Does YouTube hurt or help politics?
Over at TechNewsWorld.com, they've got pre-coverage of the CNN/YouTube debate.
I spoke with Tech News World, and made the case that even the silly stuff is good for our democracy:
"Anything that gives more attention to our political process is a good thing for democracy. I even think videos like the Obama Girl videos [on YouTube], as silly as they are, help make this presidential election a cultural phenomenon," Chisholm explained."Even if people are paying attention at first to a silly parody video, it gets them thinking about the election and the choices they are going to have. I see it all as a good thing -- there's no reason politics can't be fun, wacky and part of the cultural fabric of this country," he added.
Kari Chisholm | July 23, 2007 | Comments (2) |
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Unquestionably. The only thing about the YouTube debates that concerns me is that old fashioned journalists are still the arbiters of what questions get asked. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it also makes these debates not necessarily such a "new" thing.
I like how they reach out to a new audience in a new way, though; and the very fact that anybody can ask a question, regardless of how they are selected, is a good thing. Of course those without access to webcams are a bit left out.
The results of the first debate were certainly impressive. Will Ron Paul be the only one on the Republican version?
Posted by: Pete F | Jul 30, 2007 12:19:09 PM
The YouTube debates, I feel, are just a kind of crappy gimmick. I mean, yes, they help, but I feel like the Internet-savvy crowd is not the target audience that we need to be hitting...
Pete F. is definitely right, but still. I think we could be doing a lot better. A LOT better.
Posted by: Michael | Sep 11, 2007 11:03:16 PM
