FDR had his fireside chats, Obama will have YouTube. His administration plans to bring government into the 21st century in a big way. From the Washington Post:
Today, President-elect Obama will record the weekly Democratic address not just on radio but also on video — a first. The address, typically four minutes long, will be turned into a YouTube video and posted on Obama’s transition site, Change.gov, once the radio address is made public on Saturday morning.
In addition to regularly videotaping the radio address, officials at the transition office say the Obama White House will also conduct online Q&As and video interviews. The goal, officials say, is to put a face on government. In the following weeks, for example, senior members of the transition team, various policy experts and choices for the Cabinet, among others, will record videos for Change.gov.
This is, in part, a communications strategy. Obama won an election by tapping into new technologies and social networks, and he’ll probably attempt to control his administration’s image in much the same way.
But Obama’s tech savvy has the potential to improve government transparency. Obama has pledged to use the Internet to shine light on the workings of Washington, and he has previously pushed “Google Government” legislation that would make all government contracts and grants publicly searchable.
I was excited by Obama’s focus on transparency and technology early on, and hopefully the financial mess won’t overshadow those issues once he is sworn in.