate, and the larger story-field from which we draw inspiration. And compassion is a way of relating that impacts all areas of our life, including the sector of Media & Communications.

If after reading this blog post and the Journalism That Matters invitation and you feel inspired, please join me and others for a gathering early January here in Seattle to continue the conversation around creating a more compassionate media system and what does that really mean.

My background around media: I have been in the journalism/media/technology/information systems/network world for a few decades doing everything from being the news director at a public radio station, to creating and producing award-winning public access programming, to producing numerous interview series, to pioneering new online open publishing systems, to launching and nurturing independent media start ups and nonprofits, to establishing small funds for providing microgrants to independent media projects in the global south, to cofounding a global grassroots media network called Indymedia.

Media and communications and story and meaning-making are in my bones and I am not content with the current systems and believe that the public has a much bigger role to play. The voice of those who are deeply committed to compassion and compassionate action will be invaluable at this gathering in January. It is not just a one time gathering, but the beginning of an ongoing conversation in the bioregion around what kind of media system do we want, how can the current media ecosystem evolve and more accurately reflect the needs of the community it serves; what economic models can be developed that reflect a new emerging world for our democracy communication systems.

Have we forgotten that the airwaves belong to the people and that a compassionate democracy demands us to be more engaged with the very structures that govern our communication systems.

I do hope some of you will feel called to participate. Scholarships are available for those in need for the Commons (a place to share what you are working on that connects in some way to the new emerging media ecosystem - is not a social network part of an ecosystem?) and there is a sliding scale for those who need it.

Let me know if you have any questions!

love
Sheri