A group of Baton Rouge citizens will have the opportunity to express their opinions on America’s world position this Saturday on the University campus. The University is hosting a national forum to discuss America’s role in the world. The event, which is part of the MacNeil/Lehrer Productions’ “By the People” project, will feature discussions on specific foreign policy issues, and will include a list of expert panelists on international affairs.
Approximately 120 randomly selected East Baton Rouge Parish residents will gather at LSU’s Lod Cook Conference Center for a “Citizen Deliberation,” one of 10 such events to occur simultaneously around the United States.
Each of the 10 to 12 groups formed from the participants will discuss the international economy and Homeland Security. The groups will develop relevant questions they can ask and discuss with the panelists.
After the group discussion, participants will take part in a University survey. The focus of the survey will be whether or not the participants have changed or refocused their views about the nation’s policy issues. Survey results will be sent to the University of California-Berkeley as a research tool.
Elmy Savoie, with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, said the event will encourage meaningful discussion among people who might not have thought about or discussed these issues in detail before.
“This event will engage citizens in the community, get them involved in the democratic process and get them informed in national debate,” she said. “Also, it allows us to hold our public officials accountable for their decisions.”
Adrienne Moore, director of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU, said she thinks the event is great for both Baton Rouge and the nation as a whole.
“I think that this event is very important in that it will make the national community more aware of our nation’s policy issues and our role in the world,” Moore said. “At the same time I think that it’s wonderful that Baton Rouge is one of 10 communities that will host this national forum.”
Local partners of this event are the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, and LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs.
This event is not the last of “By the People” project. In October 2004, “By the People” will convene for a similar event in 30 locations around the country, including Baton Rouge.
The event will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and will air on LPB.
‘Citizen deliberation’ to take place on campus
January 22, 2004