With the Secretary of State departing tomorrow morning for Japan, I know I will suffer a day-long wait for news to post about her and then feel overwhelmed and be trying to find a moment here or there in my day to post the wealth of information as it comes out at odd hours from the State Department. But this is also a good time to point out why I even let blogging about her invade my otherwise already busy life and time. I do it because the media does such a poor job of covering her work and travels.
It is annoying enough, for example, when they do cover something she says or does by showing a silent clip of her while the reporter narrates her words. For pity sake, let me hear her say it! At least in a case like that, though, they are covering her ... sort of. Often enough, however, she does big things, and they are barely covered in the media at all (her hard work last week with President Karzai, for example). Hence this blog as a record of her monumental contributions.
I am writing this entry not simply to get that off my chest, but because, coincidentally, while I was thinking about this trip, I found an article in my news feed that caught my attention. Here is the header: Clinton may join Christchurch forum. Immediately I clicked on it thinking I had, yet again, found some foreign source leaking information about a change of itinerary for the Asia trip (an itinerary released by the State Department only last night and elaborated on today in a press briefing). I was wrong. So wrong. Take a look at the first few paragraphs. The emphasis is mine.
Clinton may join Christchurch forum
By GLENN CONWAY - The Press
A major security operation is under way as Christchurch prepares to host a political and business forum that may feature United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Mayor Bob Parker said hosting the February 2011 US-NZ Partnership Forum was "huge news for the city".
Government security staff from both countries had already scouted locations for the fourth partnership forum, and security arrangements for venues were under way.
The venues would remain secret until just days before the event, Parker said.
Organisers said the security checks were normal, regardless of whether Clinton attended or not.
Here is my point. The mayor says this is huge news, and the news outlet, by the way, is an NZ source. But check out what they front. Clinton is the first name in the header, and she gets the first paragraph. The article is not so much celebrating Christchurch getting this forum, but that Hillary Clinton, international rock star of huge popularity, might attend. And. look, this is an event that is not even going to occur until February 2011.
The U.S. media, if they were less parochial, could learn something from the foreign press who actually appreciate our Secretary of State and display excitement over a possible visit. Hillary gets TV ratings and sells papers (isn't actually selling papers the major problem facing newpapers today?). Maybe some of us would resume buying papers if they would print stories about the Secretary's travels and work. Maybe I would not feel obliged to blog, and maybe I would not have to. I would be too busy reading about her in the papers.
Media peeps: Look at that face up there! And when you have a chance, scroll back and watch the video of her opening remarks. Why would you not be covering her?
