White House Communications Director Anita Dunn talked about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama campaign's successful efforts to control the media and bypass the editor's filter.
"Whether it was a David Plouffe video or an Obama speech, that a huge part of our press strategy was focused on making the media cover what Obama was actually saying as opposed to why the campaign was saying it, what the tactic was. … Making the press cover what we were saying.
"One of the reasons we did so many of the [Obama's chief campaign manager] David Plouffe videos was not just for our supporters, but also because it was a way for us to get our message out without having to actually talk to reporters.
"We just put that out there and made them write what Plouffe had said as opposed to Plouffe doing an interview with a reporter. So it was very much we controlled it as opposed to the press controlled it."
Dunn, who is the key figure in the Obama administration's current battle with Fox News, was speaking at a Jan. 12, 2009, event focusing on Obama's media tactics and hosted by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, which promoted collaboration between the United States and the Dominican Republic.
This video was uncovered by World Net Daily, which has been criticized by the left. The video itself isn't news because its nine months old, nor is it news that a political candidate will try to control the media. But it is rare to see a candidate's communication director publicly describe the campaign's efforts in such detail.
It's also surprising to see Dunn warn that anything you say can and will be posted on YouTube.
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