Will jerking around the press hurt Rick Scott?

To pose the question bluntly, will jerking around the Capitol Press Corps really hurt Gov. Rick Scott?

Absolutely.

My own advice to people is to be as accessible as you can, provide as much information as you can, and always return press phone calls before deadline. There are lots of good self-serving reasons for this, but mainly (as someone who started his career as a journalist) it’s because I regard journalists as the Fourth Estate, a voice of the people that is essential to democracy.

Now, about Scott, who told a group of Florida reporters and editors yesterday at the AP Legislative Planning Session that he doesn’t read Florida newspapers.  (He’s not alone BTW – barely a third of the people in this state probably read a newspaper yesterday, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.) He made some attempts to be nice yesterday, but overall appears to be doing his best to corral the press and limit access to his decision-making process, whatever it is.

Will it matter?  Yes, and here are some implications:

• In his inevitable disagreements with the Legislature, Scott loses even more influence.  In contrast to Gov. Scott, the Legislature’s leadership appears to be going out of its way to be open to the press.  Senate President Mike Haridopolos is doing it for obvious reasons – he needs to stay in the media spotlight as much as possible for the next year and a half to win his primary.  House Speaker Dean Cannon appears (at least for now) to be open because he’s a genuinely conscientious public servant.  They’re already sitting on veto-proof majorities, and they’ll have the press as a megaphone to advance their arguments.  Bottom line, the legislators are going to have a much better time telling their stories in the hometown papers, and they’ll win any public opinion battle with this governor.
• Repetition matters, and four years of hostile press is going to take a toll on Scott in the next election.  Scott squeaked into office with horrible approval ratings -- somewhere around 33 percent.  Despite using a self-funded campaign account to outspend his opponent by something like 4 to 1, he did not win a majority, and only beat Alex Sink by 1.2 points. He’ll never drop the baggage of the Columbia/HCA fraud.  Since he’s been elected, he has seemed bent on giving potential opponents even more ammunition to create a potentially damaging narrative – out of touch executive bent on selling state to special interests. I’ve seen it take down elected officials time after time – while one or two negative stories barely dent public opinion, months or years of sustained negative coverage can erode your support and get you unelected.
• You don’t need the press to win an election, but you want the press to help you govern. I can think of a couple examples to illustrate how this works. Scott won his election because he had enough money to “speak directly to voters,” which for him meant ignoring mediators like editorial boards and instead blanketing the state with 30-second spots. President Barack Obama, when he was merely candidate Obama in 2008, was criticized at times for not being accessible to the press, but again used an overwhelming fundraising advantage (and a great ground game) to deliver an unmediated message to voters.  After Election Day, you can’t afford to prop up public opinion with continual advertising.  The only way you can continue to communicate to the 2 million plus people who put you in office, and who are now counting on you to deliver results, is through the mass media.

Don't get me wrong. I think a Twitter town hall is way cool, a great tactic. With the rise of social media, there are more channels than ever to engage the public directly, without the press as an intermediary. Without a doubt, the mainstream media is not as influential as it was even 10 years ago.

But the press is finally catching on to social media too, and I’d still advise a healthy respect for the creativity and commitment  of today’s journalists to continue the old mission to “give voice to the voiceless, and hold the powerful accountable.”

You want them working with you, not against you.

Comments

[Centertim]

Great piece - brilliant observations

[Bill Newton - Florida Consumer Action Network]

Scott may underestimate the reach of the print media. TV news directors read the papers to get story idea. TV typically doesn't spend a lot of time investigating stories. The internet, especially blogs, depends on newspapers for content. Stories start with reporters. Tallahassee reporters are still in business and their stories are now found in many media. Scott might want to show more respect until he fully understands their power.