As the debate over public media continues, we must continue to ask ourselves what the term “public media” really means. What defines a “public”? What does the term “media” actually include? When I think about public media, the first image that comes to mind is the public broadcasting system as it currently exists. More importantly, I think of the continued and very real debate going on across the country and in Congress about whether or not to continue federal funding for public broadcasting. There has been much talk about whether or not the model for public broadcasting as it currently exists today is outdated. Opponents of the continued funding of public broadcasting often argue that public broadcasting is now obsolete given the current structure of commercial television broadcasting, ‘500 different channels all devoted to a person’s individual interests, etc.’ – that sort of thing, so why do we need public broadcasting when there are so many options?! More on that later.