Why Obama's Everywhere You Look, Listen, Read

President looks to get past media filter
By Gabriel Winant,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 24, 2009 11:21 AM CDT
Why Obama's Everywhere You Look, Listen, Read
In this photograph provided by ABC News, President Obama is interviewed by George Stephanopoulos, left, during the taping of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."   (AP Photo/This Week, Lauren Victoria Burke)

When it came to getting past what he called “the media filter,” President Bush’s favorite strategy was to go around it. President Obama’s style is more to go over, under, around, and through, courting both the new and mainstream media in an effort to communicate directly with the public, Politico reports. “You’ve got lots of people that aren’t cable junkies or news junkies,” Obama's press secretary said.

Or, as another aide described the strategy: “Flood the zone.” So far, the White House has opened up to liberal bloggers, minority media outlets, and radio talk shows. But Obama also sat down with the New York Times and CBS. It’s all aimed at mobilizing supporters for his agenda. “It’s like mainlining into a vein—you’re getting the drugs where they need to go,” a former Bush spokesman said.
(More President Obama stories.)

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