Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Media Institute's Leading Edge

Headquartered in a quiet suburban office building a few miles west of the White House, The Media Institute's unassuming plant belies its immense influence and impact on communications policy in Washington.  Few organizations can convene a gathering where the captains of the media and communications industry, leaders of the FCC, an elite group of lawyers and lobbyists, public interest and civil rights advocates, and members of the working press, all sit down over dinner and agree on the topic of conversation.

Yet, that is what The Media Institute has done successfully, year after year, with its singular and unwavering focus on the importance of protecting the First Amendment.  Every October, without fail, two things happen in Washington--the Supreme Court convenes on the first Monday of the month, and The Media Institute elevates the First Amendment onto the global stage through its founding sponsorship and promotion of National Freedom of Speech Week and awards dinner.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the visionary leadership of the Institute's President and intellectual anchor, Patrick Maines, and its can-do chairman, the ubiquitous and indomitable former FCC Chairman, Dick Wiley.  It also helps that A-list companies like AT&T, CBS, LG, NBCUniversal, News Corporation, Time Warner, Viacom, Clear Channel, DirecTV, T-Mobile, Gannett, Microsoft, Verizon, Walt Disney, the Motion Picture Association of America. and others recognize the unique leadership and legacy of The Media Institute and its staff, and provide support for its programs.

In befitting bipartisan fashion, The Media Institute gave voice to Democratic Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Republican FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, NAACP President Ben Jealous, ATT President Randall Stephenson, and First Amendment scholar Rodney Smolla, as each extolled the value and virtue of free expression as a sine qua non cornerstone of  a democratic society.

And in an unexpected, but not uncharacteristic, expression of exemplary corporate citizenship, Maines announced that a portion of the proceeds from the institute's annual dinner would be donated to the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a nonprofit organization in rural North Carolina founded by Tim Duffy that helps the pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music to gain recognition and dignity by providing grants to meet the basic life needs of aging blues artists and helping to keep their musical traditions alive for future generations.

Full disclosure:  Adonis Hoffman is a member of the Media Institute's First Amendment Advisory Council.

(c)2011.  Adonis Hoffman

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Silent Leadership



"We must be silent before we can listen.
We must listen before we can learn.
We must learn before we can prepare.
We must prepare before we can serve.
We must serve before we can lead."

                                                                --William A. Ward

Beyond these poignant words, I am not sure what other advice today's business leaders should heed.