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A 2017 US Department of State unclassified document reveals interesting details about a new strategy that the then new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was about to follow. The document refers to a 2009 memo that was proposing this strategy to the Clinton team.
The memo identifies that "Politics and public policy have become staple topics of daytime talk shows like no other time in history. The line between daytime talk shows and hard news becomes more and more blurred as headlines in one realm make headlines in the other.", and suggests methods through which some of the most famous liberal celebrities and their daytime talk shows could be used to "shape Americans' opinion of foreign policy and provide a human face to the issues that the State Department is promoting."
Some key parts (most important highlighted):
Unlike the elite, Inside-the-Beltway reporters who are constantly on the hunt for controversy and internal friction within the administration, specialty media outlets are more focused on substantive policy issues and want to find ways to connect these complex issues to a human face. Further, the thirst for access from these outlets puts the State Department in a position of strength in negotiating amount of coverage and topics to be discussed. Many will agree to do a written Q&A or restrict questioning to previously approved topics. These outlets can create vital support for official policy or pending legislation among key domestic constituency groups but also create momentum for policy abroad. As the media environment continues to become more and more globally interconnected, it will be critical for the leadership of the State Department to leverage all of these media opportunities to amplify and deliver messages that advance policy making.
A 2017 US Department of State unclassified document reveals interesting details about a new strategy that the then new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was about to follow. The document refers to a 2009 memo that was proposing this strategy to the Clinton team.
The memo identifies that "Politics and public policy have become staple topics of daytime talk shows like no other time in history. The line between daytime talk shows and hard news becomes more and more blurred as headlines in one realm make headlines in the other.", and suggests methods through which some of the most famous liberal celebrities and their daytime talk shows could be used to "shape Americans' opinion of foreign policy and provide a human face to the issues that the State Department is promoting."
Some key parts (most important highlighted):
Unlike the elite, Inside-the-Beltway reporters who are constantly on the hunt for controversy and internal friction within the administration, specialty media outlets are more focused on substantive policy issues and want to find ways to connect these complex issues to a human face. Further, the thirst for access from these outlets puts the State Department in a position of strength in negotiating amount of coverage and topics to be discussed. Many will agree to do a written Q&A or restrict questioning to previously approved topics. These outlets can create vital support for official policy or pending legislation among key domestic constituency groups but also create momentum for policy abroad. As the media environment continues to become more and more globally interconnected, it will be critical for the leadership of the State Department to leverage all of these media opportunities to amplify and deliver messages that advance policy making.
Politics and public policy have become staple topics of daytime talkshows like no other time in history. The line between daytime talk shows and hard news becomes more and more blurred as headlines in one realm make headlines in the other.
In the world of daytime talk, Oprah continues to dominate and in the past few years, she has tackled many important foreign policy issues that are often ignored by mainstream press. For example, she has recently done shows dedicated to genocide in Darfur, the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Lord's Resistance Armyin Uganda. These shows are often led by special correspondents Lisa Ling and CNN's Anderson Cooper. Oprah's influence goes beyond the 8 million in the U.S. who watch her show daily but extends to the millions who watch her in 139 countries. In the past year, she has worked to incorporate her international audience by using Skype technology to have real viewers from around the world ask questions to her guests.
While Ellen does not spend many shows dealing with serious foreign policy issues, she does use her show to support important causes and raise money for them. Further, her show is syndicated internationally to ten countries, including Canada, Australia, and India. She is a big supporter of Hillary Clinton and is willing to use her platform to help promote the agenda of the new Secretary of State.
What The View lacks in international distribution, it makes up for it by creating a media echo chamber based on the intense discussions that take place every weekday during the Hot Topics segments. While, foreign affairs have only been an occasional topic on the show, now with Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, that level is expected to spike dramatically. The influence of the show on Americans' understanding of foreign policy is already evident. For example, when President Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University, Whoopi Goldberg provided the audience with tips on how to pronounce his name [say I'M A DINNER JACKET] and in a recent show discussing Hillary Clinton's appointment to Secretary of State, Whoopi mentioned how she would like to be the Ambassador to Hungary. Later that day, the former Hungarian ambassador to the U. S. posted a YouTube video singing a song and inviting Whoopi to Hungary as his special guest and then The View showed the video during Hot Topics the next day.
Coverage of politics exploded on all the entertainment news shows this year and they continue to cover the new administration regularly. Hillary Clinton did numerous interviews with Entertainment Tonight/The Insider, Access Hollywood, EXTRA, and Inside Edition during the campaign. Together these shows reach an audience of 25 million viewers everyday. Working with these outlets can help shape Americans' opinion of foreign policy and provide a human face to the issues that the State Department is promoting.
The memo reveals a key parameter of a broader strategy that was implemented to normalize the destructive foreign policy of the Obama administration. The policy that destroyed Libya and Syria. The policy that led to a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. The policy that expanded proxy wars, drone strikes, torture.
And perhaps what's most impressive, is that this PR/propaganda strategy is still being used today by the neoliberal establishment, even to normalize war criminals like George W. Bush. Some of the same liberal celebrities are being used in an effort to brainwash the minds of the Americans and make them forget the awful legacy of the Bush era.
Today, it seems that this strategy largely fails. Donald Trump is terrible indeed, but not enough to make us forget the endless wars. And the destruction of entire countries. And the growing inequality, the poverty, the bailouts of Wall Street, the war on working class.
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