Can the U.S. get away from fossil fuels? Should we?
"Planet Forward" is an innovative, viewer-driven program that debuts on the web first and then moves to television, in a primetime PBS special on April 15th (check local listings for exact show times) just a week ahead of Earth Day, and then moves back to the web. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning CNN veteran Frank Sesno, Planet Forward is driven by the power of ideas, as citizens make their case for what they think about the nation's energy future.
The discussion starts online, then builds to a new kind of television show, which in turn drives the online conversation. It's web to television and back again. An ongoing conversation driven by issues, and made possible by new and creative media technologies.
The Planet Forward web site will revolve around citizen and expert submissions, reflecting a wide range of interests, expertise and opinion.
The television show will feature the best online submissions, which will be discussed and debated by a diverse panel of experts, scientists, business leaders and policymakers in a nationally televised PBS special, taped in front of a live audience at The George Washington University. The special will feature A-list experts, scientists, policymakers and business leaders, as well as citizen journalists selected from the Planet Forward website.
Are alternative energy sources the way to go? Are they practical?
Contributions to the Planet Forward web site will be accepted on an ongoing basis, for a continuing debate on the web about fossil fuels and whether we should move away from their use. Dispensing with the old top-down model of public affairs programming, in which experts expound to voiceless viewers, Planet Forward’s emphasis is bottom-up, with citizens leading and driving the conversation. Seeking to engage a young and diverse audience, Planet Forward is working with several universities and local public television stations to create a groundswell of engagement and local activity. Planet Forward is public affairs for the next generation – think innovation, not pontification.
For more about how you can have your say on Planet Forward, have a look at our Submission Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions.
Planet Forward is a co-production of the Public Affairs Project at The George Washington University and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications in collaboration with Public Agenda and Sunburst Creative Productions.
About Our Team
The George Washington University Public Affairs Project was established to enhance the understanding and practice of public affairs media as technology transforms the way information is conveyed. The Project was created to be an incubator for ideas and innovation. It includes students who will shape the future of journalism but who already are practiced experts in digital media. The Project is enhanced by its university base and unique location and access to national leaders, expertise and diverse communities.
Nebraska Educational Telecommunications is a leader in public broadcasting. NET has extensive experience in energy, science, environmental and documentary programming. NET's expertise with educational programming is demonstrated by their outstanding science productions for NOVA and the multimedia science curriculum WonderWise. NET is a recognized leader of programming and innovation in public broadcasting.
Are biofuels the answer to our energy future? Can we grow our way out of our energy problems?
Public Agenda is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and civic engagement organization based in New York. For over a quarter of a century, Public Agenda has been providing unbiased and unparalleled research that bridges the gap between American leaders and what the public really thinks about issues. Public Agenda's mission is to help American leaders better understand the public's point of view and citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions.
Sunburst Creative Group, in Colts Neck, New Jersey, has produced and supported high profile, issues oriented Programming for more than 25 years. Sunburst has helped introduce and aggressively adopted new technologies, distribution methods and production techniques to enhance the content, access and appeal of issues-related public affairs programming.
Contributing Universities
Roger Williams University is a 52-year-old independent, coeducational liberal arts university that has quickly established itself as a leader in higher education. A dynamic educational environment in which students live and learn to be global citizens, the University is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. With 39 academic programs and a robust array of co-curricular activities available on its waterfront campus in historic Bristol, R.I., RWU looks to a set of core values in fulfilling its mission to prepare students for life as 21st century citizen-scholars. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report named RWU the eighth-ranked baccalaureate college in the north.
The University of Nebraska Journalism School College of Journalism and Mass Communications dates to 1894 and has the mission to prepare highly competitive professionals with communication and critical thinking skills appropriate to the practice of journalism, including writing, editing, print design, broadcast media and strategic communications. With the three basic areas of study being advertising, broadcasting and news-editorial, students graduate with a firm grasp on the different aspects of journalism as well as the confidence and skills to succeed in the workplace. An M.A. in journalism complements this emphasis by building on a well-established and nationally recognized undergraduate curriculum.
Middlebury College is one of the country's top liberal arts institutions. It offers its students a broad curriculum embracing the arts, humanities, literature, foreign languages, social sciences and natural sciences. Middlebury is an institution with a long-standing international focus, a place where education reflects a sense of looking outward, and a realization that the traditional insularity of the United States is something of the past. We seek to bring to Middlebury those who wish not only to learn about themselves and their own traditions, but also to see beyond the bounds of class, culture, region or nation. Indeed, the central purpose of a Middlebury education is precisely to transcend oneself and one's own concerns. Middlebury's board, administration, faculty, staff and students recently committed to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2016.
About Our Funders
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invests in journalism excellence worldwide and in the vitality of U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, the foundation has granted more than $400 million to advance quality journalism and freedom of expression. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
The Tawani Foundation is focused on four key initiatives: Preservation of Military Heritage (enhancing and promoting awareness of the importance of the Citizen Soldier); Conservation & Preservation of Historical Sites (preserving and enhancing unique sites of importance to American History); Health & Wellness (improving public spaces and services); Landmark Gifts & Grants (affecting significant positive change and transformation of organizations and educational programs.)
Noblis is a nonprofit science, technology and strategy organization that helps clients solve complex systems, process and infrastructure problems in ways that benefit the public, including national and homeland security; transportation; healthcare; criminal justice; energy and the environment; oceans, atmosphere and space; and public safety. For more, visit www.noblis.com
The Paul and Brenda Lilly Family Foundation supports causes that are pertinent to education and children.
The 11th Hour Project connects organizations, businesses and individuals to one another, resources and information to create a sustainable world. We work to change public perceptions about climate change from hand-wringing hopelessness to engaged, hands-on problem solving. For more, visit www.11thhourproject.org
