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White House 'West Wing Week' Videoblog Goes Behind the Scenes

by Terrence O'Brien on May 23, 2010 at 09:00 AM

West Wing Week Video Blog
The Obama administration just keeps flexing its new media muscle and redefining what it means to speak to the people in a way that we haven't seen since the days of FDR's "fireside chats." The White House blog, its slick interactive website, weekly YouTube addresses and Twitter account are powerful, but they still feel like the tools of politics. A new White House video blog though, called 'West Wing Week,'takes a more human, less directly political approach to engaging the American people.

'West Wing Week' was launched with little fanfare some time ago on YouTube and slipped under the radar of most media outlets. But it offers an interesting glimpse into the daily goings on at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The videos round up the major events, with President Obama facing some new national crisis, visiting schools and businesses and speaking to the press. But there are also behind the scenes moments that humanize the president and others in the administration, such as Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poking fun at an old photo of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and Obama mumbling to himself "I'm an old man," while filling out his census form.

Of course, efforts like these are ways for the administration to control the flow of information and attempt to steer the national conversation. During the Bush years, much was made of that administration's ability to control the conversation and effectively herd the press, but even those masters of message could learn a thing or two from the Obama team. These efforts, however, have rankled the feathers of some in the traditional media who feel the White House is trying to sidestep them by releasing its own photos of events on Flickr, video interviews with Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and saving some content strictly for the 'West Wing Week' video series.

Whether it's truly transparent or the series just does a great job of creating the illusion of transparency, there's no denying that the Obama administration has mastered the art of new media like The Big O handles a jumpshot. [From: Washington Post, Via: PSFK]

Tags: Barack Obama, BarackObama, government, new media, NewMedia, Obama Administration, ObamaAdministration, politics, top, west wing week, WestWingWeek, white house, WhiteHouse, youtube

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