Dear EU Advocates: Comms 101 – Strategy + Tools

TV studio camera
Photo owned by Matti Mattila (cc)

So now decisions on broadcasting and technology resourcing are being earmarked as biggies in EU messaging. If academics say it, then it must be true right? DCU Professor Corcoran addressed yesterday’s EU Affairs Subcommittee meeting on Ireland’s Future in the EU:

Changes in the technology of communication could make it easier to develop a knowledge and understanding of the European Union, Prof Farrel Corcoran of Dublin City University told the Subcommittee on Ireland’s Future in the EU at Leinster House yesterday.

Right, so we’ll try and blame the widespread misunderstanding of the Project Lisbon on technology. It’s the fucking tools fault. Let’s buy more tools. Cue chimp throwing wrench at political machine.

What’s needed is clear messaging across the board – TV, radio, online. The Yes political machine took too long to react to insane accusations in the run up to Lisbon. They lost the day because they weren’t flexible responding to Chicken Licken threats. One fears blaming just the tools at this juncture, amounts to gold-mining the cream of success off Obama’s victory.

Ah, sure all his tools just worked didn’t they? Forget about the ringing parties, mobilisation of volunteers in neighbourhoods and the healthy activity on political blogs. Talking up tools without sketching an integrated communications strategy smells of epic faildom.

And the Professor continues:

He said the subcommittee should understand the pressures on RTÉ and other media “to avoid, as they see it, programming that is going to send their budget line shooting downward in an environment where things have got to be protected financially”.

Then Joe Costello pops in:

Labour TD Joe Costello said there was an “information deficit” in Ireland on the EU. “The information isn’t coming through and how could it be coming through?”

Criticising the timing of RTÉ programmes on the broadcasting schedule, he said: “You have to wait till one o’clock in the morning to get Oireachtas Report , which is outrageous. And you have to wait ’til always after 12 to get anything on the EU.”

Maybe neither the Professor or Deputy Costello know of or use Oireachtas.ie. Or perhaps, like me it’s their dirty little secret that they are privately ashamed of. Leaving aside the planet-sized gap where common-sense ought to prevail and a connected communications strategy should be enacted, Oireachtas.ie is a pointed example of missed promise. It reeks of opportunity lost.

Why can’t every Sub-committee meeting be broadcast live and archived? Yesterday morning’s webcasted meeting covered all the bases. Christ, the sharp edits were impressive. Camera 1, Lucinda closeup. Camera 2, Ganley and Simmons. Et cetera, et cetera. Hello, multicamera webcast fun.

Why can’t Dáil proceedings be available for viewing in bitsized-chunks? Want real dissemination of political argument on blogs? How about making this video available for embedding or published through a Creative Commons license for mashing? Bingo. You’ll get yourself a Gold Star for effort, Oireachtas.ie.

Technology or lack thereof is not to blame for misunderstanding moves in the EU project. The lack of laptops does not eat babies. What technology can do is open a wide avenue for discourse about our representatives and the jobs they do for us.

A wise man once said, if it’s on the Internet then it must be true. Take heed, EU cheerleaders because that’s the kernel of thought that is defeating you. Your protestations doth ring too strong.

November 19th, 2008 at 10:21 am • Filed in Geekery, Politics



Comments

Leave a Reply