citizenry

In the Theater of Dionysus, art and politics converged to nourish an informed, active citizenry capable of guiding Athenian democracy both on and off the stage.

These assemblies are chosen by lot from the citizenry at large and deliberate on matters of policy, much as trial juries deliberate on matters of civil or criminal liability.

"This is part of the larger failure of an information ecosystem and education system that have bred an uninformed citizenry that fails to comprehend the danger we are now facing."

The lesson is clear: in a democracy, real resistance to fake news comes from a critically media literate citizenry, not the power of billionaire gatekeepers.

The lack of an informed citizenry is a perfect predicate for the rise of oligarchic, kleptocratic and authoritarian rule—and the further decline or demise of democratic self-governance.