Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy.

About Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy was a group of 17 American media, policy and community leaders formed to assess the information needs of communities in the United States in the 21st century, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation funded the Commission and commissioned the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program to run it. The co-chairs of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy are Theodore B. Olson, American lawyer and former Solicitor General of the United States, and Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Product and User Experience at Google. The Commission held its first public meeting in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 2008, and subsequent meetings or community forums in Aspen, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Missoula, Montana; Mountain View, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. The Knight Commission released its report, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age on October 2, 2009.