Informed Citizenry

Media and society have come a long way in the last hundred years. Mediums have gone from a predominately agenda oriented focus to a more objective "informed citizenry" view. But like anything else, things can still get better. In the last couple of weeks I have brought up numerous topics concerning the public power debate, with an emphasis on medias particular role. The debate is over, and for right now, so is the media coverage. I hope that the media will continue coverage on this topic and encourage public discourse. Lets not forget that we are a democracy. And lets also not forget that media plays a crucial role in that democracy. As stated before, we have come a long way in how we present information in the media. However, if we let the business side take over our main sources of media we will cycle back to the agenda oriented style we once were. Let's not take steps back!

With hope

Chris

A Lesson to be Learned

With the election several weeks behind us and the cessation of media coverage regarding Public Power, it seems that this issue is almost nonexistent. Considering the large amounts of coverage and participation it had prior to the election, the change is very significant. As I have said previously, I find it disheartening and discouraging that the media only thinks it is necessary to cover key community issues at election time. Wouldn't the citizens of Iowa City rather read about the energy rates they are going to have to pay and alternative options for energy rather than issues that have no prevalence to their life. However, maybe citizens really don't want to read about it and that is why the newspapers don't include these issues because they are participants in a competitive market for readership. In any case, I think our newspapers and television coverage could have done a more efficient job in regards to the issue of Public Power. Readers needed more investigation of the issue and more regulation of advertising so that one (MidAmerican) didn't have more influence due to money. I hope this issue will at least be an example to work off of in the future and that something good will come out of it.

-Danyl

Will the winter make us wish for a different result?

As the weather gets colder and our gas bills rise, we will definitely notice a change in the amount of our bill from MidAmerican Energy. Now that the election is over and everything has been said and done, I wonder if the people of Iowa City will wish that they had taken a more active stance in this issue. Now that the media has certainly left the issue behind, it seems no longer a topic for public discussion. I think that this issue will need some new developments and more publicity if it is ever to emerge as an important part of Iowa City's interest again.

-Justin

Next voting round

I can't help but think what the next voting round will be like. Will this issue get brought back up again in four years? If so, will it be approached differently and then be surprised to find the results the same? Will both sides have more information after realizing that people want all the facts?

I think the most important thing people need to realize is not what the issue is (of course this is important to), but how they are going to get people to vote. New technoloy is coming out at a fast pace and we need to keep up with it.

I am interested to see what voting will be like in the future, aren't you?!

~Ashly

Lost Hope

Unfortunately it looks like the public power debate is no longer getting much media coverage. I hate to break it to you, its over. Some of us media critics feel that it shouldn't be considering the money we are spending on energy compared to others, however it is a lost cause. The media has moved on to whats happening now. They can almost be compared to a one night stand, their in it when its interesting, and out when it gets old. I would like to see the media take a little different stance on the issue and further discussion. If the media would take on a more profound role and pursue this topic I think we could really come to an agreement. But until then, we are just left paying higher bills. As if Iowa City didn't already charge way to much!

Chris

Can We Keep Up With Technology?

First there were chat rooms and virtual bulletin boards for public opinions, now there are network communities, such as Facebook mentioned before, and most relevant-blogs.

The idea of such great phenomena being lost in the shuffle to even newer technologies is quite alarming, specifically in reference to blogs. How long will it be before blogs are replaced with something newer and better? It would be a shame for people’s hard work and maintenance of their blog to be wasted because it simply is not intriguing people any more. It also seems to be a bit discouraging that there is never really one best way to reach a wide audience, there are simply too many options out there. Is the only solution for people is to make sure we are constantly on our toes about what is going on? Eventually people "grow out of" their infatuation with new technologies, were will this lead us?

~Ashly

How much do we really care??

"If the city moves forward, the Iowa Utilities Board would first have to determine whether municipalization is "in the public interest." If the board decides that a municipal utility would be in the public interest, the board then must set a price on the electrical system the city would take over." - Des Moines Register (November 5, 2005)

If the public considers this a pertinent issue and of interest, I find it very odd that (as stated by other members on the blog) this issue has dissipated to nothing. Media coverage has lost interest in broadcasting updates on the public power agenda. If the Daily Iowan is truly the great newspaper that it claims to be, should it not take a more responsible role in continuously educating and updating the public to be more knowledgeable? Or should it continue to entertain? I'd like to think that informing is more important than entertaining.

-Thang

Last Post

Ahhh I did it again!! Chris wrote the last post.

Media: Big Business

As I reflect back on the November 8th election, I cannot help but wonder; "What if Citizens for Public Power had more money to advertise with?" I contemplate this question because of the enormous difference in money spent from the opposing sides. We are talking $500,000 to $16,000. These amounts are like night and day. What I fail to realize, as did Citizens for Public Power, is that media is a big business. They need money to operate just like any other establishment. The problem with this, however, is the fact that money can therefore control what we read in the newspaper. Think about it, the Daily Iowan rarely has full page ads in its content, the cost alone is just to high. But Mid American had all the money in the world to spend on their spot in the Daily Iowan. For a week straight the Daily Iowan ran full page ads in support for Mid American. Oddly enough, Mid American won by a landslide. I believe it is media's role to inform the public without bias, but unfortunately it looks like everyone (including newspapers) has their price.

