Journalist Jeff Greenfield responded to the ongoing battle from the media this week, when reporting, that the FOX NEW’S DEPARTMENT is being accused of being the research and communication’s arm of the Republican Party. He also says that “. . . Fox’s bottom-line has increased 13% since Obama came into office. So perhaps they are crying all the way to the bank”.
Obama accuses Fox News as appearing “to be more like a talk show format and not a news format”.
There is no question that the Rupert Murdoch owned conglomeration’s opinions predominately favor the far Right Republican agenda. So when the White House decides not to give more fuel to Fox’s perceived negativity and refuses to be on their programs, is this an exercise of free speech? On the other hand, is it an exercise in futility? The points of views coming from the White House will be interpreted as the voice of the Obama Administration no matter what the administration representative says when they appear on FOX. Being fair however, MSNBC has been called the most left in their presentation of Obama’s opinions. So to whom do we listen for the “true news story”? Nevertheless, who would that be?
Where do we find a news source that is truly balanced? Personally, I find I have to listen to them all and weigh what seems “logical”, but I was taught in journalism school and at the LA TIMES that politics are highly hinged in “manipulating emotions and the illusion”.
It is going to take some getting used to, but I am going to have to change my habits when it comes to watching the President speak. Throughout the Bush Administration, I did not have television and rarely watched news online. After years of political activism (starting at age 13), I was so appalled at being represented on the international stage by someone who could not speak in complete sentences, that I stopped watching the President speak. I found it less painful to read snippets in the news after-the-fact.
I am now constantly amazed to hear the President speak, and find myself encouraged by what I hear, instead of disappointed or embarrassed.
The President has quite the task on his hands. The old battle lines between "Republicans" and "Democrat" are built on very old paradigms, and none of them yet seem to understand that the days are long gone when most of their assumptions about how the world works are no longer valid. The Democrats are going to be almost as hard for the President to bring to the table (over time) as the Republicans are.
I wish him luck and fortitude. As a very impatient person, I am constantly heartened to see how much patience he exhibits. Because he is going to need it.
And, as an aside, to the Comms Team: great job. As a career IT professional now working in the Enterprise / Web 2.0 space, I give you kudos for your committment to transparency -- particularly in light of the fact that government policies and systems have not kept up to date with change at all, and that your challenge is going to be bigger and harder than it really should have to be. Good luck!
Communications is the new frontier. Newspapers are being converted from print to internet. Huge amounts of money are wasted through lack of standardization, redundancy, and difficulty in querying and finding data. We need to standardize not just electronic medical records, to prevent duplicating services and errors, but also utility bills, credit card bills, contracts, court records, prison and jail records, and any communications which are fundamental, frequent, and subject to privacy and security concerns.
Elderly and disabled persons often have difficulty in the area of communications. Changing the format of utility bills causes a problem. Difficult to read credit card bills causes chaos. Incomprehensible contracts are a disaster.
National security is highly dependent on communications - on the battle front, for homeland security, to prevent terrorist attacks, to prevent crime. However the privacy concerns are huge. Intelligence may sometimes compromise privacy. How do we balance these?
Information technology is poorly understood by most Americans. We need increased education in this area.
Mediation, debate, giving and following instructions, about almost anything are necessary skills in society. How can we increase our skills as a nation in this area?
Please give your conerns about what needs to do and why centralizing these concerns in one cabinet level position may be efficient and move us forward quicker or the opposite view.
While the speculation is now who Barack will choose for CIO (Chief Information Officer) for the nation, the Chair of the FCC, and his change in the current Communication Policy ...
http://www.millervaneaton.com/content.agent?page_name=HT%3A++Obama+Administration
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the time being, the focus for citizens in support of local access to programming telecom media should now be on Congress, the FCC, and their state legislatures. We need NOT focus on the doings of Barack and his transition team! Here is an introduction and resources to now consider to protect the public's right to participate fullly in using the new media and techologies:
http://www.millervaneaton.com/content.agent?page_name=LEGISLATIVE%20FEATURE:%20Intro%20Page
FEDERAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION ON FRANCHISING
INTRODUCTION; Key Resources
The Bell companies and their allies are mounting a massive campaign in three different venues - Congress, the state legislatures, and the FCC - to eliminate local cable franchising. A Bell victory at any of these levels could effectively seize local property, deprive local governments of needed revenues, leave subscribers unprotected in dealing with large cable companies, and end public, educational, and governmental access. Thus, it is essential that local governments oppose the Bell campaign in all three areas.
In this ongoing feature we will make available key resources for this effort.
Congressional Video Franchise Legislation
State Video Franchise Legislation
FCC Rulemaking on Franchising
Related Legislation
I am tired of losing. Though I consider myself an independent, I have voted for a Democratic Presidential Candidate in every single election since 1984 (Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Gore, Kerry – pretty slim pickings when you see it in print). Unfortunately, the Obama campaign is heading towards a train wreck unless it initiates a drastic change in its approach. It’s quite possible they will be the biggest losers of all time – and so will we. Here is why:
I am tired of losing – get this damn thing on track!
My father always taught me to pick my battles wisely and to stand up for what I believe in. I
believe that we should use all our resources to lend a helping hand to worthy causes when the
greater good is at stake.
My background is in Business Administration with an emphasis on marketing and finance. I
have worked in executive business development and strategic alliances, and have been involved
in business communications and call center management for over 15 years.
In my career my with the political call center I work with, my involvement brings a strong
emphasis on marketing utilizing telephones and other communication mediums.
I am also is active on the Executive Board of Directors for a number of civic agencies throughout
Gainesville Florida and I am the Director of Communications for a non-partisan social
organizing agency serving the community of Gainesville Florida, and we are working on many
of the same issues as Obama'08 is trying to sort out. Such issues includes affordable health care
for all Americans and especially children, fair working wages, housing, education and safe
communities.
I invest valuable experience and knowledge to the operations and culture the political call center
I work with, which in turn enhances our programs and campaigns which the political call
center designs and executes.
If you believe that my education, experience and skill base can be of use and would like me
to lend a helping hand - I can be reached at: 352.682.9427 or jdc352@gmail.com.
Hi There Folks!
As you can see this is my first post, so I'll just tell you why I've decided to Blog for Barack! It's pretty basic, if I didn't find a way to get in touch with Barack's PR Folks and Communications Team to share strategies and thoughts, even if they're worthless, I was going to bust. So, what you'll find here is postings of PR and Communications tactics that I think can be effective in this campaign and movement.There is no particular order. Some postings will be random thoughts, and some will be occasional frustrations, but I'll always try to provide a solution or suggested call to action as events unfold. Sometimes there will be pauses in posts, as I am generally only apt to post when I am completely sickened by the mass media and politicos and their impact on the electoral process.
Here Goes Nothing!
