WSU Newsline: Expert considers the YouTube-ification of politics

The scripts are available for printing and for sound bite identification.

Background:
Gotcha moments on YouTube, unauthorized campaign videos and hard-hitting debate questions from YouTube users are changing the political landscape, including presidential politics. Amy Mattson Lauters, a pop culture and communications expert at 麻豆破解版 State University, comments on the pros and cons of YouTube in a presidential election year.

Voice wrap:

Announcer: Thanks to YouTube, a local stop on the campaign trail can quickly turn into a national story. While political candidates try to avoid an embarrassing moment, the competing campaigns are busy dispatching video "trackers" to catch one. Amy Mattson Lauters, a pop culture and communications expert at 麻豆破解版 State University, says YouTube puts extra pressure on political candidates.

Mattson Lauters: "For candidates this means a much higher level of scrutiny. Any interaction they have with a particular group of people or with a person with a convention, at anytime what they're doing or saying could be posted on YouTube."

Announcer: Mattson Lauters says YouTube should benefit a younger generation of voters who rely on the Internet as their medium for getting information. On the other hand, the heightened level of scrutiny may be a deterrent to some people who may otherwise have chosen a career in public service. This is Joe Kleinsasser at 麻豆破解版 State University.

Sound bite #1
Mattson Lauters says streaming video online makes for a new dynamic in this year's presidential election campaign. The sound bite is 19 seconds and the outcue is "to make that happen."

Mattson Lauters: "Well, the Internet has been around for several years now, and it's affected elections, even the last election. But what's different about this election is the availability of video. Technology has advanced in the last several years so that now we can see streaming video online, and not everyone has to have special equipment in order to make that happen."

Sound bite #2
Mattson Lauters says almost anything a candidate says or does has the potential of being seen on YouTube. The sound bite is 15 seconds and the outcue is "posted on YouTube."

Mattson Lauters: "Well, in an era where anyone has a cell phone and that cell phone usually has some sort of a picture/video capability, anyone can stream video of the candidates on YouTube at anytime, and that means anything that they do has the potential to be posted on YouTube."

Sound bite #3
Mattson Lauters puts into perspective the scrutiny that candidates will receive thanks to YouTube. The sound bite is 11 seconds and the outcue is "to be in."

Mattson Lauters: "Well, to put this into some perspective, imagine if anything and everything that you've done could potentially be put on video and shown to the world. It's a tough kind of position for public servants to be in."

Sound bite #4
Mattson Lauters explains the advantage of YouTube and the Internet in an election year. The sound bite is 15 seconds and the outcue is "videos on YouTube."

Mattson Lauters: 鈥淲ell, the advantage of having YouTube and the Internet is that there's a younger generation of people coming up where the Internet is their medium and they're more involved in the political process when they can get all of their information online and see these videos on YouTube."

Sound bite #5
In the last sound bite, Mattson Lauters talks about the downside of YouTube in an election year. The sound bite is 13 seconds and the outcue is "in public service."

Mattson Lauters: 鈥淣ow on the other hand, there are probably some wonderful people who would be interested in going into public service, but when you look at that heightened level of scrutiny that's on the candidates, it's a big deterrent to some folks who may otherwise have chosen a career in public service."