Not one for spontaneity, the Bush Administration is utilizing an old PR trick, the video news release, a carefully crafted and scripted clip that looks like real live news. Corporations use it all the time to get their message out in a newsy way.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. Remember my fave topic of two weeks ago, Guckert/Gannon? This is just more of the same, without the homosexual hooking. It’s perfectly okay for corporations to use this method, that’s what marketing people like me get paid to do: come up with ways to manipulate people like you. But for our government to do it? It clearly sends a message to those smart enough to get it that W’s administration has no faith in the American people, that they will fall hook, line and news reel for whatever mojo they are selling. “Thank God for America,” says an Iraqi into the camera, as if the news team just pulled up and he just had to share his gratitude for the war. Somewhere in Mississippi, a woman is watching Fox News and munching on Cheetos and thinking, “God, this is a great country. Thank God W spent billions of dollars, cleared the surplus, tripled the deficit and donated thousands of lives so that we could liberate those people.” Meanwhile, in the Sudan . . .
I guess on the upside, Bush has done a good job of building up patriotism (though 9/11 sure did its share for awhile). What this administration is doing, however, smacks less of savvy PR and more of old-fashion propaganda. What’s next, liberal cleansing?
I swear to God, if this country turns fascist and we all have to start wearing red, white and blue uniforms, I am really never going to forgive you Republicans out there. I’m going to demand a written apology from each and every one of you who voted for Karl Rove.
Or, I’ll just ask that you go to http://www.StopFakeNews.org and ask the FCC and US Justice Department to stop fake news.
