Happy 2020 From the Jefferson Center!
Happy 2020! We hope your new year is off to a great start.
At the Jefferson Center, our mission is to partner with citizens, communities, and institutions to design and implement informed, innovative, and democratic solutions to today’s toughest challenges.
But what exactly do we mean by “today’s toughest challenges?”
In 2019, we took on some of the big ones:
The Future of Local News
As detailed by the recent PEN America report, “At a time when political polarization is increasing and fraudulent news is spreading, a shared fact-based discourse on the issues that most directly affect us is more essential and more elusive than ever.”
Just as the need for discourse grows, newsrooms across America have had to make massive cutbacks to deal with a loss in advertising revenue. Providing comprehensive coverage of key issues for their communities is becoming increasingly difficult, leaving many people without access to vital information. Because of this trend, many people are calling this the end of local news. But that’s not what’s actually happening: instead, many local newsrooms are adapting.
One of the ways journalism is changing is through projects that treat journalism as a public good, like Your Voice Ohio. We’re equipping newsrooms with new ways to report on the communities they serve by entering into conversation with them. These community conversations help journalists represent diverse voices, understand how people prioritize their needs, explore solutions for improving life, and hold local leaders accountable.
Newsrooms participating in Your Voice Ohio are becoming more than a flow of information from media producer to media consumer — they are catalysts for improving daily life. In 2019, we hosted 14 conversations with over 400 Ohioans, and added 10 members to our journalist network across the state, bringing us close to almost 60 members. We’re excited to continue supporting community-engaged journalism in 2020!
Navigating the Changing Energy Landscape
As demand for renewable energy continues to grow, we anticipate an expansion of wind and solar development, especially in rural America. For landowners struggling with a troubled farm economy, potential wind and solar farms can present exciting opportunities for another source of consistent income. These energy projects can also contribute to expanded community services, improved roads and bridges, more local jobs, and property tax relief for other landowners.
But these projects are often met with mixed reactions: some see wind and solar farms as a disruption to the landscape, and many are uncertain about what exactly the transition to clean energy would mean for their hometown and their lives.
In 2019, we worked with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to help residents of Redwood County, Minnesota, navigate these complex ideas over 2½ days at the Redwood County Energy Dialogue. After hearing from presenters and discussing what they learned, participants felt better prepared to talk about wind energy and the energy system, ultimately recommending that Redwood County pursue further wind development.
In February we’ll be hosting a similar conversation in Murray County, Minnesota, where we will discuss the region’s energy future.
Understanding Artificial Intelligence Decisions
Artificial Intelligence is becoming a common tool in almost every industry, from healthcare to transportation to manufacturing and human services. But even though we encounter AI almost every day, there’s rarely an opportunity to learn more about it, examine its place in our lives, and make recommendations about how it should be overseen.
We worked with the National Institute for Health Research Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre and the Information Commissioner’s Office in the United Kingdom to convene two Citizens Juries exploring what everyday people need to know about how an AI system reaches a decision.
Over the course of each Jury, participants learned about automated decision-making systems in four scenarios, explored the benefits and opportunities that these systems can offer, and made recommendations about whether to privilege performance over explainability. The Commissioning bodies then used these recommendations to engage stakeholders and, ultimately, incorporated them into the guidance they developed for how automated decision-making systems should be overseen in the UK.
With these projects in mind, we’re reflecting as we move into 2020 and asking ourselves: how else can we enrich democracy in the United States?
To explore this question with us and learn what’s next for the Jefferson Center, stay tuned for our upcoming blog series.
Thank you for supporting the future of democracy!
