USIP: DOES MEDIA INCREASE UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE US AND OTHER COUNTRIES?

On February 3, 2009, USIP in conjunction with Independent Television Service (ITVS)  held a conference moderated by Ted Koppel bringing together many of the top thinkers in U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication with independent film and media producers.  They met to discuss and identify innovative paths forward in the increasingly important effort to improve mutual understanding between the US and other countries through communication and media. 

Speakers at the event included Kathy Bushkin Calvin of the United Nations Foundation, Ambassador Edward Djerejian of the Baker Institute, Abderrahim Foukara of Al Jazeera International, former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman, Andrew McLaughlin of Google, James Zogby of the Arab American Institute, Carol Giacomo of The New York Times and others.

FYI:  Links to transcripts, twittering, YouTube, and agenda resources from the event are linked in this post.

Question to the Blogosphere:  What media tools do you think will be most useful to the world in developing mutual understanding between nations?  Do these media tools bring people together or highlight differences, in your opinion?  How can the peacemakers of the world take media tools used by terrorists, like YouTube, and use them for promoting peace and understanding?  What is the role of print media in efforts to search for common ground, if any?  How does the fact that in many countries people are too poor to own computers or televisions inhibit eff orts to increase mutual understanding between nations?  What can be done to change this?