One of the advantages electronic publication brings to the academic world is the ability to share scholarship on a global basis. We have sought to capitalize on this advantage with the current issue, which is the product of a partnership between EJC/REC and "Javnost--The Public" to co-publish this issue devoted to the topic of Virtual Democracy. "Javnost--The Public" is a quarterly printed publication of the European Institute for Communication and Culture in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is certainly appropriate that the technology responsible for giving rise to the concept of "virtual democracy" should also be used to distribute the scholarship that now addresses the potential of this medium to create more opportunities for democratic participation in political decision making.

We thank Slavko Splichal for making this issue of EJC/REC possible.

Teresa M. Harrison
Managing Editor, EJC/REC

La possibilite de faire connaitre au monde universitaire international ses recherches est un atout non negligeable que possede la Revue electronique de communication. Nous avons done songe a tirer parti de cet avantage dans le present numero, qui est le fruit d'une collaboration entre EJC/REC et "Javnost - The Public", en editant conjointement ce numero consacre a la democratie virtuelle. "Javnost - The Public" est une revue trimestrielle editee par l'Institut europeen de la communication et de la culture situe a Ljubljana, en Slovanie. Il nous parait opportun de faire usage des techniques qui ont donne jour au concept de la democratic virtuelle pour faire connaitre les recherches axees sur les immenses possibilites qu'offrent ces techniques pour permettre au public une plus grande participation aux decisions politiques.

Nous remercions Slavko Splichal d'avoir rendu possible la realisation de ce numero.

Teresa M. Harrison
Managing Editor, EJC/REC

"Virtual democracy," the dominant theme of this issue, often denotes a popular belief that modern spectacular advances in information and communications technologies open an array of possibilities for direct citizen participation in political decision-making and control. No doubt, the notion of communication is changed forever. But, as Raymond Williams put it in the time we hardly imagined the massive use of computers, it is only half of the truth that the extension of communication has been, throughout the history, a part of the extension of democracy. The other half of the same truth is that the control over the communication means has narrowed continuously. In other words, as Williams was saying, all the new means of communication have been abused either for political control or for commercial profit. Obviously, new communication technologies make both direct (mass) communication and mass organisation easier and cheaper. Much more doubtful, however, are the beliefs that all the information in the universe will be accessible at every moment to everyone with an access to "information superhighway," and that the massive use of information will create more opportunities for citizens' participation in the world of politics, a sort of "cyberdemocracy."

These and many other related questions were discussed during the ninth Euricom colloquium in Piran, Slovenia, in April 1996. This issue of "Javnost--The Public" brings a selection of papers presented at the colloquium. I am especially grateful to Colin Sparks whose help was central, as many times in the past, in the organisation of the colloquium.

The institute and the journal are planning a number of events later this year and in 1997. Our next colloquium devoted to the future of journalism will take place in September. "Political Representation and Public Opinion" and "Gender, Citizenship and Communication: The Politics of Pleasure and the Pleasure of Politics" are the themes of the colloquia and special issues of the journal in 1997, while the next issue of "Javnost--The Public" will be devoted to "Public Service Broadcasting" with contributions covering America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Last but not least, the journal is richer for its own world wide web home page:

For all information about past and future events, take a look at our home page asap!

Slavko Splichal
Editor

Le theme saillant de ce numero, "La democratic virtuelle", fait echo a une croyance populaire selon laquelle les progres souvent spectaculaires realises ces derniers temps dans le domaine technique de l'information et de la communication mettent a la disposition des citoyens toute une gamme de moyens leur permettant un plus grand pouvoir de decision et de controle par une participation plus directe aux rouages democratiques. La notion de communication a indubitablement subi un changement irreversible. Mais au moment ou nous avions peine a concevoir l'emploi generalise des ordinateurs, on s'est imagine que l'essor des moyens de communication se traduirait par une democratie accrue, ce qui au dire de Raymond Williams se revela en partie faux. En effet, l'emprise exercee sur les moyens de communication s'est constamment renforcee. En d'autres termes, toujours selon Williams, on exploite les nouveaux moyens de communication a des fins politiques et lucratives. II va de soi que les nouvelles techniques de communication facilitent et rendent meilleur marche les communications directes de masse et les organisations a grande echelle. Mais il est plutot douteux que l'information universelle soit accessible a tout un chacun et a tout moment a partir des autoroutes de l'information et que l'emploi generalise de l'information permette davantage aux citoyens de participer au monde politique par l'intermediaire d'une espece de "cyberdemocratie".

