YouTube Provides Fresh Voice in Political Discourse

They call it You Tube, the community broadcast platform, where zany, ridiculously stupid, intelligent, creative and serious video portrayals reside on the Internet. Thanks to CNN's newmaker status, news integration platforms and its global reach YouTube came of “political age.” During CNN's second round of hosting the Democrats' Presidential Debates, producers for the World’s number one broadcast news operation fielded questions; video taped questions, from users of the YouTube service, that asked the candidates what they will do if they become the next president of the United States.
CNN, the Democratic presidential hopefuls and YouTube contributors put on their game faces at the Citadel in South Carolina and squared off for more than two hours triggereing some of the most interesting and passionate dialogue among presidential aspirants.
Imagine a snowman asking a question about Global warming. Consider two women posing together and asking whether the candidates will allow them to get married. Face the reality of the health crisis from the sick and their caretakers upfront and personal. It was a gutsy evening.
CNN producers put it together with CNN 360 anchor Anderson Cooper hosting the event. Just when you thought an over exposed Cooper couldn’t possibly do one more thing in the arena of news coverage. Yet, he was refreshing, and he delivered a brilliant performance. He did it by being open, resolute, inquiring, surprising, humble, witty and tough.
The evening surfaced two questions that don’t get a lot of attention. The issue of reparations for slavery in America and a question on institutional legacy/dynasty in the White House, the executive branch, considering the Bush, Clinton, Clinton again, Bush, Bush again and possibly Clinton and possibly Clinton again administrations. Too much you ask?
It was new and the approach, using video taped questions featuring cinematic techniques were edgy enough to add a bit of the surreal while giving viewing audiences the sense that real people, often funny, were asking real questions, important and serious, that they cared about. The questioners were under forty for the most part. You could argue the production was somewhat age specific, a rather generational thing, considering the genre drawn to YouTube, but the questions sometimes cut hard to the soul of America Today.
What rings most clear is the broadcasting of the American voice is just beginning to be tapped for its diverse perceptions and perspectives, and that voice was heard.
In keeping the record straight, there were older Adults peppered in with their questions...Sprinkled in obligatory style to satisfy the obvious fair-minded producer’s concern that says we have to have an older person asking a question...The sort of thing, you know, that says balance really does matter. It all played so very well. CNN and YouTube will do it again with the Republicans.
NewsJReview.