Will Friedman
@willfriedman.bsky.social
Democracy researcher/writer/advocate focused on the idea that we can’t defend democracy without renewing democracy. Former president, Public Agenda. NYC born, Brooklyn based.
Poland, Hungary, now India - are we entering a period in which autocrats and oligarchs are losing their footing, a time of “democratic upsliding”? The World’s Largest Democracy Gets a Second Chance www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/o...
Opinion | Indian Democracy Isn’t Dead After All
This summer’s youth-led revolt punctured Modi’s aura and showed that Indian democracy may still be able to renew itself from below.
nytimes.com
File under Flouting Democracy: “Meta’s project had no…issues with opposition — in part because the local community didn’t know about the deal until it was done.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/b...
5 Things to Know About Meta’s Giant Data Center in Louisiana
The road to the giant project was paved with secret meetings and an ever-expanding building plan.
nytimes.com
This is a great example of what's called "pluralistic ignorance" -- the phenomenon whereby most people share a particular view, but they *don't think other people share it*. In this case: most people are concerned about climate change but think others aren't.
Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same
That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll....
sherwood.news
“The true value of democracy is not in one specific election or policy; it is in the fact that we, the people, always retain the opportunity — and the power — to fix our mistakes.” Amen. The Founder We Need Is the One We Don’t Remember www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/o...
Opinion | The Founder We Need Is the One We Don’t Remember
nytimes.com
Democratic innovations keep spreading that help regular people fully consider public issues and gain a stronger voice in setting the public agenda and enacting public decisions. www.linkedin.com/posts/a-few-...
A few weeks ago, G1000 launched a campaign that we fully support. “Your voice deserves a seat” is calling on the Belgian Chamber of Representatives to establish a permanent citizens’ assembly at the…...
A few weeks ago, G1000 launched a campaign that we fully support. “Your voice deserves a seat” is calling on the Belgian Chamber of Representatives to establish a permanent citizens’ assembly at the ...
linkedin.com
Hawaii just passed the first state law in the country banning corporations from making political donations in state elections. Now a Koch-backed legal group is suing to overturn it. Big Money won't get out of our politics without a fight — one that we the people must win. (via @levernews.com)
China is exporting its “vast security apparatus that keeps citizens safe [but] is frequently deployed to crush political dissent.” Interesting that US’ aspiring tech oligarch Larry Ellison predicts people here will “behave” b/c surveillance will be everywhere. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/w...
China Is Testing Its State Surveillance Model Abroad
nytimes.com
New research: Public Agenda, in partnership with @snfagora.bsky.social, finds that Americans are deeply concerned about democracy, with partisan divides sharpened by Republican disagreements about presidential authority and the balance of powers. Full findings: publicagenda.org/resource/pa-...
Understanding Evolving Republican Attitudes Towards Democracy - Public Agenda
Public Agenda and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University are working together to understand Americans’ beliefs about democratic practices and principles. Previous work led by the SNF Agor...
publicagenda.org
Many agree that young men in the US are not thriving—but what do they actually think? New Public Agenda research listens to young men directly, uncovering their views on education, the economy, civic life, and more. See what we found in the full report: publicagenda.org/resource/you...
In a Rapidly Evolving World, Are Young Men Struggling to Catch Up, or Refusing the Direction It’s Heading? - Public Agenda
“The biggest challenge men face today is identity. Historically men would have a tribe, have a local community, whether it’s church and you are kind of just part of the organization. Now we live in a ...
publicagenda.org
To cast doubt on election results, the Trump administration and its supporters are misconstruing declassified intelligence reports about vulnerabilities in state voter registration databases. But there’s no evidence that the systems were corrupted. bit.ly/4tjHbIM
Voter Registration Database Protections Are Resilient
Despite recent unfounded claims about data breaches, various systems and backstops protect voter information from cyberattacks.
brennancenter.org
Check it out - excited to learn about how how to mainstream #publicparticipation and #democracy with @peoplepowered.org next Tues!
