Novel Use of Streaming Media in Politics

I am particularly interested in the use of stremaing media in politics. In the past four years politicians have been utilizing the powerful communication tools of the Internet to convey their messages. But as a whole politicians have been behind the curve as far as unlocking the full potential of reaching potential voters through the interactive advantages of the Internet. Many politicians now keep up blogs and a rising number of politicians are beginning to utilize streaming media to broadcast and publish live and past speeches.

In the last presidential election, both Kerry and Bush had an online campaign and online campaign managers. Zack Exley, who was the director of online communication organization for the Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign admitted that the online efforts for 2004 fell short, in part because they failed to embrace some traditional democratic values. Bush's campaign focused on grassroots building and campaign fundraising was more effective and could have played a large role in the eventual outcome. This Harvard Gazette article goes in deeper detail about the issue.

Anyway, back to streaming media and politics. In the upcoming 2008 election, I believe stremaing media will provide candidates with yet another powerful tool to reach potential voters and let their message resonate. I chose one of my favorite Democratic senators from Illinois and particularly well spoken and potential candidate for 2008, Barrack OBama's website. Barrack has a well constructed website with a catalog of podcasts with the subtitle of 'Audio reports on issues affecting Illinois, the nation and the U.S. Senate.' His voice and message is clear in these speeches which cover a varietly of topics. I Look for Obama and other candidates to continue to utilize stremaing media to have a large impact on future campaigns.