The 2008 U.S. Presidential
Elections demonstrated the power of new media in the 21st century to impact
politics and society. New technologies have empowered ordinary citizens
to organize and cooperate in new ways and on an unprecedented scale. The
way we look at democracy has changed. And it has empowered youth as
citizens in completely new ways.
This program will explore
the many ways that new media have changed the way we think about our societies
and allowed us to redefine the word “democracy.” It will also put these
developments into the historical and Polish contexts, exploring the role of
radio, film, underground publishing during the Communist era, comparing them to
today’s “new media,” and discussing the role that both types of media can play
in bringing about democratic change today, in both repressive and democratic
societies.
The Forum will also be a
venue for celebrating the best Polish contributions to the global YouTube/U.S.
Department of State “Democracy Video Challenge,” which encourages people from
all over the world to use new media to share their ideas of what democracy
really looks like, and exhibiting top photos from the “Democracy Is” photo
competition for high school students, as well as other multimedia and cultural
presentations.
We aim to explore the
following questions:
• What is the impact of new media technology on freedom of speech and
freedom of assembly?
• How can young people get more involved in politics?
• What does the rise of social media mean for democracy?
PLEASE VISIT THE
BLOG HOSTED BY INTERNET PATRON WYBORCZA.PL: WWW.WYBORCZA.PL/NEWMEDIAFORUM
Forum components:
• Panel discussions with Polish experts and
• Screenings of the Polish submissions to the YouTube/U.S. Department of
State Democracy Video Challenge and announcement of the three Polish
semi-finalists
• Exhibit of top photos from the U.S. Embassy’s “Demokracja To” photo
challenge
• “Citizens on the Campaign Trail” exhibit of photographs by Konrad
Wedekind
• Performance of the play “Democracy”
• Voice of America/Radio Free Europe audio exhibit
• And more…
Program Agenda
March
19 Thursday
16:00
to 21:00
16:00 WELCOME
Pamela Quanrud, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to
Wojciech Trzciński, President, Fabryka Trzciny
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Stefan Bratkowski, Chairman of the Central and
Eastern
17:00 THE
MEDIA IN
What does
Moderator: Stefan Bratkowski
• Prof. Andrzej Paczkowski, historian
• Mirosław Chojecki, documentary filmmaker and former
underground publisher
• Andrzej Borzym, former Radio Free Europe
correspondent
18:00 OLD AND NEW MEDIA IN REPRESSIVE SOCIETIES
What role do media – both traditional and “new” -- have in supporting
democratization now?
Moderator: Jim Wolfe, Press
• Jacek Michałowski, Polish-American Freedom Foundation
• Representative, European Radio for
• Alaksei Dzikavitski, BelSat TV
19:00 “DEMOCRACY”:
a play by Edward Gordon Craig
Directed by Dr. Inka Dowlasz
Performed by students of the Giedroyc College of Media and Communication
Multimedia
components and exhibitions available until 21:00
March 20 Friday
11:00
to 21:00
11:00 DIGITAL
DEMOCRACY: THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN AND BEYOND
How are Americans using new media technologies for social activism today?
Moderator: Candace Faber, Deputy Cultural Attache, U.S. Embassy
• Joe Rospars, New Media Director, Obama for
America; co-founder, Blue State Digital
• Prof. David Silver, Director, Resource Center for
Cyberculture Studies, University of San Francisco, co-Director of the September
Project citizen participation initiative
12:30 Break
14:00 NEW
MEDIA IN
How is the media scene in
Moderator: Susan Parker-Burns, Counselor for Public Affairs, U.S. Consulate
Krakow
• Dr Krzysztof Krejtz and Dr Jarosław Milewski, Institute for Social Psychology of
Internet and Communication, Higher School of Social Psychology
• Grzegorz Piechota, „News as Conversation” Project,
Gazeta Wyborcza
• Dr Tomasz Płudowski, Author and professor, Collegium
Civitas
16:00 NEW
GENERATION, NEW DEMOCRACY?
How is the new generation of Poles using new media technology for social
activism?
Moderator: Konrad Stolarski, Association of Polish Youth
• Jakub Michałowski, Free Belarus Association
• Natalia Sosin, POLSAT, formerly Cafebabel.com
• Kamil Wiszowaty, Projekt: Polska
• Maciej Kuziemski, University of Warsaw
17:30 Announcement
of the Democracy Video Challenge semi-finalists
Multimedia
components and exhibitions available until 21:00
Multimedia Components
Democracy Video
Challenge
In the “stove room,” you
will have a chance to view the 26 Polish entries to the global YouTube/U.S.
Department of State Democracy Video Challenge. Three Polish
semi-finalists, who will be announced on Friday at 17:30, will go on to compete
for the grand prize. Winners of the global competition will travel
to the
“Democracy Is”
Photo Competition Finalists
An exhibition of the top
five photos from a Poland-only photo competition for students, run by the U.S.
Embassy in partnership with the Center for Citizenship Education. The
winner will be presented with his prize – a 12.2 MP Canon Digital Rebel SLR
camera – at the end of the Forum.
“American
Activism in the 2008 Presidential Elections”
This exhibit of works by
photographer Konrad Wedekind, on view in the gallery, highlights the role
played by citizen supporters in both the Obama and McCain campaigns for the
presidency, offering insights into the participatory side of American
democracy.
Underground
publications on loan from KARTA
Visitors will be able to
view some of the many works by
Audio exhibit from
Radio Free Europe Archives
Highlights from the later
years of Radio Free Europe in
In 2009, the U.S. Embassy in





















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