You’ve probably heard about the latest "gaffe" by President Bush this morning. If not, here’s a quick recap: Bush held a video conference with ten soldiers in Iraq about the progress of the current war. Allison Barber, deputy assistant defense secretary, prepped the soldiers by telling them Bush’s questions ahead of time.
That's it. That's what happened. So why is this considered a blemish on Bush?
Because he's an easy target for the media. In some cases, Bush’s actions are warranted of the scathing barbs slung by the media, but, in this instance, Bush should be applauded for being well prepared and thorough before the video conference began.
Pre-interviewing prepping is a staple of good PR. Every PR exec with a brain prepares before they jump into an interview (i.e., jotting down talking points that stay on-message). This is what PR clients pay for.
OK, back to the Bush's video conference. I have a few questions and, luckily, I'll even provide answers for each one.
Did Barber tell the soldiers what to say?
No.
Were Bush's questions prepared ahead of time?
Yes.
Has anyone ever prepared their questions before conducting an interview?
Of course.
The most astounding part of this to story is that TV journalists and producers perform the exact same preparations on their shows. Katie and Matt have a producer that tells "Today Show" guests the outline for their upcoming interview. An on-location news reporter has a producer standing there acting as the liaison between the reporter and the stage producer back in the studio.
What Bush's administration did yesterday falls into the same thing that journalists do when reporting the news. And they should know better than anyone that Bush’s video conference wasn't newsworthy for the reasons they’re citing.
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