All campaigns must learn. The Dean campaign is responding to feedback and working hard to focus on the issues that our members have told us are important: health care, economy, and civil liberties, to name three. But learning is difficult in the current media environment.
http://barlow.typepad.com/barlowfriendz/
I just talked by phone with John Perry Barlow, who makes an interesting observation: Big media–TV, radio, and print–seems to be out to kill the Dean candidacy. Why?
One possible reason: An Internet-fueled candidacy challenges big media. Remember all the predictions that “this will be the campaign that does for the Internet what Kennedy-Nixon did for television”–or more negatively, “this will be the campaign that does TO television what Kennedy-Nixon did TO print.” Do you really think that big media, especially television, wants this to be the story of the 2004 election? Might the television establishment want the story to be “Internet campaigns are a bubble?”
In 1960, print journalism did not recognize that television was a disruptive technology that could reduce its impact. Print journalism did not attempt to squelch television. In 2004, big media’s leaders understand that the Internet is a threat, and are working to thwart it. Note, in addition to the experience of the Dean campaign, that for example MoveOn.org was not allowed to buy a commercial television spot to run during the Superbowl. This decision by a major network, CBS, makes no sense from a simple business perspective, but makes immense sense from the standpoint of big media not wanting to conspire in its own demise. Think what might have happend to the Kennedy-Nixon debates if the major newspapers of the day had refused to report on them, or had argued that Kennedy had manipulated his TV image and coopted the debate process. Print media could have spread a story that TV debates are not to be trusted–and might have significantly reduced the impact of the debate.
The story that big media plays out of Iowa is that Kerry’s TV ads made the difference. This distracts us from considering the effect of hours and hours of negative coverage of Howard in the mainstream media itself, and asking why this negative coverage developed.
Now the big media story today–for example just played on CNN 30 minutes ago–and I quote–is “will prime time televion save Howard Dean’s campaign?” This refers to tonight’s extensive major TV coverage of Howard (Debates, Dianne Sawyer, and Letterman). In fact this coverage may make a significant difference for Howard. But note how big media delights in singing of its own powers!
Barlow points out a deeper conspiracy. If Bush/Rove can take out Howard now, and Kerry later (mark Barlow’s words: Kerry is next) then the two campaigns that have opted out of public financing will both be eliminated. This will result in Bush/Rove facing only campaigns that are limited by public financing, and thus will not be able to raise the resources to fight against the Bush/Rove media onslaught planned for later this spring.
The net of these two influences is that both big media and Bush/Rove have an interest in doing all they can to kill the Internet campaign snake while it is still small. And they are working hard to do so.
The big media effort to kill Internet campaigning is a story in its own right, and one that big media is unlikely to tell.
By the way, do you still want to tune into the big media show tonight? Might as well! Here’s how:
1) Tonight, Howard Dean will appear at the Democratic candidates’ debate in
Manchester, New Hampshire. The debate will air live nationally on the Fox News Channel at 8 pm ET, with a one-hour summary on ABC News’ Nightline at 11:35 pm ET. FOX News Radio and ABC News Radio networks will also carry the debate.
2) Governor Dean and his wife Judy sit down with Diane Sawyer tonight on Prime TimeThursday on ABC. The program airs at 10 pm ET.
3) Howard Dean will appear on Late Night with David Letterman on CBS tonight. Check local listings.
