The White House press secretaries, Josh Earnest, Bill Burton, and Mike McCurry, all share a coherent structure or method in their positions. Their various goals and methods are similar but sometimes different. The way in which they set out to accomplish their goals varies on the personal preferences of the executive. As one attempts to explain the contradictions, similarities of the three press secretaries, Josh Earnest, Bill Burton, and Mike McCurry, one will gain a better understanding of how white house publicity operation works.
Deputy Press Secretary for President Obama Josh Earnest job as Press Secretary is expressed through the eyes of the role he serves generally and specifically for the President. There are several mediums in which he explains his role of communication or helping the President communicate with the public. “In defining the impact of the solution to the people, there was not one answer or idea.” (Josh Earnest, 2010) As earnest describes here, his job is to define the impact of a solution to the people. This is not usually doable because the concept of such policies is not easy to grab.
A noticeable personality of Earnest is that he defends the president on all issues i.e. healthcare. He discussed that the blur house summit as an example of the way in which the president is advancing. In addition, he seems to have a good knowledge of the activities of the President like the blur house summit.
“Hoping to create an environment where there is free flow of ideas,” (Josh Earnest, 2010) is a part of the duties of white house publicity’s job as described by Earnest. He continues that, “It was important for the people in [the] room to speak.” (Josh Earnest, 2010) This quote relates to the view that the people who are in a session with the president have to have a say as to what he his discussing through the forum of asking questions.
Earnest in his expertise says that it is important to “engage people in discussions, not just put information out there.” (Josh Earnest, 2010) The main role of the new media, a news instrument used recently by the Obama administration and executives before are mediums whereby it has become possible to engage the public. A question one could ask is how the Press Secretary knows that they are engaging the public? Simply put, Earnest responds that this is done through, “people who log on to websites and how many comments the president receives on his blogs” (Josh Earnest, 2010). He lastly created a bold statement that other press secretary will likely agree with and this is that, “you are not supposed to give a top down approach to people.” (Josh Earnest, 2010) He expresses his technique as open and discussion based.
“Theatrics into steering message is not [helpful]; it is more important to be authentic.” (Josh Earnest, 2010) Earnest describes his view of using theatrics as detrimental, he advises that authenticity is key. “It is important to be conscious of the office.” (Josh Earnest, 2010) He explains that the role the press secretaries play requires them to consider the office they are a part of. With this in mind it becomes easier to dictate or create attention to a particular public on a particular issue. Earnest’s most profound remark on his role and his job to advance publicity of the policies of the white house is expressed; “The element we work the hardest at is putting the president at setting where he works with real people.” (Josh Earnest, 2010)
Mike McCurry is not necessarily different from Josh Earnest. McCurry accepts that new media is now a big way for the president to reach the people. “Changes that are happening in the media no longer follow mainstream media.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) Mainstream media could also be termed as old media, Earnest and McCurry both agree that new media is the greatest and or best way to reach the American public. “It is a lot different from putting the message out there; now it is all about engaging.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) Similar to Earnest, McCurry share the same view that the purpose of the publicity part of the house is to engage the people.
A recent issue commented on by Earnest as well was the healthcare debate. Like Earnest, McCurry took the side of the President. He explicitly expressed that, “President Obama got to some conclusion that no president has come to since Harry S Truman.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) He again answered in response to the legitimacy of the communication forum of the White House, “we are underestimating their ability to communicate effectively” (Mike McCurry, 2010) McCurry just like Earnest took strong standing defending the President.
He discusses in continuation the role of the new media. “In 1995, we never thought that news would be as frequent on cable television. The internet serves as a medium of engagement between the people and the White House” (Mike McCurry, 2010). McCurry defines an appropriate role of the news media in relation to the publicity of the White House and its constituencies. As one explain another undefined role of the Press Secretary, McCurry states that “Obama do not answer several Questions and Answers kinds of questions.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) This relates to the fact that certain presidents have different needs, as described earlier by Earnest. He explains that the, “white house is not a good forum to communicate and that [they] don’t pay a price for saying no.” (Mike McCurry, 2010)
The environment in which the President presents his policies is just as important as the medium he uses to reach the people. “The white house has less control over its own coverage. The President knows what environment he is going into.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) The president and his officials are responsible for placing the president in appropriate and easy to mange environments. This is also one of the main duties of the Press Secretary and the White House publicity offices. McCurry explains that, “in the press conference Clinton was difficult because the questions were usually unexpected” (Mike McCurry, 2010). The press secretaries publicity roles have them, “prepare in advance for questions that might be asked, but the ones that they do not prepare for are usually asked.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) This is a great dilemma of press secretaries and they all complain about the difficulty in taming some of the reporters that interview the presidents. A very important aspect of communication operations in the White House is as McCurry explains, ” to be very clear about what one communicates.” (Mike McCurry, 2010) This is a vital element of White House communication, which is to communicate effectively with the public. McCurry expresses one of the main forums needed for adequate communication technique and this he names, “continuity.” (Mike McCurry, 2010)
Bill Burton is a current Press Deputy Secretary for President Obama. In comparison to McCurry and Earnest he was particularly very defensive of the President and the White House. Bill Burton relates his role to a difficulty in taming the media; “it is difficult trying to keep up with every news” (Burton, 2010) It is surprising that this statement was made because the job, mainly, of the White House press offices is to keep up with the news.
He explains the difficulty in curtailing policy information while campaigning compared to while governing. The difference is that “telling about policies while campaigning is through media and doing the policies is done while in office.” (Burton, 2010) Corresponding to this is a trend of how the media is the medium through which the president communicates while campaigning but once in office he is judged by his actions.
“People often criticize without considering a worse condition or leader.” (Burton, 2010) A basic problem in the white house is lack of a happy medium. Bill Burton defends the presidents as did McCurry and Earnest.
He restates a fact that “no revamping of strategies…but using technology a little differently.” He evaluates his role as Press Secretary in assuming that new media has become a new and vital way for press officials to communicate with the people. In defending the President’s privacy, Bill Burton admits that, “rumors are faster spread by the internet.” (Burton, 2010) The role of this Press Secretary in question, Burton, shows that there are several important elements to publicities of the White House press.
He states in disagreement with McCurry that the white house is “more about theatrics than substance.” (Burton, 2010) Another opposite view to that of McCurry is the claim Burton makes that, “it is helpful for grassroots supporters to get their points across in order to pressure the White House towards actions” (Burton, 2010). Both have these views are primarily different from those of McCurry’s.
The White House press secretaries , Josh Earnest, Bill Burton, and Mike McCurry, express through several avenues ways in which they carry out their publicity roles in the White House. They all relate well in that they defend the President. They differ in their positions on the way the public should view the White House. The viable trends displayed through the craftsmanship of these officials, Josh Earnest, Bill Burton, and Mike McCurry, correlates well with the way White House operations work.