People Powered@peoplepowered.org · last yr.📢 Join us to explore how public participation is being embedded into governance around the world—featuring global case studies, tools & data. With @opengovpartnership.org , @taicollab.bsky.social and more! 🔗 Register: www.peoplepowered.org/events-conte... #MainstreamingParticipation
To learn more about CHT’s work on “AI and What Makes Us Human,” read our Substack post: centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/whats-at-s...
What's at Stake: Preserving What Makes Us Deeply Human in the Age of AI
Announcing CHT’s new work on “AI and What Makes Us Human”
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com
Read more of their thinking here: www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/05/1... And find our recent research on AI here: newpublic.org/afterthefeed
A blueprint for using AI to strengthen democracy
AI is changing what it means to be a democratic citizen. Here’s how we can harness it for good.
technologyreview.com
In communities across the country, we’re hearing from everyday people that they are hungry for a new way to connect with neighbors online. Our team at New_ Public, a nonprofit focused on building digital public spaces, is creating Roundabout, a new social app and website, now in closed beta. 🧵
👋 Introducing Roundabout: built for neighbors, with neighbors
New_ Public’s app for local communities enters closed beta in five pilot communities
newpublic.substack.com
The collapse of political belonging is reshaping democracy, Anton Cebalo argues.
A New Anti-Political Fervor | NOEMA
How the collapse of political belonging is reshaping democracy.
noemamag.com
How to scale democratic innovations? Read my new DemocracyNext paper, co-authored by Sammy McKinney, about "scaling catalysts" - the organisations playing a crucial role in scaling democratic innovations in their regions. www.demnext.org/projects/sca...
President Trump's latest voting executive order is another attempt to take over elections — power he doesn’t have. But it turns out, there are effective countermoves blunting this and other efforts to undermine elections.
From @kimlanelaw.bsky.social “lots of lessons here for the US - in particular that Magyar went to Orban strongholds for years and persuaded Orban supporters in person that their lives could be better. He knew he had the cities -- and he needed the villages to win this sort of victory.
Tax cuts for giant corporations and the super rich. Paid for by cuts to the social safety net for everyone else. The state of Trump's union. [@itep.org]
Montana — yes, deep red Montana — has a plan to effectively neuter Citizens United. No Supreme Court ruling or constitutional amendment needed. This is no joke. Here's how it works. www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1fP...
Could This Actually End Citizens United?
YouTube video by Robert Reich
youtube.com
"The way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace... I think what’s going on in our country — what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants, is really unfortunate and it’s really sad." - Charles Barkley on CBS
"We need an electoral system that encourages us to talk to each other again. We have options" like ranked choice voting and proportional representation. – FairVote CEO Meredith Sumpter in DemocracySOS on repairing America's civic culture⬇️ democracysos.substack.com/p/stop-fight...
Stop Fighting, Start Fixing: This Is How We Rebuild Democracy
Sane voices, trying to bring the nation together in perilous times, are sorely needed
democracysos.substack.com
Every second we spend talking about 2028 is a second not spent on supporting redistricting in Virginia. It's a second we don't spend talking about 20M people who'd be disenfranchised by the SAVE Act. Let's focus on winning this fall. 👇 open.substack.com/pub/santiago...
For the Love of God, Stop Talking About 2028
I am begging, pleading, imploring. Please.
open.substack.com
Now get out and vote in the midterms like your life depends on it, because it does. #NoKings
Very interesting research that opens up new ways of thinking about countering the dangers we and democracy face.
Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · 5mo agoNew, at Can We Still Govern?: Christian Gläßel and @ascharpf.bsky.social have studied the formation of secret police in other countries. They explain the parallels with Trump's immigration enforcement. The key factor is career incentives not ideology. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-secret...
Important insights in this research by my old organization, @publicagenda.bsky.social, identifying a typology of GOP voters in terms of their attitudes toward democracy. This @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social podcast discusses the findings. #democracy
Washington Monthly@washingtonmonthly.bsky.social · 5mo agoSo-called “Constitution-First” Republicans are uncomfortable with Trump’s abuses of power, @publicagenda.bsky.social and @snfagora.bsky.social say. They could be the key to a pro-democracy coalition that cuts across party and ideology.
Only ongoing democracy-enriching on-the-ground organizing can overcome these anti-democratic antics. Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America
nytimes.com
The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?
Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover
nytimes.com