Dialogue and Public Space: An Exploration of Radio and Information Communications Technologies ANN DALE Royal Roads University TED NAYLOR University of Alberta 1.0 Introduction This paper provides a brief overview of how two media—radio and infor- mation communications technologies ~ICTs!—can foster dialogue and potentially enlarge the public sphere in Canada. In this paper, we talk about dialogue in two ways: first, as a modality of language and speech, designed to impart meaning and communication: “The meaning is what holds it @dialogue# together.... Meaning is not static—it is flowing. And if we have the meaning being shared, then it is flowing among us; it holds the group together ... in that way we can talk coherently and think together” ~David Bohm, cited in Anderson 2002!. And second, drawing upon Jurgen Habermas’ ~1989! concept of the “public sphere,” we con- sider the ongoing issue of delineating a public sphere that facilitates opti- mum information exchange, articulation and dissemination of knowledge through diverse dialogue forums as critical for the democratic participa- tion of citizens. We believe that the current ‘democratic deficit’ may be due to a shrinking of public space and a corresponding decrease in the quality of dialogue around critical public policy issues in Canada, as well as a loss of ‘shared meaning’ about what we value as a nation. We examine two media, radio and ICTs, one historical and the other nascent, embedded with both the promises and limitations for enhancing widespread dialogue in Canada. Although television also plays a key role, Acknowledgments: We wish to express our appreciation to the reviewers for their thoughtful and insightful comments, which contributed to strengthening this article. Dr. Ann Dale, Trudeau Fellow, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development, Professor, Science,Technology and Environment Division, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, BC, V9B 5Y2; ann.dale@royalroads.ca Ted Naylor, Doctoral Candidate, Dept. of Sociology, University ofAlberta, 25 Bay- view Lane, Site 8, Box 7, RR2, hubbards, N.S., B0J 1TO; tnaylor@ualberta.ca Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique 38:1 (March/mars 2005) 203–225 © 2005 Canadian Political Science Association ~l’Association canadienne de science politique! and0et la Société québécoise de science politique