President Obama Newsjacking Republicans on Super Tuesday

This afternoon, Tuesday March 6, 2012, President Obama held his first solo news conference from the White House since October 6, 2011.

President Obama and his advisors' choice to answer journalists' questions on Super Tuesday, when voters in ten U.S. states vote in the Republican Presidential Primaries (arguably the most important date of the entire primary season) is a classic example of political newsjacking.

Watch the news conference on WhiteHouse.gov.

So in today's online news stories, this evening's television and radio broadcasts, and tomorrow’s newspapers, the Republican Super Tuesday winner(s) need to share the top story with the President.

The president has engaged in newsjacking before. For example: President Obama Newsjacks Iowa Caucus by joining Instagram.

You can newsjack too

It's not just the President who drafts off the Republican challengers for the White House. Anybody can do it if they can find an appropriate angle to create some content around some angle in real-time.

For example, when candidate Rick Santorum commented about homeschooling, it gave homeschooling expert Christa Johnson an ideal opportunity to respond on her blog: There Isn’t One Face of Homeschooling.

President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Photo: Screen grab from WhiteHouse.gov live streaming feed.

Comments

[Colin Warwick]

Yes. Politicians have always been ace newsjackers. In 1992 Clinton used the fax machine to newsjack. Now it's this Interweb thingy.

[David Meerman Scott]

Colin - Indeed. And from the podium. It is remarkable what happens when a politician opens his or her mouth.

[Beverly Jernigan]

It is a shame he is unable to speak "off the cuff" and has to read from a teleprompter. You would think by now he would be able to have this simple capability.