Forum Network is a site from PBS and NPR that’s created a new series about promoting civil discourse, particularly in the wake of the shootings in Arizona.  They sent me an e-mail asking me to check out the site and promote it if I thought it was something I liked, and I do like it quite a bit.  Although I think I am genetically pre-programmed to like anything that NPR or PBS does.  According the their site, they provide:

Lectures that examine the challenges that freedom, democracy, and human nature bring to bear on reasoned political discourse and debate in our country.

While there are great issues facing our nation, American Democracy is organized around the central principal that open, fair and truthful debate, characterized by respect for opposing viewpoints is essential to a healthy democracy. We are committed to the values of respectful discourse — embracing civility and rejecting demagoguery — in government, media and our personal lives.

“There can be no high civility without a deep morality.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is as noble a mission as I can think of and the content on the site is high quality as well.  And this ties in quite closely with what I was saying in my previous post about Sarah Palin’s target list.  Again, not that Palin had anything to do with the assassination, but the level of discourse in politics right now needs to be examined.

One of the more interesting things I watched over on this site was a video discussing all the wrong reporting from the MSM during the afternoon of the shooting.  There was a big question of whether it was more important to be the one who got there first or who was right — I think it’s difficult.  With blogging I think it’s easier to present facts as tentative, and they don’t do that as much on Cable News.  Still, when everyone wants instant information is it your duty to get the right information while people wait, or to give the best information you can so that people aren’t guessing the wrong thing?

In any event, go watch some of the videos.  Tell me if any are really good.