Public broadcasters are singing the blues. Running ahead of private
sector competitors blinded many to extravagance, or the appearance
thereof. While few were truly fat with cash the guaranteed revenue
streams hid a multitude of sins, real or perceived, and those became
targets of publishers, politicians and other predators. The result is a
new tune of slow, dark notes that leaves the audience hanging. On one
hand, new media has given rise to largely speculative fears that link
extremely rare but iconic events -- school shootings, abductions -- to
our familiar daily interactions with the online world. On the other
hand, the whole discussion of new media has given rise to some wishful
thinking. So on one hand we have the fears, and on the other, the
Dream. These worries and hopes are the basis for new questions that
people spend more and more time debating. Can anything be more
important than what happens inside our own homes or the promise of
a new technology?