Advocating the concept of direct democracy through information technologies, Lawrence Grossman, former president of NBC, spoke at the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park Thursday night.
Grossman's lecture, entitled "Reshaping Political Values in the Information Age," focused on the potential emergence of an electronic republic, a hybrid of the United States' current representative government and Athenian democracy, which allowed direct participation from the general public.
Grossman, who is currently president of Brookside Productions and Horizons Cable, said America has a lot to learn about the type of civic responsibility that Athenian democracy fostered, especially as it relates to the intertwining of social, political and personal spheres.
The idea behind this political system, Grossman said, originates from polls that show an alarming number of Americans have lost respect for representative government. As a consequence, he said, there has been an overall decline in civic values because citizens believe they have too little control over important political decisions.
"Our constitutional fathers-founding fathers-had a very clear vision that people would elect leaders to make the decisions for them. If they didn't like the decisions, they would throw them out four years later," Grossman said.
With current information technology, public opinion can be assessed more easily, Grossman said, and issues can be resolved more quickly.
"Part of the reason for [today's] disaffection is the sense that there are a lot of rich folks who donate money to campaigns and politicians... who sit in the caucus rooms on a daily basis and influence legislation," Grossman said. "The public sense is that it may be able to do something about that now."
There is a fear, however, that an electronic government would lead to unchecked democracy personified by "dolts who bellow at their government," Grossman said. He added that this government would blur the traditional separation of powers and result in a runaway majority that tramples over minority rights.
Grossman cited the anti-gay ballot initiative in Colorado as evidence of such consequences and added that this initiative places the courts in a difficult position by making them the final check on democracy. The Colorado initiative, however, was an exception to usual majority voting decisions, he said.
"Every study that's been made of referendum and initiatives of national issues has suggested that the public makes rational decisions," he said.
People rely too much on television, which is dangerous because it offers "non-serious journalism," Grossman said. The major news networks are owned by entertainment moguls, he said, who are concerned about profits-something network news coverage does not always offer.
"We demand far too much from the press and too little from our representatives," Grossman said, adding that mass media reinforces the passivity of the general public.
To develop direct rule by citizens, Grossman said that there must be major changes in national communications policy. Presidential candidate Bob Dole has proposed that unused commercial frequencies be auctioned off to finance the budget deficit, he said.
Grossman proposes to put this money in a public telecommunications trust fund. The fund would help to connect the nation's homes, schools and libraries in an interactive public telecommunications superhighway, which at the very least could improve the quality of education.
It would promote the flow of ideas to and from citizens, stimulate a forum of public discussion on civic issues and provide free time for political campaigns, he said. He promoted the revitalization of civic education and suggested that political parties refocus their mission from raising money to informing the public of its civic duties.
"In the electronic government, people are replacing the press as the fourth branch of our government," Grossman said.
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