EDITORIAL: Post-State of the Union Report Hints at Shift Among News Consumers

By The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Jan. 29–When President Bush delivered the annual State of the Union address last week, his agenda was no surprise to Congress or the American people. Topics such as health care, Social Security reform and the war in Iraq were the expected highlights. But at least some who watched the post-speech analysis on TV got a glimpse of how the news media, and how people use them, are changing.

Following the President’s speech, many Americans sought more information about what they had heard and turned to the popular search engine, Google. ABC News, as part of a collaboration with Google, reported that the major issues were nowhere near the top of the most-searched list. Instead, people focused on the President’s guests in the gallery: NBA star Dikembe Mutombo and Julie Aigner-Clark, founder of Baby Einstein Co.

Mr. Mutombo, the 7-foot-2-inch Houston Rockets center, was praised by the President for the strides he has made since coming to the United States. A native of the Republic of Congo, he arrived on a medical school scholarship from Georgetown University. After being snatched up by the basketball coach, however, Mr. Mutombo went on to play professionally and became a U.S. citizen. The money he earned went into building a hospital in his hometown in Congo. The President said, “We are proud to call this son of the Congo a citizen of the United States of America.”

President Bush then turned to Ms. Aigner-Clark, whom he referred to as a “generous social entrepreneur.” What began as a way to teach her love of art and music to her daughter, turned into a business that earned $21 million in its first five years. She sold the company to Disney. This, Mr. Bush said, “represents the great enterprising spirit of America.”

These “top searches” are evidence of how Internet users, especially the the 18 to 20-something group, intend to be their own editors, rather than rely on traditional media decision makers. The challenge for the news media — including newspapers, of course — is to design their products in ways that allow them to do that. State of the Union gallery introductions have become a standard part of the address, it is true. The ABC-Google results show that at least for some viewers, they are more than a political gimmick.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Morning Call, Allentown, Pa.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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