Where did this issue go?

As another day passes and as over a week has gone by since the election, media over the Public Power issue has continued to dwindle. Where is it in the Daily Iowan or Press Citizen? Maybe if one is lucky they will find it in the editorial pages, but that is not even likely. Chances are that eventually the community will see nothing in our news publications. This will be very dangerous for our community and it will hinder our informed citizenry. When will we see the effects of voting 'no' to municipal power? Were we just the victims of propaganda? It currently appears that way because after the election the issue of Public Power seems to have disappeared. MidAmerican got the vote they wanted and therefore there is no further need to engage the public. Also, the Citizens for Public Power seem to have disappeared as well. Just because they lost the election doesn't necessarily mean they need to stop advocating their beliefs. Was their platform really just a way to benefit Iowa City's government and gain back power? One will never know these answers unless they are discussed in our newspapers and local news broadcasts. One of their duties is to cover local issues. I'm not asking that they talk about Public Power everyday, but they need to provide our community with the consequences of the election so that citizens know what to fully expect in the future.

-Danyl

Does Radio Really Help?

The use of radio as an effective medium for politics seems to be a lost cause. To face facts, as soon as most listeners hear advertisements or campaigns they change the station. The energy issue going on is no different. One cannot give up hope that the radio supplies some kind of benefit for policy making and democracy as a whole, but one also needs to realize that the appeal and “aw factor” need to be there in order for people to keep their hand off the dial. Otherwise the appeal to a mass media will be lost. It is like anything really, first impressions are crucial, whether oral or visual. Perhaps all that needs to be working on is the approach, not necessarily the content.

~Ashly

So...what happens now?

Since the election has been over for a week now, the media coverage has been consistently reduced to editorial/opinion submissions. If there are still concerned citizens, I think now would be an appropriate time to keep trying because it appears as though the issue is on its way to becoming dead.

There have been no updates on the Citizens for Public Power Homepage (link) for quite some time now and there really hasn't been any sort of formal response regarding the results of the election. It seems to me that Citizens for Public Power have given up their point, if this is not the case, they should probably make that clear to the rest of us.

-Justin

Public Power Updates Progress

Two municipalization efforts fail; 17 Iowa cities OK telecom initiatives
Ballot measures that would have created municipal electric utilities in Iowa City, Iowa, and Belleair, Fla., were defeated in the Nov. 8 elections, and so was an initiative in California that would have re-regulated the electricity market. But municipal telecommunications initiatives in Iowa made headway. Residents in 17 out of 32 Iowa cities voted in favor of ballot measures authorizing their communities to form city-owned telecommunications utilities, even though private telecom companies spent nearly $1.5 million opposing the measures.

http://www.appanet.org/newsletters/PublicPowerWeeklyList.cfm?sn.ItemNumber=2054

-Thang

Effect of Polls

We have all taken a poll or two in our lifetime, but are they really effective? Some argue that questions and choices are often worded to favor the outcome the creators want to hear. I do not think this is an entirely untrue theory. And because of this, polls seem to be somewhat powerless.
Just because more people are voting “yes” or “no” does not mean that it is a true representation of what the public as a whole believes. This is most certainly true when blogs are left or right leaning. Of course it is going to look like everyone supports the same thing you do, because it is all people with your same viewpoints visiting your site. Something to keep in mind for people who think that polls truly are effective.

~Ashly

Was the initiative really overturned because some wanted it to 'simply go away' ?

Until the editoral article that was previously mentioned in Danyl's blog, the public wasn't made as aware of the importance of the Iowa Utilities Board. It seems as though there have been some important points previously left out that are now surfacing in the aftermath of the municipal election results. The saying 'hindsight is 20/20' certainly applies it this situation, where were all of these voices that are now being published in the Daily Iowan when most people were trying to form and evaluate their opinions on the issue?

-Justin

Alternative Method for Alternative Energy?

The City Council, whose members are elected by the public to fully represent them in city matters, still has the power to authorize alternative energy plans. The fact that this Public Power election lost, does not mean that it is dead. Many of the same ideas and plans that would've resulted from the election could still be implemented and thought out in more detail. The City Council then only needs to approve and authorize any initiative that is tabled before its council members in order to publicize to the community. There are many statutory and other regulatory matters involved in the process, but it seems that a "Yes" vote during the election would have not changed matters much at this point.

Refer to http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/politics/PubPower/njpplegl.html for more information.

-Thang

Citizens for Public Power to blame for loss?

In regards to the editorial today published in The Daily Iowan, I commend the statements and points that were made. Entitiled "Power vote shows statewide flaws", the article references the fact that MidAmerican is not the only one to be blamed in the Public Power issue because the Iowa Utilities Board regulates energy rates. I feel that the most important claim in the article was that the Citizens for Public Power did itself no favors by stating that the voters were "too dim" to understand the issue. We have discussed this thoroughly in previous blogs. The reason they perceive voters as "too dim" is due to their own faults. The city's job is to provide its citizens with information regarding their community regardless of the depth of the information. One can never become an informed citizen if they are treated as disinterested and unknowledgeable. So, is the city at fault then for their loss on Nov. 8 instead of MidAmerican's large advertising budget? Most likely it is a mixture of the two.

-Danyl