ME and Ophelia

A DIFFERENT TWO MINUTES ALTOGETHER
See two videos of what really happened in Iowa

Yesterday, I blogged two video clips of Howard Dean's now-infamous speech in Iowa. One clip was from BBC News online and the other, an idomstudio.com clip, had been filmed by a Dean campaign supporter standing at the back of the room where the speech was held. The room was filled with deafening noise. It was packed with a mass of supporters (Joe Trippi, campaign manager, says 3,500) shouting at the top of their lungs, stomping their feet, whistling, and clapping. Some were even using megaphones. Here are the perspectives of seven more people who were either present at the speech or had seen one or both clips:

1) Extract from an email that Jim Moore received from supporter Bob Stepno: "I'm not following the blogs much this week, but wondered if you've seen this particular video clip, shot from the *back* of the room during the "rant" speech. The crowd noise certainly puts his shouting and hoarseness in context." http://www.webmastersforamerica.com/Idiom_Studio/video.htm

2) Extract from an email that Jim Moore received from supporter Gary Denton: "Much has been made about Howard Dean in his speech on Tuesday night after the Iowa Caucuses. But how much is due to the camera angle and a sound mike that cancels the crowd noise? What you may have seen or heard on TV and radio or internet was shown in such a way that it sounded like Howard Dean was a raving lunatic. It has been the subject of many humorous remixes - but all using the same source tape and sound mix. Fortunately, in this day of video cameras, a member in the audience that night also took footage, which you can now see here: http://www.idiomstudio.com/ A different two minutes altogether. Note this is volunteer footage.

Here's more from someone who was there - 20 feet from the stage: "People were shouting the whole time -- shouting at the top of their lungs, whistling, and clapping. Some were even using megaphones. Flags were waving, pompons were shaking, and feet were stomping to the point that it was deafening. There were probably over 1000 people elbow to elbow in that room that night. The crowd was so unbelievably loud I could barely hear myself think, let along hear what Howard was saying."

Gary Denton concluded his email by saying "The So-Called Liberal media with the active encouragement of the GOP party have framed this worse than they did the Paul Wellstone memorial. I urge you to visit the website, view the footage and judge for yourself."

THIS RACE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO
Don't allow the media control the message

3) Jim Moore, in his reply to Bob Stepno's email (see 1 above), asks: "On that clip why can't I hear the "yeaahh" ending to the shout we're so used to from the usual broadcast TV or radio? Was the audio track edited or remixed to de-emphasize the shout at all? Or was that yell something that went into a "media" microphone, not to the general PA sound that your clip picked up?

4) Adam Curry in Holland: "I really don't understand what all the hoopla is about over the Dean battle-cry. From what I read about it I was expecting something really heinous. Looked to me like a guy who was rallying his troops to continue into battle, perhaps one that his forces can't even win. He actually acted, err, human. From where I stand (about 5 thousand miles away) this 'incident' is being misused by the media to crush the Dean campaign. Witness the Diane Sawyer interview where Sawyer blatently predicts this will hurt the campaign." [via Jim Moore's News Aggregator]

5) Ryan Overbey: "This race has a long way to go, but it will be disastrous if we let CNN and Fox News control the message and shape what this election will look like. This year's primaries are our elections - not theirs." [via Scripting News]

6) Halley Suitt on Dean's Critics: "Dean is subversive by being honest and direct, emotional and passionate. His critics are quick to point this out. Just as they destroyed other men for crying, they seem to attack him for being vulnerable and human. But the results are paradoxical. Every put-down seems to help him come back stronger. There is another group of people constantly underestimated, criticized for being too emotional, too passionate, disrespected for telling the simple truth. Those people are women. I think Dean's stance resonates with many women. His love and support of his wife is nothing short of revolutionary. This campaign only gets more and more interesting."

7) Joe Trippi, Dean for America's campaign manager: "Here’s the real story on Monday night – the one the press still hasn’t told. I’ve been around campaigns for a long time. On most campaigns, if you come in third in Iowa with 18% and you go to the after party, you’re lucky to find 4 people there. Most every one by the time it’s over has left to find another party and another campaign But on Monday night Howard Dean walked in to the ballroom in Des Moines and there were 3500 people there. And the energy was higher than most victory parties I’ve been to. ..." [via Halley Suitt]
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THE PROBLEM IS NOT WITH THE PUNDITS WHO ARE RUINING THIS CAMPAIGN
It is with we who consent to what they do

Today, in his latest post, Jim Moore paraphrases Gandhi: "the problem is not with people in government, it is with we who consent to what they do".

Jim says of the Dean campaign: "The problem is not with the pundits who are ruining this campaign, it is with we who consent to what they do."
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ADOPT-A-JOURNALIST
Keeping journalists accountable

Here's a list of people who have volunteered to adopt-a-Journalist. View the Forum and join in. Anything regarding how to keep journalist accountable is a valid topic.

Source courtesy of The Wilgoren Watch 'a blog dedicated to deconstructing the New York Times coverage of Howard Dean's campaign for the White House' via Halley Suitt

Updated: February 1, 2004 - PressThink: Adopt a Campaign Journalist in 2004: The Drift of a Suggestion via Joi Ito's Web: Identity and justice