With a fully resourced Citizen’s Access Network, partnership between - and the fusion of - the people and media IS the model; and it can take many forms.

A central argument made here throughout is that there can be no hope for any good to come unless:

• We create a specially purposed form of media that serves genuine understanding in the domain of civics and public policy
• That understanding is then deliberatively processed into actionable form
• Those efforts and actions are tethered to meaningful civic power and spontaneous authority; the power to initiate

Under prevailing circumstances that is not possible because there is no path – or intention - for it to happen. Media and citizen responsibility for the oversight of public affairs are central and inseparable pillars of a high functioning republic. As they are currently disconnected and uncoordinated, very harmful effects result. They must be tamed; that however is not possible if they are treated separately as has always been the case.

As the contributors have pointed to throughout; what good may be found in our current media sphere can find no traction and therefore is useless. Even the best media – and its producers - be it journalism, blogs, books, scholarship - contributors and experts of various stripes - all will find their crucial work lost in the vast expanse of today’s saturation media - because it is attached to nothing.

But, delivering truly interactive and collaborative media to the informed and politically powerful audience of the Citizens Access Network ensures that both excellent media will be made, and that the learning and knowledge imparted can be acted upon.

As the contributors have said throughout, if we show up, they show up!

All serious producers of media and purveyors of knowledge will be welcome, and in fact be important to this cause.

Whether the status is for-profit or nonprofit, major outlet, big name, established freelance or aspiring journalist, scholar, author- famous or aspiring, “whistle-blower”; what have you.

We think it is important that line between media producer and citizen continue to evolve and this network would ensure its serious and beneficial evolution; something that today is very much in question.

For example, in this environment people will be willing to make contributions who would never have previously thought it worth their while or would have had the chance to share their expertise.

Whether it’s the involvement of medical or insurance professionals offering input based on their experiences to those conversations, or whether it is the police officer or sanitation worker making a contribution based on theirs; there will be unprecedented opportunities to make new, genuine and broadly based media – that will also be highly focused.

As different people with different skills and interests come together, the input, information, and authority amassed and shared will create finished media of a completely original variety- that goes somewhere.

All have their important contributions to make and we believe they will want to make them because their work will not go unnoticed or unrewarded. Their knowledge and insights will be delivered to the most powerful audience ever assembled, us; it will matter!

This will allow the best of these forms of media to meet the best of the people as the fusion dynamics of the network takes hold; this will create something entirely new in terms of electoral politics, public policy, civics and society etc.

Nevertheless, there is no question that media will continue to be media, and in its vastness serve those specialized segments who it will serve.

The important thing to remember here is that this is no zero sum, win or lose game. Rendering unto the rest of the media universe what is theirs presents no conflict with the work of this enterprise. That also includes the media universe that does concern itself with these matters. Here again, there is no conflict as this network will simply be the place where things come and actual work gets done; by those who want to do it.

No doubt this would have a pretty big impact on those media players outside the network BUT, for the better. As things get real, the media operating outside of this network will have very much more interesting things to contribute, analyze and discuss and that influence will be mutually reinforcing and important.

Perhaps the axiom of a rising tide lifting all boats is appropriate here.