Accountability arena

Overview

An accountability arena is any kind of discussion forum within which the actions or intentions of an individual or group can be called into question in such a way that the originator of those actions cannot easily ignore the discussion. Traditional accountability arenas include the court system, newspaper editorials and letters, scholarly journals, televised debate, the free market system (where individuals are free to sell off stock or refuse to buy the products of companies whose policies they disagree with), and possibly others.

More recently, the internet is emerging as a powerful new accountability arena whose potential is only slowly being realized as new software is written and as more people become familiar with its use.

Sources

• Disputation Arenas by David Brin