Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

A call for civic culture

U.S. flag flapping in front of the Capitol Dome
rarrarorro/Getty Images

Civic culture shapes how we treat one another and whether we care for our community. It shapes how we show up to solve common problems and whether we can disagree without hating one another.

The 2024 election reminded us of the deep fissures in our nation’s civic culture. At times it seems Americans are speaking different languages — based not on heritage but on partisan leanings — or that the dominant narratives of division are the only path forward.


But so much of this country is yearning for a different culture, a healthier way of being America. And countless community members are already doing so, even if they’re not getting the mainstream media coverage they deserve.

Our nation needs new “stories of us” that give common purpose and show how a stronger civic culture is possible — and happening. On Monday, Dec. 9, Citizen University will host a workshop for storytellers, journalists and content creators to explore how to tell "Stories of Us” that strengthen our social fabric and help America find a way forward.

The workshop is for trusted messengers who are telling stories that help Americans feel more hopeful, activated and sustained in fortifying their communities and strengthening democracy, such s:

  • Journalists and writers who cover topics around strengthening their communities and our democracy.
  • Storytellers and content creators who use their platforms to shape American consciousness for the common good.
  • Civic-minded Americans who are using their voice to catalyze more unifying and trust-building activity.

These civic practitioners will share a wealth of resources, tips and examples from the field of civic storytelling, messaging, and journalism:

  • Eric Liu, co-founder and CEO of Citizen University will discuss “Why civic culture.
  • Kevin Singer, communications support lead for Philanthropy for Civic Engagement will talk about “How Americans perceive civic language.”
  • Aya Taveras and Brooke Moreland, director of community and director of learning and design (respectively) at Cinereach will focus on “Civic storylines that change culture.”
  • Shia Levitt of News Ambassadors will talk about “Complicating the Narrative for good.”

Register now.

Read More

True Confessions of an AI Flip Flopper
Ai technology, Artificial Intelligence. man using technology smart robot AI, artificial intelligence by enter command prompt for generates something, Futuristic technology transformation.
Getty Images - stock photo

True Confessions of an AI Flip Flopper

A few years ago, I would have agreed with the argument that the most important AI regulatory issue is mitigating the low probability of catastrophic risks. Today, I’d think nearly the opposite. My primary concern is that we will fail to realize the already feasible and significant benefits of AI. What changed and why do I think my own evolution matters?

Discussion of my personal path from a more “safety” oriented perspective to one that some would label as an “accelerationist” view isn’t important because I, Kevin Frazier, have altered my views. The point of walking through my pivot is instead valuable because it may help those unsure of how to think about these critical issues navigate a complex and, increasingly, heated debate. By sharing my own change in thought, I hope others will feel welcomed to do two things: first, reject unproductive, static labels that are misaligned with a dynamic technology; and, second, adjust their own views in light of the wide variety of shifting variables at play when it comes to AI regulation. More generally, I believe that calling myself out for a so-called “flip-flop” may give others more leeway to do so without feeling like they’ve committed some wrong.

Keep ReadingShow less
People on their phones. ​

In order to achieve scale, many civic efforts must also reach Americans as media consumers, where Americans currently spend much more time.

Getty Images, Xavier Lorenzo

Reaching Americans As Media Consumers – Not Only As Participants – To Improve the Political Environment

Current efforts to improve how Americans think and feel about those across the political spectrum overwhelmingly rely on participation. Participation usually involves interpersonal interaction, mostly to have dialogues or to collectively work on a project together.

These can be valuable, but in order to achieve scale, many efforts must also reach Americans as media consumers, where Americans currently spend much more time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

Scam incoming call alert screen on mobile phone.

Getty Images/Stock Photo

Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

WASHINGTON–When my phone rang and I saw the familiar DC area code, I picked up, and a man with a slight Indian accent said: “Ma’am, this is the Indian Embassy.”

Expecting a response from the Indian Embassy for an article I was working on, I said, “Is this in regards to my media inquiry?” He said no. He was calling about a problem with my Indian passport. I asked who he called, and when he said a name I didn’t recognize, I informed him he had the wrong person and hung up, figuring it was a scam.

Keep ReadingShow less
The American Schism in 2025: The New Cultural Revolution

A street vendor selling public domain Donald Trump paraphernalia and souvenirs. The souvenirs are located right across the street from the White House and taken on the afternoon of July 21, 2019 near Pennslyvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

Getty Images, P_Wei

The American Schism in 2025: The New Cultural Revolution

A common point of bewilderment today among many of Trump’s “establishment” critics is the all too tepid response to Trump’s increasingly brazen shattering of democratic norms. True, he started this during his first term, but in his second, Trump seems to relish the weaponization of his presidency to go after his enemies and to brandish his corrupt dealings, all under the Trump banner (e.g. cyber currency, Mideast business dealings, the Boeing 747 gift from Qatar). Not only does Trump conduct himself with impunity but Fox News and other mainstream media outlets barely cover them at all. (And when left-leaning media do, the interest seems to wane quickly.)

Here may be the source of the puzzlement: the left intelligentsia continues to view and characterize MAGA as a political movement, without grasping its transcendence into a new dominant cultural order. MAGA rose as a counter-establishment partisan drive during Trump’s 2016 campaign and subsequent first administration; however, by the 2024 election, it became evident that MAGA was but the eye of a full-fledged cultural shift, in some ways akin to Mao’s Cultural Revolution.

Keep ReadingShow less