Processes, Principles and Policies: The Public Interest Standard in U.S. Media Policy.

The paper provides a critical review of the meaning of the public interest, and offers a recommendation for a normative and multi-layered conceptualization that is based on participatory democratic theory. The first section of this paper clarifies what is meant by a multi-layered definition of the public interest. The remaining sections look specifically at the layers of meaning within the public interest standard, especially those layers of process and principle. In comparing various theoretical viewpoints, the author recommends a participatory process as the preferred method for identifying and applying public interest principles. The ultimate goal of the examination is to discover ways to increase public participation in the ongoing dialogue regarding media policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]