The Role of Blogs in Media Advocacy

Photo credit: BuffaloBeast.com

In this week’s discussions and readings on media advocacy, we learn that an organization’s message is nothing without a platform to disseminate the message; the media helps to shepherd the message from a source to its audience. With the rise of the internet and social media, advocacy organizations hope that their audience will utilize tools such as Facebook or Twitter to accelerate the spread of their message.

With this in mind, consider recent events in Wisconsin. Earlier this month, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced his intention to diminish the power state employees by eliminating their collective bargaining rights. State unions staged large demonstrations in Madison to protest the governor's plans. Amid the protests, the governor received a phone call from a man he believed to be his friend and advisor, David Koch. But the guy on the other end of the line wasn’t actually David Koch; he was Ian Murphy, gonzo journalist and editor-in-chief of BuffaloBeast.com - a satirical blog based in New York and self-proclaimed as "the world's only website." Murphy impersonated Koch well enough to gain access to the governor and record their conversation. Let’s just say that the conversation wasn’t pretty. At one point, Murphy (as Koch) says, “…once you crush these bastards, I’ll fly you out to Cali and show you a really good time.” Governor Walker agrees to the idea, saying that that would be outstanding.

That prank phone call could become a turning point in this battle. Walker lost control of the media's framing of the issue. While the media continued reporting on Walker's policy position, coverage now included personal statements from Walker's unflattering conversation with Murphy. Mainstream media outlets throughout Wisconsin and the country reported on the prank phone call. The transcript and video were available through not only Wisconsin's major newspapers and blogs, but nationwide newspapers as well, particularly after Murphy's site crashed after receiving too many hits. The story broke four days ago and since then, Murphy's post has hundreds of comments on the post and they're still coming.

Advocacy campaigns use the media to help advance their message. Murphy's story provides an example for how mainstream media advocacy is not exclusive to corporations, advocacy organizations, or political campaigns. One person's agenda has the potential to carry the same weight as a large organization. Because of Murphy's post and the ensuing media coverage, many people in Wisconsin have a new perspective on Governor Walker and his position on this issue. Murphy's story has the potential to help influence the outcome of this heated union debate.

Update: I just read this post from e.politics that emphasizes the compelling nature of multimedia content (in this particular case, audio). Multimedia has a long history of impacting politics, from JFK's first televised debate to the 2006 U.S. Senatorial campaign in Virginia. In that case, Senator George Allen was caught on camera using a racial slur to describe his opponent's staffer. The video went viral and Allen was ultimately defeated by Jim Webb.