@revel,
Quote:I think it is pretty smart
I think its pretty smart too, but that's not the point.
I don't blame Team Obama for arranging this "media event."
The believe in their plan and they want to convince the American people to support it. Nothing wrong with that.
What will be wrong is if it is an unpaid political message masquerading as an objective exploration of an important issue by a major network's
News Organization.
We'll have to see how ABC presents the plan. It's possible that it will be objective; addressing all points of view, but from what I have read of the planned format, I'm doubtful.
We know we will be treated to Obama using his considerable communication skills to lay out his claims for why this program will solve all of our healthcare problems.
If this is done in the guise of an interview with Charlie Gibson and Gibson doesn't challenge the claims Obama makes it will be dishonest.
A way that ABC may introduce challenges in an ineffective and dishonest way is for Gibson to phrase is questions in a manner that undermines the validity of the challenge.
Watch to see if he poses question in the following ways:
"You know Mr President, a lot of your critics say...."
or
"What do you say to Republicans who charge..."
If you don't think it matters how a question is phrased then you don't have a healthy enough respect for the communication experts who make an excellent living manipulating language.
If we don't hear from experts (doctors, economists, et al) who oppose the plan, then all we've heard is the President's spin with an occassional softball question lobbed by Charlie Gibson.
If all we hear in terms of an opposing view are the questions of ordinary citizens participating in a Town Hall style forum, once again, the presentation will not even approach objectivity.
It will be quite amazing if an ordinary citizen who is not a public speaker is able to hold his or her own with the President of the United States.
It would be very easy to present the issue with true objectivity by involving a panel of experts that advocate one or the other side.
Bringing the President and White House into it is, at least, intended for ratings. This is fine. ABC is a business and they need viewers if they are going to make money.
If they don't want to bring Republican politicians into the program, that's fine too - again, I prefer that they do not, so the easy argument about the Fairness Doctrine doesn't impress me.
And if they want to be total shills for the Administration and present a program that is nothing more than an Obama infomercial, so be it. I believe they'll will be doing a disservice to their audience, but what the hell, there's no law that says they have to have journalistic integrity.
... What a joke! ... How many teleprompters will be in attendance?
