A favored term amongst political operatives and advisors is ‘oxygen,, the share of the public discussion a politician, government or issue manages to obtain. Sometimes the goal is to have the largest possible share, starving other commentators and viewpoints. Other times the goal is to to minimise the share of oxygen a viewpoint or issue…
I attended the Australian Science Communicator’s new media forum last night, participating on the panel as a Gov 2.0 Advocate, along with a distinguished group of science communicators and academics. One view expressed on the panel was that while scientists should communicate basic science to the public, the uninformed masses should not be involved in…
The New Zealand Labour Party have released an Open Government policy, proudly claiming it as first in New Zealand. The policy focuses on transparency of political offices as the core principle, but also commits the party to producing a comprehensive “Open Government Charter‟, based on a set of principles developed by NZ Labour MPs in consultation with members…
In the spirit of actually being in Canada, I learnt last Thursday that in a groundbreaking case the Canadian Supreme Court has supported two lower courts in ruling unanimously that hyperlinking to defamatory information is not the same as defaming someone, unless the information is replicated in the link or on the hyperlinker’s site or…
With the release of News Ltd’s Future of journalism ‘discussion’ I’ve submitted a ‘Your view’ to the site which may, or may not, be published at some point in the future. On the basis that traditional media is no longer the gatekeeper for participation in public debate I have posted my submission below. I see…
I’ve just read the latest speech by Annabel Crabbe on the changing face of the media and politics and thought it worth highlighting as, to my knowledge, it is the first serious piece by an Australian professional journalist in recognizing the changing face of journalism, politics and communication (including by government agencies). Her views embody…
John Sheridan posted a link on Twitter to a very interesting analysis of the impact of social media on the revolutions across the Arab world over the last year. The paper provides strong evidence that social media was one of the key causes of these revolutions due to its ability to place a human face…
Rather than posting in my blog today, I am breaking one of the rules of blogging (always pull people back to your own blog) by pointing people to an opinion piece in Mumbrella that I wrote recently after reading a couple of other opinion pieces attacking the basis for allowing anonymous commentary online. Toughen up…
This morning, like many Canberra residents, I awoke to the news of the Mitchell fire. Like most in the digital age (who weren’t close enough to hear explosions), I learnt about it by reading news online, and hopped straight on Twitter to find the latest updates. I was very glad (and surprised) to find that…
I’ve seen (and spoken with colleagues about) a number of austerity measures taken in government agencies around Australia over the last few months. With various governments across the country looking to cut spending to balance budgets, or at least reduce debt levels, lower 2011-12 budgets require many agencies to look long and hard at what…
This archive mirrors the original eGov AU blog — Craig’s professional commentary on AI, digital government and technology in public life, running since 2006.
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