Ulman Demands a 21st Century Media Relationship

Republican County Commissioner Sharon Ulman has a blog up. A rumor that she won’t talk to the media and will require them to ask questions on the blog has a created a stir.  The rumor isn’t true. Said Ulman:

1) I will answer questions from reporters in unedited live interviews (i.e. talk radio, long-format public affairs programs, live on-the-scene interviews, in studio, in recorded Commission meetings and public hearings). Questions that I answer on this blog may be submitted any way your heart desires, whether here, through e-mail, telephone, or in skywriting for that matter. The point is that my complete, unedited responses will be posted here on this blog for all the world to see.

2) I will answer constituents’ questions in whatever forum or format they choose and have been doing so since I declared my candidacy for this position early last year. As I pointed out, I am here to serve the public and am honored to have the opportunity to do so.

Let me remind you, once again, that you and everyone else, including members of the media, are welcome to attend our meetings, ask questions in those meetings on the official record, when I am a guest on talk radio programs including those already scheduled, and at Town Hall Meetings, again on the official record. The public will then have the opportunity to hear my complete, unedited, unfiltered responses. What I will not do is willingly participate in sound-byte journalism.

So Ulman will do live TV Interviews, Interviews in studio, talk radio interviews. What is she not going to do?  She’s not going to do 20 minute TV Interviews so that nine seconds can be turned into a soundbyte or spend an hour answering questions from a Statesman reporter, only to have one quote placed in seperated from context.

The policy indicates one thing pretty clearly: Ulman doesn’t trust the media and doesn’t like the games it plays. I can’t blame her. However, she’s still willing to give TV stations looking for a comment an answer as well as the Statesman, but they’ll get it the same way every other citizen will: from her on her blog. The media will still get its information.  So, what’s the problem? Is it too much problem for Dan Popkey to type a question in the comments on Ullman’s blog?

The Dinosaur media is roaring because in Sharon Ulman you have a political leader that is giving them no special access, and putting them on the same plane as average, ordinary citizens. It is not the work of the newspapers that will ultimately be impaired, but it’s ego and the media’s ego deserves some impairing. In the meantime, Ullman will continue to appear in those media venues where she can get through without the filter. Sounds good for the public, but expect the Statesman to make a fuss about it.