Cross-posted from The Hill...

Common Cause will be very active this week and next at the Democratic convention in Denver and the Republican convention in Minneapolis. Today, along with FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, I will kick off the Symposium on Media and Democracy at the "Big Tent." It will be a panel discussion on how the media and technology increasingly shape our democracy and how we can ensure more diverse and independent news sources.

The Big Tent is an 8,000 square-foot structure near the convention center that will be home this week to hundreds of bloggers and citizen journalists covering the convention. There are bloggers from small sites you've never heard of, as well as some of the most popular political blogs on the Web, like Daily Kos. You can watch a live feed of the Big Tent on our website at: www.commoncause.org/BigTent. We will also be sending back regular updates through the course of the week about what's happening, which you can find at www.commonblog.com.

Next week, in Minneapolis, I will speak on several panels with journalists, academics and activists about some of the most pressing issues our next president will face.

Check out this full-page ad that Common Cause is running Thursday in the Denver daily newspapers and then again in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Monday, when the Republicans start their convention in that city.