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Total White House Staff: 6,550 + 500 volunteers + 100 interns ===> 7,150
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Total White House Staff working directly on communications/media ===> 129
{traditional press, internet management, new media, supermarket media}
Office of Communications: 50 staff
Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs: 29 staff
Press Secretary: 20 staff
Presidential Speechwriter and assistants: 15 staff
Office of Political Affairs: 10 staff
David Axelrod: 4 staff
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There was a published article within the last few weeks (I can't find it now) that put White House media expenditures at $500,000/week (= $26 million/year) .
It isn't normal to have this kind of effort expended on pre-digesting the news for the press. It has always been the job of the press to do this work for itself. In fact, this is very undemocratic and "Brave New World."
Please, realize that this isn't what the television and newspapers spend on salaries and expenses. This is what O's White House is spending to manage O's message to journalism professionals who are paid to "cover" the White House.
That's a lot of money being spent:
- on a lot of people
- to tell us that what they want to tell us
- and pretend that it is what we want to hear.
Under these circumstances, no one should have uncritical confidence in what is reported - not what, not how, not when.
It should also be noted that our post-racial President has a Director of African-American media and a Director of Hispanic Media.
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you can fool all the people some of the time.....
ReplyDeletei understand the reason for the size of the publicity machine (as there are a lot of counter press going on).
but it is a sad commentary on the state of our political system.