Ce sont ces questions et d'autres s'y rapportant qui ont ete soulevees lors du colloque Euricom qui s'est deroule a Piran, en Slovenie, en avril 1996. Ce numero de "Javnost - The Public" presente une selection d'articles qui ont fait l'objet d'une comminication a ce colloque. Je tiens avant tout a manifester ma gratitude a Colin Sparks qui m'a ete d'un grand secours, comme par le passe d'ailleurs, dans l'organisation de ce colloque. L'institut et le journal envisage d'organiser un certain nombre de manifestations a une date ulterieure cette annee et en 1997. Notre prochain colloque, qui aura pour objet l'avenir du journalisme, se tiendra en septembre. "Representation politique et opinion publique, et sexe, citoyennete et communication: La politique de la satisfaction et les regals de la politique" constitueront les themes de ces colloques et des numeros speciaux du journal en 1997 tandis que le prochain numero de "Javnost - The Public" sera consacre a la radiodiffusion publique. Y contribueront des collaborateurs d'Amerique, d'Afrique, d'Asie et d'Europe. Enfin, pour terminer, le journal s'est enrich de son propre "home page" sur le reseau modial de world wide web

Pour tout renseignement sur les manifestations passees et futures, veuillez consulter notre "home page" asap!

Slavko Splichal
Redacteur

Abstract. The paper identifies and briefly discusses the social, economic, and political constituencies of a cultural history of communication and participation, particularly under the influence of nineteenth century industrialisation and capitalism, which created the structural conditions that helped shape contemporary considerations of access and a public sphere in the United States.

Abstract. This article focuses on two main communication technology themes. One deals with the debate on the contemporary cultural turn predicted by new technologies; the other concerns the implications of that disputed turn for some core concepts of the public sphere, and connected to it, the civil society. Does the Network strengthen the political model of representation and lobbyism rather than that of participatory democracy? Is the Net, in the main, a way of defining an emergent elite, a technological class, a way of making distinctions between both the older elites and various plebeian strata? Whose public sphere is the Network? And who are the publics? Through a series of elemental analyses, this essay attempts to make purposeful these questions.

Abstract. David Held's Models of Democracy (1987) constructs nine models of democracy developed throughout history: four classical and five contemporary. In this article, the author summarizes each of the five contemporary models and attempts to ascertain how changes in information and communication technology (ICT) could help, hinder, or have no consequence within each within each of those democratic paradigms. Ultimately, this article is about the positive contribution of the use of ICT to the political system in general and political democracy in particular.

Abstract. As ICT expands, especially over the Internet, so too do the purposes for which information is exchanged. With competing interests, the accessibility of information is becoming an arena of ethical and legal contest, resulting at times in restrictive legislation. The debate essentially exists between the boundaries of "freedom to..." and "freedom from...", and when either of these impinges upon the other, regulation and censorship become issues. This article looks at some recent regulations in Germany and the U.S. which have limited such information exchange. In juxtaposition to those regulatory efforts, and in light of current optimism which envisions the Internet as a vehicle for increasing local and global democracy, this article also details the real political application via the Internet of a specific example in the Netherlands, the Stadsgesprekken (City Talks).

Abstract. This article seeks to draw a clear distinction between electronic democratisation and (the enhancement through communication technologies of an already initiated democracy) and electronic democracy (seen as a system of direct electronic expression and voting which replaces democracy by representation). The distinction is important, for each casts a very different shape on the democratic structure and the role of the citizen. By examining demographic statistics, and the advent of the White House e- mail, this article looks at the viability of current claims that CMC has ushered in an era of greater democracy.

Abstract. This paper takes a critical look at the notions of democracy which are embedded in both the political rhetoric of the information superhighway and at some of the academic literature which has set out to address the crisis of democracy to which this rhetoric refers. The author will argue that these notions do not constitute a proper debate about the relationship between ICTs and democracy. Looking at the particular example of Manchester City Council's attempt to develop Manchester as an Information City the author will argue that such initiatives need to be framed within the broader debates around the development of a reformulated public sphere.

Abstract. As the history of mass communication has shown, the most fundamental conflict in communication often takes place between the outlook of the established authorities (responsible for maintaining the current order) and media demands for unrestricted freedom of expression (McQuail 1992). Thus, new technologies often play a vital role in readjusting the balance between the established authorities on the one hand and the public and media on the other. Along the line of such an argument, this study examined the potential impact of CMC on government controls of information in China where the government still keeps a rigid control over the mass media even as it attempts to open channels to the outside world. With this in mind, the authors of this paper explored the impact of CMC on the Chinese government's policy towards both the internal and external communications of its people. Specifically, it examined the following: (1) the current development of CMC in China; (2) challenges posed by the new media technologies to government information control; (3) the current policy of the Chinese government towards on-line communication and its implications.