CHICAGO- Call it the e-fireside chat.
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama plans to continue his close links with the Internet by making the weekly radio address into a YouTube video that he will post on his Web site www.change.gov, aides said on Friday.
Obama, who takes office on Jan. 20, will record this Saturday’s Democratic weekly radio address as his first video and audio address. He will continue the tradition during his presidency.
“No president-elect or president has ever turned the radio address into a multimedia opportunity before,” said transition spokesman Nick Shapiro.
“This is just one of the many ways that President-elect Obama will communicate directly with the American people and make the White House and the political process more transparent.”
Obama, the first president-elect with a MySpace and Facebook profile, used the Internet to his advantage during the long two-year presidential campaign, breaking all records in part by his highly successful effort to raise money online.
Shapiro said in addition to regularly videotaping the radio address, the Obama White House will also conduct regular question and answer chats online as well as video interviews.
Transition office officials said the goal was to put a face on the new administration and its members.
One of the first videos that will be put up on the Webster is of Valerie Jarrett, one of Obama’s close advisers and a co-chair of the transition effort.
REUTERS/Jason Reed (Obama speaks with campaign worker in Reno, Nevada)
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3 comments so far
I wish the good luck to Barak OBAMA
- Posted by rachidAll sccess
As an updating of the educative, rooseveltian fireside chats — and hopefully a vast improvement re the trust and participation of the US population in its government — this hi-tech iDea was just what my cronies and i were hoping for. way to carpe diem, obama and co! more to come…
- Posted by nathen from san diegothis is just a sign of the times. everything’s getting high-tech. internet era
- Posted by jimmy