2008
Coming to Judgment

On March 5 and 6, the Kettering Foundation, the National Issues Forums Institute, and Public Agenda presented a two-day program advancing understanding of the nature and importance of public judgment.

Held on The George Washington University campus in Washington, D.C., the program, "Coming to Judgment," featured two panels, or juries, of distinguished public and professional leaders who explored progress toward a coherent and viable public judgment on two pressing national issues: our country's energy use and the rising cost of health care.

The events were hosted by Frank Sesno, professor of media and public affairs at The George Washington University and a special correspondent at CNN.

During "Coming to Judgment... on The Energy Problem" a jury analyzed how far citizens have moved toward judgment on the energy issue. The jury's deliberation focused on research analyzing the National Issues Forums series "The Energy Problem: Choices for an Uncertain Future," held last year around the country. The research is featured in Public Thinking about the Energy Problem, a new report by Public Agenda.

The energy panel included:

• Carolyn Farrow-Garland, program officer, Kettering Foundation
• Jay Hakes, director, Carter Presidential Library
• Richard Harwood, president, The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation
• Jean Johnson, executive vice president, Public Agenda
• Gail Leftwich Kitch, executive director, By The People and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
• Carolyn Lukensmeyer, president, AmericaSpeaks
• David Mathews, president, Kettering Foundation
• Steven Mufson, reporter, Washington Post
• Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA)

The jury convened for "Coming to Judgment... Paying for Health Care in America" was invited to make a judgment about aspects or complexities of the health-care issue that should be addressed by the deliberative public this year. The health-care event opened with the preview of a new documentary film, The Cost of Health Care, produced by Milton B. Hoffman Productions. The film, which will be released this spring, introduces the complex challenges the nation faces in ensuring that adequate health care is available to as many people as possible.

The health care panel included:

• Georges Benjamin, executive director, American Public Health Association
• Stuart Butler, vice president, domestic and economic policy studies, Heritage Foundation
• Carolyn Farrow-Garland, program officer, Kettering Foundation
• Richard Harwood, president, The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation
• Jean Johnson, executive vice president, Public Agenda
• Gail Leftwich Kitch, executive director, By The People and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
• Carolyn Lukensmeyer, president, America Speaks
• David Mathews, president, Kettering Foundation
• Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA)

More than 200 people attended one or both events, including National Issues Forums Institute directors, numerous NIF participants, Washington policymakers, and representatives of the nation's Presidential Libraries, National Archives and Records Administration.