SNF Ithaca Initiative
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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration is rooted in the sense of exploration and journey towards responsible democratic citizenship.
SNF Ithaca publishes scholarship that explores what we should do as citizens in relationship to democratic institutions and society, especially research focused on democratic citizenship by engaging topics such as civil discourse, civic engagement, and the mediated public square to understand the roles of both citizens as well as policies, institutions, and/or systems shaping democratic life.
SNF Ithaca publishes scholarship that explores what we should do as citizens in relationship to democratic institutions and society, especially research focused on democratic citizenship by engaging topics such as civil discourse, civic engagement, and the mediated public square to understand the roles of both citizens as well as policies, institutions, and/or systems shaping democratic life.
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Item From Waves to Ecosystems: The Next Stage of Democratic Innovation(SNF Ithaca Initiative, 2024-06) Lerner, JoshAnti-democratic movements are surging around the world, threatening to undermine elections and replace them with oligarchy. Pro-democracy movements mainly focus on defending elections, even though most people think that elections alone are inadequate. While elections dominate current thinking about democracy, the history and future of democracy is much broader. For over 5,000 years, people have built up competing waves of electoral, direct, deliberative, and participatory democracy. We are now seeing a transition, however, from waves to ecosystems. Rather than seeking one single solution to our ailing democracy, a new generation of democracy reformers is weaving together different democratic practices into balanced democratic ecosystems. This white paper provides a roadmap for this emerging next stage of democratic innovation. It reviews the limitations of elections, the different waves of democratic innovation and efforts to connect them, and key challenges and strategies for building healthy ecosystems of democracy.Item Political Satire in America: Thematic Analysis of SNF Ithaca x iMEdD Media & Democracy Summit Sessions(SNF Ithaca Initiative, 2024-08) Ibiloye, Ojooluwa; Shaffer, Timothy J.This analysis focuses on the one-on-one conversation between Jordan Klepper and Dannagal G. Young, exploring themes around media influence, political identity, and the role of satire in contemporary democracy. This analytic memo breaks down key themes identified in the transcript. By examining these themes, we can better understand the role of media in shaping public perception, the importance of civic education, and the potential of satire and improvisation in fostering democratic engagement. This analysis highlights the need for ethical media practices, critical reflection on misinformation, and the cultivation of vulnerability and humility in public discourse.Item Reinvigorating Local News through a Digital Advertising Tax(SNF Ithaca Initiative, 2024-08) Young, Dannagal G.Independent local journalism is the backbone of a healthy democracy: it informs citizens, holds local leaders accountable, and fosters social cohesion. Local newspapers focusing on community matters help dilute political mega-identities and reduce polarization. Unfortunately, industry consolidation and the economics of social media have undermined local journalism's availability, focus, and democratic utility. Social media platforms, particularly Facebook, often emphasize national over local news and culture wars over public policy, neglecting crucial civic needs. Local news organizations have become increasingly "platform dependent," relying on social media for audience reach and adopting its logics to compete. Despite Meta's claims of "reinvigorating" local news through donations, internal memos from 2022 reveal a shift away from news towards videos and content creators. This shift has exacerbated misinformation and political divisiveness, as users' desire for community aligns with the dynamics of Facebook pages and groups. This white paper documents how social media, especially Meta, contributes to the decline of local journalism. It highlights the lack of financial transparency, allowing tech companies to promote their investments in local news without accountability. The paper proposes a digital advertising tax (DAT) on social media ads targeting users based on online data. The revenue would fund robust independent journalism through a non-profit consortium of local news organizations, researchers, non-profits, and funding entities. As journalism scholar Victor Pickard notes, "the journalism crisis is a policy problem." This paper outlines a policy approach to addressing it.Item Technological Disruptions: Thematic Analysis of SNF Ithaca x iMEdD Media & Democracy Summit Sessions(SNF Ithaca Initiative, 2024) Ibiloye, Ojooluwa; Shaffer, Timothy J.The SNF Ithaca x iMEdD Media & Democracy Summit explored the impacts of technological disruptions on media landscapes and democratic processes. Two summit sessions, Technological Disruptions: Algorithms, platforms, bias and a sliver of hope and AI Everywhere: A Series of Human-Generated Talks, served as critical platforms for discussing key issues such as the influence of algorithms, the integration of AI in media and the broader societal implications. These discussions provided insights into how technological advancements reshape media consumption patterns, influence public engagement, and present new ethical and regulatory challenges.Item The Door Opens Both Ways: Building Trust Between News Media and Generation Z(SNF Ithaca Initiative, 2023-02) Fuller, Katelyn; Lin, Jeff; Neri, Nicole; Okoye, Onaedo; Rigoglioso, HannahGood journalism can make the world a better place and is an underpinning of a free and democratic society. Unfortunately, today, many people, particularly Millennials and Gen Zers, have grown up at a time when journalism has been continually attacked, discredited and almost forgotten—in terms of its traditional form. As student leaders for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Ithaca Initiative at the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy, we were granted the opportunity to discuss trust in the media at this year’s International Journalism Week 2022 by iMEdD: A Matter of Trust, which was held in Athens, Greece. The conference gave us the opportunity to learn from and discuss with professionals from all over the globe. We were then afforded the opportunity to share with those same participants our younger perspective on how media relates to a democratic society and our vision for how the industry can regain the trust of the public.