A recent article from ABC news highlighted the various ways in which the White House attempted to "soften" Hilary Clinton's stern and serious image while she was the First Lady. In order to "make her involvement in policy seem 'less extreme'", Clinton's advisers pushed her to be more "real" and offered a number of suggestions for doing so, like appearing on the then-popular television show "Home Improvement", harnessing the Internet, avoiding the national press in favor of meeting with local press. They advised her to answer reporters' questions in a conversational rather than defensive style, suggested she participate in a 20/20 interview with the President and Barbara Walters (one framed around their 20th anniversary, so that it would not seem too political) and even gave style advice.
This story reminded me of this week's reading. The media is an extremely powerful force, due largely in part to its reflexivity - as the reading states, it does not only inform us of what is going on in the world, but has a creating/"forming" function as well. It shapes our perceptions of reality, and therefore our opinions. Clinton's advisers used this to their advantage, harnessing the power of television and the Internet to reach as many people as they could. I was young during the Clinton presidency and do not know whether these attempts did anything to "humanize" Hilary or shift public opinion about her (the article does not mention the effects), but my guess is that they did not affect her image too much - or she would not be a contender for the presidency today. I am curious to see how the news media will portray her in the years to come.
This is a perfect connection to our reading this week! We'll talk more about this on Wednesday!
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